Join us online as we uncover some of the cash flow traps at the heart of drinks trade.

Format: Webinar
Date: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Duration: 45 Minutes (Lunchtime)

Guest feature : Robert Joseph, wine connoisseur, writer, consultant and co-founder of the International Wine Challenge
Joined by: Mitch Fowler, Founder, Fero
Moderated by: Olly Lawson, Head of Wine, Fero

Who’s this for: Wine & spirits professionals

About this session:
Every business in the drinks trade — producers, importers, distributors, brokers — is working capital intensive by design. But the cash flow trap looks different depending on where you sit in the chain. This session traces some of those pressure points: what ties up cash for a producer looks nothing like what ties up cash for an importer or distributor, yet all of them are quietly managing the same underlying squeeze.

Robert Joseph‘s recent piece from his Wine Thinking Substack,“Shortage of Cash: the Wine Industry’s Biggest Problem. And How to Solve it.”, explores why cash – more than grapes, brands or marketing – is the real constraint holding the wine trade back.

Join us as Olly Lawson sits down with Robert Joseph and Mitch Fowler to unpack where the real gaps sit, what happens when you take usual constraints off the table, and the thinking behind why Fero was created in the first place.

We’ll open the webinar live chat for questions and have them answered towards the end of the event.

This event is for you if you experience some of the following:
☐ Cash flow — I’m paying out before I’m getting paid back
☐ Timing — by the time I have the capital, the window’s gone
☐ Receivables — my customers pay slower than I pay my suppliers
☐ Stock – cash is sitting on shelves or in warehouses, not in the bank
☐ Growth – the business is growing, but cash isn’t keeping pace with it
☐ Seasonality – demand spikes require capital I don’t have on hand at the right time