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[ Industry advisory · Hospitality ]

Strategic advisory for producers carrying excise, equipment and a venue at the same time.

Brewing, distilling and cellar-door operators carry a different financial profile to most hospitality. Alcohol excise is a major and specialised tax exposure, tanks and stills are serious capex, and the channel mix — taproom retail versus wholesale and distribution — shapes margin more than most operators realise. We help producers understand the economics across excise, capital and channel, and make the calls that actually move the business.

[ What we hear, again and again ]

The pressures inside breweries, distilleries & cellar doors.

These questions need the business’s information and circumstances to be understood. They are not, on their own, evidence of the cause or the right solution.

  • 01Alcohol excise — a major, specialised tax exposure most accountants don't engage with seriously
  • 02Capital intensity: tanks, stills, packaging lines and venue fit-out tying up cash
  • 03Inventory and maturation (especially in distilling) sitting on the balance sheet for years
  • 04Taproom / cellar-door retail margin very different to wholesale and distribution
  • 05Distributor terms, freight and breakage eroding wholesale margin invisibly

[ How we work ]

What the accounting and advisory work can cover.

  1. 01

    Excise position, remission entitlements and reporting reviewed as a discipline — not an afterthought

  2. 02

    Channel margin separated clearly — taproom, cellar door, wholesale, distribution, export

  3. 03

    Inventory and maturation properly valued and modelled into working capital

  4. 04

    Capex on production equipment framed against real payback and capacity uplift

  5. 05

    Structure designed for production IP, venue operating risk and asset protection

[ The numbers that matter ]

Measures that help owners understand performance.

Not a long list — the handful of numbers that, watched consistently, change how the business is run.

  • 01

    Excise as % of revenue

    The single biggest line most producers under-manage

  • 02

    Channel gross margin

    Taproom vs cellar door vs wholesale vs distribution

  • 03

    Inventory days / maturation stock

    Cash tied up in product not yet sold

  • 04

    Cost per litre / per unit produced

    Real fully-absorbed production cost

  • 05

    Capacity utilisation

    Actual production vs installed capacity

[ Across the year ]

Through the year — not just a tax-time call.

See how we work →

These are possible review topics, not a standard calendar. We agree the work, reporting and meeting frequency for your business. Agreed actions have clear responsibilities and are followed up.

  • 01

    Numbers that actually drive a venue — wages, food cost, sales mix

  • 02

    Profitability review, by venue and by daypart where it matters

  • 03

    Cash, tax and operational pressure points

  • 04

    Planning — capex, expansion, structure and exit thinking

[ The honest line ]

Producers who engage seriously with excise, channel margin and capital intensity make better decisions about where to grow, what to brew or distil next, and when to invest. We help build that clarity.

[ The next conversation ]

Get the excise, capital and channel picture straight.

Bring the messy stuff. The numbers, the pressures, the decisions you've been putting off. The first conversation is structured, candid and obligation-free.

Book an introductory call →See Business Advisory

[ Other practices in hospitality ]