Small Batch Contract Manufacturing
Have your friends and family told you that you make the very best salsa (or hot sauce, or tea, or simple syrup)? Are you ready to start building that into a business?
At Genuine Local, we understand that the high minimum order quantities of larger, fully automated contract manufacturers require a huge leap of faith for small and start up food businesses. That’s why we offer an alternative: smaller batch sizes that will actually work for you when you’re ready to start following your dream.
Genuine Local isn’t your average contract manufacturer.
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The low Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) saves you money and lets you figure out the details before going all in.
Our low minimum order quantity has many positive benefits. The first batch of your product can be a great tool for market research, allowing you to identify improvements to the labels or perhaps change the packaging size based on customer feedback. Our low MOQ means you don’t have to sell through 20,000 units before being able to make those changes!
The biggest benefit, however, is the smaller investment which creates a more accessible opportunity to start following your dream. And as you grow, we can produce multiple batches in a single day, which will also help lower your per unit cost.
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Genuine Local can help develop pricing tiers to make sure that your finished product is financially viable.
If an acceptable price point can be developed working with Genuine Local, it sets you up for additional success in the future when you outgrow our facility and go with that fully automated co-packer.
Genuine Local is not necessarily the least expensive option — and larger co-packers will likely be cheaper. By the time you are ready to move to that next tier, you will have the ability to lower your out of pocket cost, but keep your market pricing constant and increase the margin that lands back in your pocket. That is a win-win-win-win.
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We provide access to comprehensive Business Development Services so that your new business can thrive.
We'll work with you on all aspects of starting your business. We can provide direct assistance with recipe scaling, packaging and ingredient sourcing, label layout and pricing development.
We can also connect you with a variety of (usually free) resources for business or marketing planning, accounting, insurance or other business needs. Genuine Local works with UNH Cooperative Extension, SCORE, SBDC and CWE, just to name a few!
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When we manufacture your product we'll use real, clean ingredients that you and your customers will love.
At Genuine Local, we like to be able to pronounce every ingredient in the food we produce, which allows the flavor of your ingredients to shine through.
Consumers are increasingly aware of what is in their food. Genuine Local only uses clean ingredients and does not use artificial colors, preservatives or flavorings.
Frequently Asked Questions about Contract Manufacturing
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Contract Manufacturing, or co-packing, is when a food business hires another company to produce or manufacture their product.
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Our Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) is one batch.
For food, one batch is about 36 gallons of product (288 12oz bottles or 660 5oz bottles).
For beverages, one batch is approximately 65-70 gallons of product (564 16oz bottles or 744 12oz bottles).
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It usually takes 6-8 weeks to get on the calendar, so don’t wait until your product runs out to schedule your next run!
We recommend you schedule your next run well in advance. There is no charge to be put on the calendar and so long as changes are made 4 weeks in advance, there are no charges for that either.
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Three weeks prior to the production date, you’ll receive a deposit invoice for 50% of the estimated yield at a per unit cost and once that is paid then your date is guaranteed. Once the production is completed, you’ll receive the final invoice for the balance of the yield and as soon as that is paid, the product is available for pick-up or shipping so you can begin selling!