In today’s challenging economic climate, many wineries are rethinking their operational strategies. Rather than continuing to rent or lease, owning your space can be a transformative decision that positions your winery for long-term success. With the support of SBA 504 loans from TMC Financing, this isn’t just a dream—it’s an achievable reality. The Benefits of Owning Your Space Financial Stability and Predictability Owning your own property means you’re not subject to sudden rent hikes or lease uncertainties. SBA 504 loans provide long-term, fixed interest rates with fully amortized payments over 25 years and no balloon payments, offering financial predictability that’s vital for planning your winery’s future. Cash Flow That Works for You With as little as 10% down for established businesses (15% for single-purpose facilities or start-ups), you can preserve your working capital to invest in other critical areas. This structure helps ensure you

Free Up Capital. Fuel Growth. Stay Harvest-Ready Most wineries lock up hundreds of thousands in barrel inventory. But here’s the truth: The barrel isn’t the asset—the wine inside is. Legacy Barrel Services helps you unlock the capital trapped in your cooperage program. We finance the barrels so you can preserve working capital, fund harvest operations, and focus on what matters—great wine. ✅ Smart financing.✅ Zero operational disruption. ✅ Capital back in your pocket. 📩 Let’s rethink your barrel program before 2025 hits: | contact@legacybarrelservices.com

We're thrilled to announce that Blended has raised a $2.5 million Seed round to transform how wineries manage production, from vineyard to bottle. The round was led by Bienville Capital Management, whose support affirms our vision: to build the next generation of winery operations software. With Blended, teams spend less time buried in data entry and more time making informed decisions in real time, ultimately running smarter, more efficient businesses. Since launching in 2022, we’ve been on a mission to reimagine production management for modern wineries. Blended is designed to be the most flexible, intuitive platform on the market—adapting to how you make wine, not the other way around. By combining thoughtful design with the latest technologies like AI, we help teams replace spreadsheets, notebooks, and legacy software once and for all. From work orders and lab analysis to costing and case goods, Blended keeps everyone aligned and moving forward. With this fu

Leading winery-focused software company receives transformative investment March 11, 2025 (Bellevue, WA) — OrderPort, a leading provider of software dedicated to the needs of wineries and related beverage alcohol producers, today announced it has received a strategic investment from funds managed by Performant Capital. Performant Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm that partners with founder-owned software and technology-enabled service companies to accelerate their growth. Founded in 2003, OrderPort has established itself as the preeminent technology provider for wineries by offering a comprehensive set of point of sale, loyalty program management, wine club management, eCommerce, customer relationship management, marketing, and reservations solutions. “We are excited to partner with the OrderPort founders and inject growth capital to strategically position the company for continued success,” said Michael Ciaglia, Partner at Performant Capital. “Thi

Not only do we help small businesses purchase or construct real estate, but we also can with with other financing needs via our Community Advantage Program. We’re thrilled to share that we just closed a $150,000 Community Advantage loan for a wine service company in San Jose! 🍷🎉 The loan will help them purchase equipment to improve their operations and continue serving their customers more efficiently. The Community Advantage loan is an affordable financing option designed to support small business owners at any stage of their journey. Whether it’s for inventory, equipment, working capital, tenant improvements, or other business expenses, this program provides the funding needed to grow and thrive. Learn more.

Lumo, the California-based smart irrigation company launched by CEO and Founder Devon Wright and his team just two years ago, knew it had something to offer winegrowers in terms of revolutionizing the way agriculture could be done. Now, within that very short time frame, Lumo can say with utmost confidence that its cutting-edge technology and accountable irrigation practices are having a verifiable and positive effect on bottom line financials at a time when the wine industry needs it most. “From day one at Lumo, we’ve known that irrigation automation, first and foremost, needs to make financial sense for the grower,” affirms Steele Roddick, Lumo’s Senior Digital Marketing Manager. “As a company and a team we are relentlessly focused on seamlessly integrating our technology into the day-to-day operations of growers and holding ourselves accountable for delivering real results.” Roddick emphasized that the costs savings from using Lumo’s Lumo O

Afternoon Brief, January 9th

US Alcohol Industry's Worst Year Since 1991: The vast American liquor industry hasn't been in such poor shape for three decades...

The wine industry is grappling with uncertainty in a rapidly changing economic landscape, leaving winery owners, grape farmers, and wine sales teams in a state of flux. Wineries were already coping with a demographic shift towards younger generations less interested in wine than Boomer enthusiasts when the pandemic catalyzed market disruption. When bars, restaurants and tasting rooms closed, consumers stocked up on budget-friendly wines, and value wine sales briefly surged. Then, with extra cash from government stimulus checks, they began buying premium and luxury wines. Small wineries adapted by introducing curbside pickups and digital wine tastings and utilized their phone and email lists to reach potential customers which helped shore up losses from tasting room closures. Unfortunately, two and a half years post-pandemic, sales remain disappointing despite reopened tasting rooms and other hospitality businesses. Economist Chris Bitter, Ph.D., Terrain's senior wine and grape ana

As consultants and custom crush winemakers, we work with seasoned and novice winemakers alike. When people think about making wine, they are sometimes ready to source grapes and start a wine label. However, making wine is only part of the process. The first thing we often tell aspiring vintners is that one must start with a business plan—because after all, making wine is a business. A common question relating to the business plan relates to winery finances. How do you build a budget? What numbers are important to consider? What data can give a readout of business performance? Mark Pisoni is a co-owner of Gravity Wine House and conducted investment analysis for his Master’s Degree while at Cornell University. We used that as a basis for assembling this blog post to give you some ideas for how to get started. The information was developed for wineries in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, but can apply to anywhere. If you’re ready to jump in with budgeting, sk