Profitability, pricing and margin software for wine and spirits importers entering or growing in the US.
Model laid-in cost, target shelf pricing, state and channel price lanes, and the FOB a producer needs before you commit to a deal.
An importer agrees a depletion allowance to win a program on a Chianti. One figure, agreed once, funded by the importer, applied across every state the brand sells in.
The allowance is the same in all four states. The excise underneath it is not. In one of them, what the case actually returns after that allowance is a fraction of what the model assumed, because the tax base it was calculated against is different there.
Nothing was hidden and nothing went wrong at the dock. The allowance was simply agreed before anyone had worked out what it would leave, state by state.
What does LaidIn do for a wine or spirits importer?
LaidIn is profitability, pricing and margin software for the US wine and spirits market. For an importer it turns FOB, freight, taxes, and distributor allowances into price lanes and margin by state, channel, and deal, so the numbers are settled before a program is agreed rather than after.
What is laid-in cost, and how is it different from landed cost?
Landed cost stops when the container reaches your warehouse: FOB plus freight, duty, and inbound charges. Laid-in cost keeps going, through federal excise tax and the state taxes that apply where the case is actually sold. Two importers with an identical landed cost can have very different laid-in costs depending on which states they sell in.
Why does one FOB produce different margins in different states?
Because the cost stack changes at the state line. Freight, state excise rates, control-state structures, distributor allowances, and channel margins all differ. The same FOB can support a healthy margin in one state and almost none in another.
Do I need this if I only sell in one or two states?
Probably not. LaidIn is built for brands selling across state lines, where the same SKU carries a different cost and a different viable price in each market. If everything you sell moves through a single state, or direct to consumer, a spreadsheet will usually hold.
Can I start from the shelf price instead of the FOB?
Yes. You can work forward from your FOB to see the shelf price the market supports, or start from the shelf price you want and reverse-solve the FOB behind it. See how LaidIn works.
Does LaidIn provide tax or regulatory advice?
No. LaidIn is a commercial pricing and margin planning tool, not legal, tax, or regulatory advice. You remain responsible for confirming requirements with your licensed, legal, and tax advisers before entering a market or publishing pricing.
When can I get access?
Founding access is now open. Join the founding list and you will hear from Jessica directly.
Know your number in every state you sell, before you agree the program.
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