Case Study: Cave Direct gains real-time inventory visibility and conquers Brexit taxes with Acumatica

UK Craft Beer Import Pioneer Cave Direct Conquers Brexit Taxes, Edges out the Competition with Acumatica

Cave Direct is a family‑run UK craft‑beer importer and distributor supplying 600+ beers to about 2,000 pubs, with a 300‑seat bar and bottle shop in London. The business was hampered by a legacy Sage system that frequently crashed, spreadsheet‑based inventory across four warehouses, no real‑time stock visibility for sales staff, and complex requirements for keg/bottle deposits, multi‑currency trading and new Brexit import/excise calculations.

Working with partner Arcus Universe, Cave Direct implemented Acumatica Cloud ERP integrated with Magento and Skynamo to centralize data, provide live inventory, automate keg/deposit workflows and calculate Brexit excise/taxes automatically. The change shortened sales cycles, enabled rapid warehouse consolidation and a pivot to direct‑to‑consumer sales (+35% during COVID), restored pre‑COVID revenues, supported ~20% annual growth, and delivered a clear competitive advantage in handling post‑Brexit import rules.

Cave Direct

Colin Gilhespy

Co-Owner and Managing Director