A proposal for the financing of a farm property and the establishment of a direct-sales beef operation, prepared in response to the bank's request for expected revenues and costs, the equity contribution and its source, the applicant's background, and planned investment in livestock and machinery.
What the business is and what is being asked for.
The business. Buy weaned beef-breed calves at about six months, raise and finish them on pasture near Stockholm, and sell the meat directly to households as premium subscription boxes rather than to an abattoir at commodity prices. No breeding herd, so no calving and no year-round cows — a simpler and lower-risk operation than a suckler herd, and cash arrives roughly a year sooner because each animal is owned for about fifteen months rather than a two-and-a-half-year breeding cycle.
Why it works. Swedish beef production is in a documented supply squeeze: production fell 8% in 2025, self-sufficiency is down to 54%, and the producer price has roughly doubled since 2020. At the same time, greater Stockholm puts about a million households within an hour of the farm gate, and farms already selling meat boxes direct charge 200–340 SEK/kg. Selling 50 animals a year requires roughly 300–450 subscriber households — about 0.03% of the region.
The ask. [ FILL IN — the loan amount sought, split between property, machinery and livestock ]
The bank asked specifically about background and experience in agriculture and livestock farming.
Why this matters to the plan, stated honestly. The decisive skill in this business is not stockmanship — it is selling. The margin exists only because the meat is sold direct, and the workload analysis behind this proposal puts about 1,500 hours a year into the business at 50 animals, of which roughly 60% is cutting, packing, delivering and selling rather than livestock work. An applicant whose proven strength is building a customer base is well matched to where the risk actually sits, provided the stockmanship side is covered by experience or by advice.
The bank finances against its own valuation, which it notes is often close to that of specialists such as Areal.
Regional context for the valuation. Official statistics put Swedish arable land at an average of 122,400 SEK/ha and pasture at 51,100 SEK/ha in 2024. Brokered sales in the Mälardalen region — Stockholm, Uppsala, Södermanland and Västmanland — averaged 204,000 SEK/ha for arable in 2024, a fall of 26% on the year, recovering to about 243,000 SEK/ha in 2025.
How the land is used by this business. The herd needs grazing through the summer and conserved forage for a winter of roughly 200 days. At the stocking rates used here, finishing 50 animals a year means carrying about 63 animals at any moment and requires in the order of 60–70 hectares depending on how much is semi-natural pasture, which carries roughly half as many animals per hectare as cultivated grass but earns a higher grazing subsidy and supports the premium product story.
Steady state, from Year 3 onward, at 50 animals finished per year. All figures SEK, ex-VAT, owner-operator basis.
Year 1 carries purchases but almost no sales, because an animal bought in one year is finished and sold in the next. The operation turns cash-positive in Year 2 and reaches full payback by Year 3.
On top-up financing. Tillväxtbolaget — owned by Lantmännen, LRF, Scan Sverige and Växa Sverige — provides top-up loans alongside a bank mortgage. This proposal treats any such facility as debt rather than equity: it raises total borrowing and annual debt service and therefore reduces debt-service cover. Section 6 shows cover both with and without it.
Public investment support. Swedish investment support can fund a share of qualifying assets such as fencing, water and buildings. This proposal does not assume the grant in the debt-service calculation, because it is competitive rather than automatic and because eligibility on leased or newly purchased land needs confirmation from Länsstyrelsen. Any grant received improves the position rather than being required to make it work.
What the operation can carry. Complete this from the buy-or-lease model once the property price and the bank's indicative terms are known.
The bank asked for planned investments with expected purchase costs, to size the overall financing requirement.
Stated plainly, because a plan whose weak points are visible is easier to lend against than one that hides them.
Proposed next steps.
On timing, stated openly. Before committing to a property, this business is running a deliberately small market test: pre-selling meat boxes to households and delivering a first cohort, at a cost in the order of 40,000 SEK. The purpose is to prove the demand assumption on which the whole plan rests before, not after, taking on debt. The financing conversation and that test run in parallel — the intention is to come to a purchase decision with evidence rather than with a forecast.
Prepared [ date ] by [ name ]. Figures are indicative planning estimates in SEK, ex-VAT unless stated, built from public Swedish sources including Jordbruksverket, Livsmedelsverket, Hushållningssällskapet, Gård & Djurhälsan and published farm price lists, together with the operating models referenced throughout. Steady-state figures apply from approximately Year 3; Years 1–2 are an investment phase. Land price statistics are regional averages and are not a valuation of any specific property. Assumptions marked as unverified in section 9 have not yet been confirmed with suppliers or authorities and are stated as estimates rather than commitments.