Fill the order. Keep the company.
Purchase order financing
for consumer brands
Purchase order financing is debt that pays for producing a retail order. The order gets funded, and your cash and equity stay in the business.
Official capital partner to leading retailers
What it is
Purchase order and production financing, explained.
When a retailer wants more of your product, the hard part is often not demand. It is cash. Materials, manufacturing, freight, and packaging all hit before the retailer pays you. That gap is where good brands stall, ship late, or take expensive capital they do not need.
Purchase order financing and production financing exist to close that gap. Capital is sized to the opportunity in front of you, so you can pay suppliers, keep production on schedule, and ship on time. The facility is meant to move with the order cycle, then settle as goods deliver and the retailer remits.
Traditional PO lenders usually wait for a signed purchase order. Bridge is different. You do not need a confirmed purchase order to work with Bridge. We underwrite against the buyer, using buyer notes and the strength of that retail relationship, not a long history of your own financials as the main story. Other PO lenders fund against paper. Bridge funds against the buyer.
That matters in real retail timing. Buyer commitment often arrives before formal PO paperwork. The weeks in between are when suppliers need deposits and production slots fill up. If capital waits for a signed PO, you can already be late. Bridge is built to move earlier, so the order you won still ships complete.
The point is not “more debt.” The point is the right debt for a temporary production need, so you do not reach for equity to fill a self-repaying order. You already grew the business. Executing the next shelf placement should not require giving part of it away.
PO financing vs other loan types
Five ways to fund an order. Only one starts when you need cash.
Factoring, SCF, and most bank lines wait until after you ship. MCAs pull cash every day. Bridge’s production financing solves the capital gap before delivery.
| Option | When it starts | What it covers | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge production financing | When the buyer commits | Production and COGS before shipment | Sized to the buyer opportunity, not historical AR |
| Traditional PO financing | After a signed PO | Supplier payment once paperwork lands | Waits on formal PO; misses earlier buyer-note window |
| Invoice factoring | After you ship | Advance against the receivable | You still fund materials and production first |
| SCF / early pay | After invoice approval | Faster retailer payment on approved invoices | Useful later in the cycle, not for manufacturing |
| Bank LOC / ABL | When the line is available | Working capital against history and collateral | Sized to historicals, not the new order |
| Merchant cash advance | Any time | Lump sum against future revenue | Daily withdrawals, high effective cost, not order-tied |
Want the long version? The CPG Financing Guide walks through every option, what each one costs, and the numbers lenders check.
Other debt products
Useful later, or expensive always
- 01Factoring and SCF activate after delivery
- 02Bank lines follow historical AR and collateral
- 03MCAs debit cash every day, order or not
- 04Traditional PO lenders wait for a signed PO
Bridge production financing
Built for the gap before shipment
- 01Starts from buyer commitment, not only a signed PO
- 02Underwritten against the buyer, not your historicals
- 03Funds production so you can ship complete and on time
- 04Repays with the order cycle. No daily cash pulls
The real cost
Finance the inventory. Keep the equity.
A large purchase order creates a temporary cash need. Giving up ownership is permanent. Traditional bank lines won’t fund the full cost of fulfilling an order, and often won’t fund it at all. MCAs can provide quick capital, but often come with extremely high effective rates and repayment structures that drain cash flow.
You built the brand, won the buyer, and earned the shelf. When the challenge is simply paying for production before the retailer pays you, the financing should match that cycle.
Bridge helps fund the costs required to fulfill confirmed orders, then gets repaid as those orders turn into cash.
Use short-term capital for short-term needs. Save equity for building the company.
- Equity is for lasting value: brand, product, team, infrastructure.
- Equity is not for producing a won order when debt can fill it.
- Bridge stays non-dilutive so ownership stays with the people who built it.
PO loan cost vs equity at exit
Illustrative. PO cost uses your selected monthly rate over a 3-month cycle.
How capital moves
From buyer note to shipment.
Share the opportunity
Buyer notes, production costs, and the shape of the order. A signed PO helps, but it is not required.
See terms
Clear terms in days. No cost to review. No obligation to close.
Produce, ship, settle
Fund suppliers, ship complete, and repay with the order cycle instead of daily cash pulls.
Underwriting starting point
What helps us move fast.
We underwrite against the buyer. Bring the opportunity and the production story. Formal PO paperwork is helpful when you have it, not a gate.
- Buyer note, retailer commitment, or purchase order when available
- Production quote or cost of goods breakdown
- Recent financials and bank activity
- Company overview and ownership basics
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is purchase order / production financing?
It covers the upfront cost of fulfilling a retail or wholesale order: materials, production, freight, and related costs that hit before the retailer pays. Capital is meant to move with that order cycle, then settle as goods deliver and remittance comes in.
Do I need a confirmed purchase order with Bridge?
No. Other PO lenders usually require a signed PO. Bridge can fund off buyer notes because we underwrite against the buyer, not primarily against your business historicals.
Why not just raise equity for the order?
Because you already did the hard work of growing the business. Equity is permanent. A production run is temporary. Using ownership to fill a self-repaying order is usually the most expensive capital you will ever spend, and the bill shows up at exit.
How is this different from factoring or an MCA?
Factoring usually starts after you ship. MCAs pull from daily revenue whether or not the order is done. Bridge is built for the pre-shipment production gap and settles with the order, without daily withdrawals.
Do I have to take financing if I see terms?
No. No cost to see terms. No obligation to close.
Get started
Fill the next order without giving up the company.
Share the buyer opportunity. See terms with no cost and no obligation.
All financing is subject to application, credit review, and underwriting.