Find a Food Co-Packer

What a co-packer is

A co-packer is a contract manufacturer that makes and packs your product in its own plant, under its own licenses. The plant holds the food safety plan, the equipment, and the inspections. You own the recipe, the brand, and the finished stock. A co-packer makes the recipe you bring, while a private label plant sells you a product it already makes under your own label.

Do you need a co-packer or a shared kitchen?

You rent a kitchen while you still make the product yourself, and you hire a co-packer when someone else should make it. Many makers start in a home kitchen under state cottage food rules, move to shared-use kitchens or commissary kitchens for licensed hours, and then hire a small co-packer once orders outgrow bench hours. You can read more about cottage food versus a commercial kitchen to check your current stage. A co-packed product stops counting as cottage food in most states, so ask your state agriculture department before you sign.

How minimum runs work

The minimum run, or MOQ, is the smallest batch a plant will make, and it is the first question to ask. The minimum run changes with the product format, because the plant sets it by what one run through its line costs in setup, ingredients, and cleaning. A plant that fills bottles and a plant that blends dry mix quote different minimum runs. Small makers often get turned away because a short run costs the plant more per unit, many plants keep no sales staff, and full plants turn away new business. Ask straight out whether the plant is accepting new clients.

How to find a co-packer

Several state agriculture departments and university extension programs publish a co-packer list for their own state, where a small plant with spare capacity is most likely to appear. Packaging and private label trade shows also publish exhibitor lists. You can also ask the manager of the shared kitchen you rent, or check every commercial kitchen by state, because kitchen managers know which plants take a short run.

Use these questions for the first call:

• Minimum run. Ask for the smallest batch size the plant accepts for your format.
• Formats. Confirm the container types, closures, and pack sizes the line handles.
• Allergen segregation. Ask how the plant cleans lines and separates ingredients between production days.
• Certifications. Check whether the plant holds organic, kosher, or third-party food safety audits.
• Lead time. Ask how many weeks pass between an order and finished pallets.