English
Craft brewery mergers and acquisitions are picking up, and the first thing a buyer wants to know is where your revenue really comes from. In this episode of Behind the Tab, fractional CFO Doug Cunningham explains what buyers look for in a brewery's books, and how owners can prepare whether they plan to sell, merge, or buy.
Doug is the founder of Crafted Ledgers, where he provides operator-level financial leadership to breweries, hospitality groups, and growing businesses. He spent nearly ten years as CFO of Denver Beer Company, helping grow it from one location to seven. He and host Patricia Mejia talk about why owners are selling, merging, or closing, revenue by stream, how to stress-test a deal at 20% to 30% below plan, how lenders are changing their approach, and the staffing and systems issues that follow a merger.
They also cover an example of a reported $250,000 in revenue that was really $175,000 once tips and sales tax were removed, why dedicated integration people matter, and how to set a realistic timeline. This episode is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Follow Doug Cunningham on LinkedIn and learn more at Crafted Ledgers.
Get a summary of the interview on the GoTab blog at Selling, Merging, or Buying a Brewery: What the Books Need to Show.