2025

Innovative food and beverage financing

More than ever before, food and beverage companies must re-evaluate their business models and invest in new technologies to grow and stay competitive. But how do you prioritize innovation while managing the challenges of rising costs, fluctuating labor resources, and increasing demands?

Strong capital + industry expertise = empowerment

In the face of tight margins, energy-intensive equipment, and increasing pressure from regulators and consumers, launching new initiatives to stay competitive may seem impossible. As expert equipment strategists, we consider these circumstances a perfect storm to build your business – and your brand – without compromising your capital reserves or bank lines of credit.

Key: Nearly five decades of financing expertise

As a division of KeyBank, with assets exceeding $176 billion, Key Equipment Finance (KEF) brings stable capital and nearly five decades of financing experience. Our comprehensive financing solutions can open door to innovation and operating efficiencies you may not think possible.

$176B

KeyBank assets

Food and beverage

Sweet spots and savings opportunities

With dedicated teams in the Food and Beverage, Clean Energy, and Technology sectors, we provide current asset knowledge and regulatory experience specific to your market. We also have deep industry relationships and resident legal, underwriting and asset management specialists. Working together, we can help you identify, prioritize, and realize big-picture opportunities to build your business and elevate your brand. Example initiatives and related applications include: 

Energy efficiency

Look here first. Energy-intensive processes, equipment, and facilities represent the greatest opportunities to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. From high-yield lighting upgrades to renewable energy systems, these projects provide considerable return on the investment (ROI) for manufacturers.

For example, a solar-powered redundancy or resiliency system keeps your business running during planned – and unplanned – power outages, enabling you to maintain operations, production schedules, and cold storage for perishable products.

  • HVAC systems
  • LED lighting
  • Smart controls 
  • Heat processing, refrigeration and storage 
  • Energy management systems
  • Power resiliency systems
  • Renewable energy and power resiliency systems
  • Power consumption and conservation analysis
  • Human-Centric Lighting (HCL) technologies

The human factor

Results of numerous studies on energy efficiency projects reflect improved “people” effects ranging from employee health and productivity to better sleep and overall disposition.1

Robotics

Increased efficiency, profitability, and product quality aren’t the only reasons robots are becoming increasingly popular in manufacturing plants. Automated processing and distribution tasks also enhance safety and working environments and increase quality control accuracy. 

Robtics assets include:

  • Butchery
  • Fruit and vegetable sorting
  • Ingredient sorting and mixing
  • Defect removal
  • Secondary processing (e.g., cooking, baking, and chilling) 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The food industry is collecting a wealth of data with the rise of online shopping and emerging technologies. This information shift generates opportunities for manufacturers to cut costs and food waste, streamline supply chain efficiencies, and appeal to new consumer demands and shopping experiences.   

AI assets include

  • Analytics
  • Automation
  • Digitization
  • R&D expansion (e.g., new food products, and supply chain efficiencies)

Sustainability 

A fast-growing industry unto itself, sustainability ranks among the top disruptors in the food and beverage market. Climate change, food insecurity, working standards, and “footprint” accountability all offer great opportunities to lower costs, win customers, and achieve your corporate goals.

Sustainability assets include

  • Renewable and clean energy
  • Naturally sourced foods and beverages
  • Plant-based foods
  • Eco-friendly packaging Intelligent labeling 
  • Local labor and material sourcing
  • Re-use, recycling, and upcycling practices
  • Distribution / supply chain analysis
  • Food safety and regulatory compliance

A staple for survival

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) are becoming critical components of success for formal organizations today. Defined CSR goals demonstrate your organization’s accountability to take action on issues that affect all stakeholders, globally. 

While CSR initiatives generally represent intangible assets, ESG data enables you to quantify these objectives in the form of a “social report card.” ESG also helps identify material risks and growth opportunities. Together, these immaterial assets and transparent, non-financial metrics comprise an increasing percentage of future enterprise value. 

CSR and ESG initiatives include: 

  • Supply chain 
  • Climate action
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Equity, diversity, and inclusion
  • Nature protection / regeneration
  • Climate- and carbon-reduction targets

Agribusiness

 

As food and beverage manufacturers expand their production methods beyond organic resources and respond to the call for more sustainable solutions, farm and ranch operations are broadening their business models to include energy production.
With energy financing from Key, you can capitalize on long-term, high-demand market opportunities that enable your land and equipment to yield more profits, both now and in the future.

Agribusiness energy assets include

  • Solar systems
  • Battery power, storage, and backup systems
  • Controlled atmospheric storage facilities
  • Irrigation pivots
  • HVAC / LED / controlled lighting
  • Specialty vehicles
All of the projects above share a significant, underlying benefit to food and beverage companies and customers alike: increased brand equity and loyalty. As corporations and consultants continue to track and study brand value and buying behavior, social- and environmental-driven improvements have positive impact on ROI and consumer loyalty. Another plus is enhanced collaboration between marketing and finance departments. 

Cost-effective ingredients for a competitive niche

Beginning with your objectives, we take the time to understand your business, customers, and equipment needs. We then overlay our food and beverage expertise and asset knowledge to tailor a financing plan that aligns with your budget. Leverging our experience and resources enables you to: 
  • Enhance cash flow and preserve bank lines of credit
  • Deploy more efficient systems and cost-effective equipment
  • Attract and retain quality talent while improving labor costs
  • Leverage product extension and supply chain opportunities
  • Increase distribution channels and efficiencies
  • Reduce operating costs and environmental impact while enhancing customer service, employee satisfaction, and vendor fulfillment
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Carpe diem with 100% financing and flexibility 

While cost cutting, energy saving, product extension, and process reinvention are all effective growth strategies, they also require significant investment and speed to market. With no large up-front payments required, Key allows your organization to act now and plan for the future, with prudence and peace of mind.  

Food and beverage assets we finance

Food Manufacturing and Processing

  • Baking equipment
  • Snack production
  • Dairy processing
  • Agribusiness
  • Bottling
  • Beverage mfg
  • Protein processing
  • Pet food mfg

Trucks and Trailers

  • Wholesale/Food distribution
  • Private fleets
  • Specialty trailers

Material Handling

  • Wholesale/Food distribution
  • Private fleets
  • Specialty trailers

Warehousing

  • Refrigeration
  • Racking
  • Conveyor systems

Energy/Sustainability Projects

  • Solar
  • Energy storage
  • Fuel cells
  • Lighting
  • HVAC
  • Waste water treatment

Our structures include:

  • Loans
  • Capital leases
  • FMV leases with Early Buyout Options
  • Capped leases
  • TRAC leases
  • Split TRAC leases
  • Synthetic leases

Icing on the capital: your trusted advisor

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Cash-flow relief, seed money, and flexibility are vital for innovation, these are standard fare at Key. What sets us apart is our ability to help our clients think big now and build for tomorrow with sustainable financing solutions and ongoing, unparalleled service. 

Interested? Download our complete white paper for more details