How to Maintain Beverage Inventory Levels in Uncertain Times
By Nick Fryer, Vice President of Marketing, Sheer Logistics
Managing beverage inventory has never been simple, but in today’s environment it’s harder than ever. Geopolitical tensions, climate-related disruptions, shifting consumer demand, and rising logistics costs have all made supply chain management a high-stakes balancing act for wine, spirits, and beverage brands.
Take the March 2025 tariff scare, for example. When the U.S. threatened new duties on European goods, hundreds of Chianti orders were suddenly grounded in Tuscany. For importers, it was a stark reminder that sales performance alone doesn’t determine success. If products aren’t where they need to be, when they need to be, revenue is lost. Similarly, when President Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canadian whiskey, some Canadian provinces ordered the removal of American-made spirits from retail shelves, causing a 66% drop in sales between March and the end of April.
So how can beverage producers minimize delays, manage risk, and keep shelves stocked without overcommitting inventory? Below, we’ll break down the most effective tools and strategies to build resilience—from smarter freight partnerships to just-in-time inventory systems that actually work.
How to Forecast Seasonal Spikes and Holiday Demand
Many reports have appeared in the last year bemoaning customers who are drinking and spending less. Even as some note declines in wine sales, there are still plenty of spikes that businesses can take advantage of.
Food and beverage consumption has major seasonal variations. So much so that entire studies have been done to determine the environmental and psychological factors at play. Most craft beverage operations don’t need in-depth academic research on the issue, though. What they need is clear and accurate predictive analytics.
The best way to forecast seasonal spikes is through forecasting platforms. Usually powered by AI and advanced algorithms, this technology uses internal, historical sales data as well as external market, season, and weather trends to determine when certain products will be in demand. The value of this is that it not only improves sales approaches but it helps craft beverage operations avoid supply chain disruptions.
Businesses can plan what to have in stock, where, and then bolster shipping operations accordingly. Forecasting demand makes it much easier to ensure that inventory and logistics are ready for demand spikes like holiday demand rather than overwhelmed by it. There’s a competitive advantage in this as well. Businesses that can get ahead of seasonal trends the most from them.
Tips on Selecting Reliable Freight Partners for Your Craft Beverage Shipments
As e-commerce customers demand increasingly quick and easy deliveries, that pressure invariably trickles back to the businesses targeting those customers. For that reason and many others, having a reliable freight partner is an invaluable part of any beverage manufacturing or distribution operation. Here’s what to look for:
Craft Beverage Experience: Most wines, if not sold in cans or boxes, are sold in fragile glass bottles that need to be handled with care at every step. That’s why a logistics partner with some experience in this industry is so important.
Proper Compliance and Permits: Transporting spirits across national and state borders comes with legal requirements that can cause lengthy delays if not complied with. This again is an area where experience helps, as it ensures that logistics teams have better knowledge of permit systems and are up to date on regulations.
Cold Chain Capabilities: The right freight partner needs to have cold chain capabilities that match the needs of your products to ensure end-to-end quality control. In-transit conditions should protect the integrity of your product, not degrade it.
References: Track-records speak volumes. Hearing from others who have worked with a logistics team is a great way to get a sense of their reliability. It’s also worth checking public records on insurance claims histories, etc., for potential red flags.
Technology and Tracking: Many wineries and beverage makers are shipping their products for delivery over long distances. Freight partners that offer up-to-date technology and tracking can make these journeys far less stressful.
Tracking ensures transparency and makes it easier to keep customers accurately informed on delivery times. It’s also important that tools like routing technology are in use to keep transit as efficient as possible.
Flexibility: How would the team respond to a last minute delivery request due to demand spikes? What plans do they have in place to deal with delays? These questions can expose the flexibility and resilience of a freight partner and how well they can pivot in tight situations.
The Trick for Maintaining Product Integrity in Transit: Packaging and Temp Control
Wine and many other craft beverages are adversely affected by temperature variations. That said, even when temp control has been maintained, damaged packaging can give the impression of a damaged product. Maintaining quality in transit is all about addressing both areas.
IoT (Internet of Things)devices that track environmental factors can help keep wine packaging and its contents in perfect condition. The devices will automatically flag if temperature or humidity levels go out of range so that logistics teams can quickly intervene. This then prevents condensation from forming that could damage packaging. It also stops chemical reactions from occurring, such as accelerated fermentation, which could degrade product quality or even lead to bursting cans. This is a common problem with wine spritzers transported without proper temperature control.
Packaging itself also impacts temperature control. In this instance, however, it’s not about whether wine is stored in a bottle or a can but how it’s packed in transit. Insulated boxes, for example, ensure that even if there’s a delay on the road, wine is still kept at a steady temperature.
How to Cut Inventory without Sacrificing Stock Availability
Shipping delays are often discussed in terms of what goes wrong in transit. It’s the reason why GPS tracking and data-driven routing are so important. However, many delays actually begin in the warehouse with inventory issues.
Overstocking can crowd storage areas and slow fulfillment, while understocking has its own issues. The last thing any craft beverage operator wants is demand coming in that their inventory levels can’t match. Here’s how to balance both:
Predictive Analytics: This technology empowers businesses with insights that allow them to cut the inventory that’s unlikely to sell and instead only stock what’s needed. This makes deliveries much easier to manage as stock is easier to find. It also prevents stockouts and the costly shipping delays that come with them.
Inventory Tracking: Another way to reduce inventory without threatening availability is through better tracking. Here again, IoT sensors can be useful. RFID tags are another tracking option. Either way, these devices can automatically track inventory levels in real time and, when paired with an IMS, help automate restocking to keep up with predicted demand. This prevents businesses from holding onto too much stock while still ensuring that they have enough to meet customer demand.
FINAL POUR:
Key Takeaways for Reliable Shipping & Inventory
The trick to addressing shortages and delays in craft beverage operations comes down to inventory and shipping management. Here’s a quick overview of how businesses can make these areas more reliable:
• Track inventory and use predictive analytics to forecast demand and prevent warehouses from being overloaded with stock or scrambling due to shortages. Data takes the guesswork out and puts the balance back.
• Invest in great packaging and temperature control in order to protect the quality of your products throughout the logistics network.
• Pick freight partners carefully based on their experience, use of technology, and the kind of flexibility they can offer.
Nailing the above can help businesses prevent and handle delays. Most importantly, it builds systems that can thrive no matter the season or the directions this industry takes.
Author Bio:
Nick Fryer is the Vice President Of Marketing, Sheer Logistics with over a decade of experience in the logistics industry, spanning marketing, public relations, sales enablement, M&A and more at 3PLs and 4PLs including AFN Logistics, GlobalTranz, and Sheer Logistics.
