Seasonal Working Capital May 2026

The loan officer, a woman named Fatima who smelled like coffee and competence, asked one question: "What's your plan if the crop fails?"

Her local bank, First Rural, said no. "Insufficient collateral," the loan officer had said, not unkindly. "Your assets are still on the trees, Ms. Voss. We can’t lend against blossoms." seasonal working capital

Ninety days. That meant if she delivered cherries in July, she wouldn't get paid until October. No factoring company would touch a 90-day invoice without crushing fees. And no bank would lend against a contract that took a third of a year to pay out. The loan officer, a woman named Fatima who

Her father, Silas, had run Suncrest Orchards for forty years using the "three-envelope method"—one for the taxman, one for the diesel man, and one for emergencies. But last fall, the diesel man stopped coming. The old irrigation pump had seized, and a late frost had killed a third of the crop. The emergency envelope was empty. No factoring company would touch a 90-day invoice

Dante raised his fee to 5%. "Higher risk in peak season," he said, shrugging. "If your buyer goes bankrupt before they pay me, I eat the loss. That’s the bet."

It required audited financials, two years of tax returns, and a personal guarantee. She had all three. Barely.

"Yes."