[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":213},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guides-en-GB-roastery-cash-flow":3},{"kind":4,"guide":5,"categorySlugs":205},"guide",{"key":6,"slug":6,"slugs":7,"category":16,"order":17,"schema":18,"title":19,"seoTitle":20,"description":21,"excerpt":22,"keywords":23,"published":31,"updated":31,"readingMinutes":32,"cover":33,"related":36,"body":59,"faq":123,"products":130,"sources":143,"paths":148,"slugMap":149,"categorySlug":204},"roastery-cash-flow",{"de-DE":8,"fr-FR":9,"es-ES":10,"es-419":11,"pt-BR":12,"pt-PT":13,"it-IT":14,"nl-NL":15},"liquiditaet-in-der-kaffeeroesterei","tresorerie-d-une-torrefaction","flujo-de-caja-de-un-tostadero","flujo-de-caja-de-una-tostaduria","fluxo-de-caixa-da-torrefacao","tesouraria-da-torrefacao","flusso-di-cassa-della-torrefazione","cashflow-van-een-koffiebranderij","running",13,"Article","Cash flow in a roastery: green coffee, credit terms and growth","Cash Flow for Coffee Roasters: Practical Guide","Why profitable roasteries run short of cash and how to manage it: green coffee timing, credit terms, stock, a 13-week forecast and seasonal peaks.","You pay for green coffee weeks or months before a cafe pays you for the roasted result. Here is where the cash goes, the forecast that shows it early, and the levers that bring it back.",{"primary":24,"secondary":25,"intent":30},"coffee roastery cash flow",[26,27,28,29],"cash flow forecast roastery","green coffee payment terms","wholesale credit terms coffee","roastery working capital","informational","2026-10-09",7,{"figure":34,"kicker":35},"13 weeks","Cash flow",[37,44,52],{"key":38,"slug":38,"category":16,"title":39,"excerpt":40,"readingMinutes":32,"updated":31,"cover":41},"roastery-stock-control","Stock control for green coffee, roasted coffee and packaging","A roastery holds three kinds of stock with three different clocks: green that ages over months, roasted coffee that ages over weeks, and packaging with long lead times. How to control each.",{"figure":42,"kicker":43},"3 clocks","Stock",{"key":45,"slug":45,"category":46,"title":47,"excerpt":48,"readingMinutes":32,"updated":31,"cover":49},"cafe-wholesale-account-terms","selling","Cafe account terms: credit, minimums and equipment on loan","Most bad debts and lost machines in roasting come from accounts opened on a handshake. The terms to put in writing before the first delivery, and how to enforce them politely.",{"figure":50,"kicker":51},"30 days","Account terms",{"key":53,"slug":53,"category":16,"title":54,"excerpt":55,"readingMinutes":32,"updated":31,"cover":56},"gross-margin-per-kg","Gross margin per kilo: the number that runs a roastery","Turnover tells you how busy you are. Gross margin per kilo, by channel and by coffee, tells you which customers and products actually pay the rent.",{"figure":57,"kicker":58},"£ \u002F kg","Margin",[60,62,64,75,77,79,103,105,107,115,117,119,121],{"p":61},"A roastery's cash cycle runs the wrong way round for a growing business. Green coffee is usually paid for on order or on short terms, sits in stock, gets roasted and packed, is delivered, and is paid for by a cafe two to five weeks later. The faster you grow, the more cash sits in that cycle.",{"h2":63},"The cash cycle",{"chart":65},{"type":66,"title":67,"steps":68},"flow","Where cash waits in a roastery",[69,70,71,72,73,74],"Pay for green coffee","Green in storage, weeks to months","Roast, pack and hold roasted stock","Deliver and invoice","Wait for payment, often 14 to 30 days","Cash back in the bank",{"p":76},"Add the days at each step and you have the number of days your money is tied up. Shorten any step and you free cash without selling another kilo.",{"h2":78},"The levers",{"table":80},{"head":81,"rows":84},[82,83],"Lever","What to do",[85,88,91,94,97,100],[86,87],"Green stock","Buy smaller and more often where you can; use spot lots in UK warehouses rather than forward contracts while volume is small.",[89,90],"Supplier terms","Ask for 30-day terms once you have a payment record; spread large purchases.",[92,93],"Customer terms","Set terms in writing, invoice on delivery, chase on day one of being overdue, stop supply at an agreed limit.",[95,96],"Direct debit or card on file","Collect wholesale payments automatically on the due date.",[98,99],"Retail and subscriptions","Paid up front: grow these alongside wholesale to balance the cycle.",[101,102],"Equipment","Finance or lease large items rather than paying cash, if the cost of finance is acceptable.",{"h2":104},"A 13-week cash forecast",{"p":106},"Profit forecasts are monthly; cash problems arrive by the week. A rolling 13-week forecast, updated every Monday, is the simplest early warning a roastery can keep.",{"checklist":108,"title":114},[109,110,111,112,113],"Opening bank balance","Receipts: each wholesale invoice by its expected payment week, retail and subscription takings","Payments: green coffee in the week you pay, packaging orders, wages, rent, rates, VAT and PAYE dates, loan and lease payments","Closing balance each week, and the lowest point in the 13 weeks","A minimum balance you will not go below","Columns in the forecast",{"h2":116},"Seasonal peaks",{"p":118},"Christmas gifting and subscription peaks need extra green, packaging and labour paid for before the money arrives. Plan the purchase dates into the forecast in early autumn, and agree supplier terms before the busy weeks.",{"h2":120},"VAT timing",{"p":122},"Most coffee is zero-rated, but equipment, some merchandise and drinks are standard-rated. A roastery that mostly sells zero-rated coffee while paying VAT on equipment and packaging can be in a repayment position, which helps cash. Your quarter dates still belong in the forecast. See [VAT on coffee](guide:vat-on-coffee).",[124,127],{"q":125,"a":126},"How much working capital does a roastery need?","Enough to cover green stock, packaging and several weeks of fixed costs while customers pay. A 13-week forecast shows your lowest point; keep a buffer above it.",{"q":128,"a":129},"What payment terms should I give cafes?","Common terms are 14 or 30 days from invoice. Shorter terms, direct debit and a credit limit protect cash. See the cafe account terms guide.",[131,135,139],{"target":132,"label":133,"note":134},"page:sales","Invoices, terms and overdue lists","Know who owes what, and when.",{"target":136,"label":137,"note":138},"page:green-coffee-inventory","Green stock in weeks of cover","See how much cash sits in each lot.",{"target":140,"label":141,"note":142},"market:buy","Buy green by the bag","Smaller, more frequent purchases.",[144],{"name":145,"title":146,"url":147},"GOV.UK","Late commercial payments: charging interest and debt recovery","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Flate-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery",{"en-US":6,"en-GB":6,"de-DE":8,"es-ES":10,"es-419":11,"fr-FR":9,"it-IT":14,"ja-JP":6,"pt-BR":12,"nl-NL":15,"el-GR":6,"fi-FI":6,"et-EE":6,"lv-LV":6,"lt-LT":6,"sk-SK":6,"sl-SI":6,"pt-PT":13},{"how-to-start-a-coffee-roasting-business":150,"coffee-roastery-business-plan":151,"coffee-roastery-startup-costs":152,"roastery-premises-and-planning-permission":153,"register-a-food-business-as-a-coffee-roaster":154,"haccp-plan-for-coffee-roasters":155,"insurance-for-coffee-roasters":156,"business-structure-for-a-roastery":157,"how-to-price-wholesale-coffee":158,"retail-coffee-pricing":159,"gross-margin-per-kg":53,"roastery-cash-flow":6,"staffing-a-roastery":160,"roastery-production-planning":161,"batch-scheduling-for-roasters":162,"roast-loss-and-shrinkage":163,"roastery-stock-control":38,"choosing-a-coffee-roaster":164,"gas-vs-electric-coffee-roasters":165,"new-vs-used-coffee-roaster":166,"buying-a-used-coffee-roaster-checklist":167,"importing-a-coffee-roaster":168,"afterburners-and-roaster-emissions":169,"roastery-extraction-and-ventilation":170,"commercial-coffee-grinders-for-roasteries":171,"coffee-packing-lines-and-heat-sealers":172,"coffee-roaster-maintenance-schedule":173,"leasing-vs-buying-roastery-equipment":174,"how-to-buy-green-coffee":175,"green-coffee-importers-vs-direct-trade":176,"importing-green-coffee-into-the-uk":177,"green-coffee-contracts-and-incoterms":178,"green-coffee-samples-and-sample-roasting":179,"grading-and-cupping-green-coffee":180,"green-coffee-moisture-and-density":181,"storing-green-coffee":182,"green-coffee-landed-cost":183,"selling-wholesale-coffee-to-cafes":184,"cafe-wholesale-account-terms":45,"coffee-subscription-business":185,"selling-coffee-online":186,"selling-coffee-at-markets-and-events":187,"private-label-coffee":188,"b2b-coffee-pricing-tiers":189,"coffee-labelling-uk":190,"allergens-for-coffee-roasters":191,"vat-on-coffee":192,"coffee-traceability":193,"food-safety-records-for-roasters":194,"roast-profiling-for-consistency":195,"coffee-roastery-qc-programme":196,"production-cupping-protocol":197,"development-time-and-roast-logging":198,"coffee-roasting-software-buyers-guide":199,"when-to-buy-a-second-roaster":200,"contract-roasting":201,"hiring-a-head-roaster":202,"multi-site-roastery":203},"how-to-start-a-coffee-roasting-business","coffee-roastery-business-plan","coffee-roastery-startup-costs","roastery-premises-and-planning-permission","register-a-food-business-as-a-coffee-roaster","haccp-plan-for-coffee-roasters","insurance-for-coffee-roasters","business-structure-for-a-roastery","how-to-price-wholesale-coffee","retail-coffee-pricing","staffing-a-roastery","roastery-production-planning","batch-scheduling-for-roasters","roast-loss-and-shrinkage","choosing-a-coffee-roaster","gas-vs-electric-coffee-roasters","new-vs-used-coffee-roaster","buying-a-used-coffee-roaster-checklist","importing-a-coffee-roaster","afterburners-and-roaster-emissions","roastery-extraction-and-ventilation","commercial-coffee-grinders-for-roasteries","coffee-packing-lines-and-heat-sealers","coffee-roaster-maintenance-schedule","leasing-vs-buying-roastery-equipment","how-to-buy-green-coffee","green-coffee-importers-vs-direct-trade","importing-green-coffee-into-the-uk","green-coffee-contracts-and-incoterms","green-coffee-samples-and-sample-roasting","grading-and-cupping-green-coffee","green-coffee-moisture-and-density","storing-green-coffee","green-coffee-landed-cost","selling-wholesale-coffee-to-cafes","coffee-subscription-business","selling-coffee-online","selling-coffee-at-markets-and-events","private-label-coffee","b2b-coffee-pricing-tiers","coffee-labelling-uk","allergens-for-coffee-roasters","vat-on-coffee","coffee-traceability","food-safety-records-for-roasters","roast-profiling-for-consistency","coffee-roastery-qc-programme","production-cupping-protocol","development-time-and-roast-logging","coffee-roasting-software-buyers-guide","when-to-buy-a-second-roaster","contract-roasting","hiring-a-head-roaster","multi-site-roastery","running-a-roastery",{"starting":206,"running":204,"equipment":207,"green-coffee":208,"selling":209,"compliance":210,"quality":211,"scaling":212},"starting-a-roastery","roasting-equipment","green-coffee-buying","selling-coffee","compliance","roasting-quality","scaling-a-roastery",1791626954161]