With more than 140 wineries and a visitor economy tied to the lakes, the Finger Lakes runs on seasons. Here is how owners fund the gaps between them.
Apply Now →The Finger Lakes has more than 140 wineries, and wine is one piece of a wider economy that includes lake tourism, restaurants and inns, farms, orchards and the small manufacturers and suppliers behind them. New York's wine industry as a whole counts 507 producers, according to published industry figures. Visitors arrive in waves: summer weekends, fall harvest and leaf season, then quieter months in winter.
That kind of year makes owners think like farmers, whatever they sell. Costs come steadily. Income comes in bursts.
| Part of year | What owners are paying for | What the cash flow looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter to spring | Repairs, hiring, stock, marketing, deposits to suppliers | Spending rises before visitors do |
| Summer | Seasonal staff, higher food and supply orders | Strong sales, but payroll and inventory use much of it |
| Harvest and fall | Picking labor, bottling, storage, extra shifts | High sales and high costs at once |
| Winter | Rent, insurance, utilities, loan payments | Thin income against fixed costs |
The pattern means a business can look healthy on an annual basis and still run short in February. Funding is a way to bridge that pattern, as long as the repayment is tied to the busy part of the calendar.
Barrels, tanks, bottling lines, labels and glass all have to be bought ahead of sales. Equipment can break at the worst moment of harvest.
Kitchens, linens, fixtures and staff go in before the season opens. A wet summer weekend or a late spring can shift a whole month.
Seed, feed and fuel come before the crop. Dairy remains part of the broader New York picture, with roughly 2,700 farms statewide.
Contractors who work on lake houses and vineyards usually find their calendar compressed into a few good months.
For illustration only, not our terms. A tasting-room-and-restaurant owner knows from last year's bank statements that May through October produces the bulk of revenue. In April, they need $25,000 for stock, repairs and early staff. Funding that arrives in April and is paid back out of summer revenue lines up the money with the work. Funding taken in August for a problem that started in March costs the owner a season of avoidable stress.
Many Finger Lakes properties combine several businesses: a farm or vineyard, a tasting room or shop, event hosting and sometimes a few guest rooms. Each has its own season and its own cash cycle, which makes a single monthly bank balance hard to read. Owners who keep the lines separate in their books can see which one needs the bridge. A wedding-event line that has deposits months ahead is very different from a farm stand that earns only in September.
We fund $25,000 to $5,000,000 and funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours. The five-minute application uses a soft credit pull. We typically ask for about three months of business bank statements and do not require tax returns. FICO 500 and up is considered, and sole proprietors can apply. When your best months are behind you, statements from the previous season can still show the pattern; apply on the application page.
Published industry figures put the count at more than 140 wineries across the region.
Before the cash crunch, often late winter or early spring, when you can show last season's deposits and a clear use for the funds.
Yes. Sole proprietors and small owner-run businesses can apply, based on business bank statements.
Funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours once approved, but approval depends on the usual steps and your statements.
No. We ask for about three months of business bank statements.
Three months of business bank statements and a 5-minute application. FICO 500+ considered. $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours.
Apply Now →It takes about two minutes and it will not affect your credit score.
No obligation • No impact to your credit score
