January is won in October. Is your supply plan ready?
The Dry January Supply Plan breaks down the ordering, forecasting, and cash decisions that decide the category’s biggest month.
Three decisions that decide January
The backward calendar
Order-by dates for the window that’s still open—co-man slots, printed cans, packaging, and long-lead ingredients—plus when the cash goes out and when it comes back.
Forecasting a surge month
A four-step method for sizing a January order when your data is thin, and how to choose between overbuying and stocking out.
The cash hole
Why a December run ties up four to five months of working capital, and the four ways to bridge the gap, from slowest to fastest.
Plus: the 15-question checklist. A self-audit on your January plan: your dates, your number, your cash, and your levers.
Founders and operations leads at non-alcoholic beverage brands who’ve lived some version of this: the product was ready, the retailer was ready, and the cans, the co-man slot, or the cash weren’t. If that sounds familiar, this guide was written for you.
Find out whether your January plan will hold.
The backward calendar, the surge-order method, and the 15-question readiness checklist.
Ordering, suppliers, and payment terms in one place
Opply is the AI operating system for food and beverage brands, managing a brand’s operations end to end so the team can focus on growth. That covers placing orders, coordinating suppliers and lead times, benchmarking prices, and sourcing new suppliers and co-mans. Brands can run their existing supplier relationships through Opply or have Opply act as Merchant of Record, and Opply extends payment terms of 60 to 90 days.
Beverage is Opply’s most developed category. For a January plan, that means longer terms on the invoices that land in October, while the retailer pays in March.
Learn more about Opply