Thanks ProblemOd! I am curious how you found the manufacturer and how much they do for you. Do you just tell them the type of product and unit count you want and they handle the manufacturing, packaging and labeling? With that done, it seems like the rest is all marketing and sales.
I probably know and have emailed/called 90% of the manufacturers in USA now from all the research I've done. I just googled them and had VAs search for them. There are 100s, but only a handful are any good.
Manufacturers product quality and customer service vary wildly. To find a manufacturer who makes good products AND has good customer service towards you is a needle in a haystack.
There are a few different type of "manufacturers". I put that in quotes because some of them are just contract packaging facilities who produce EVERYTHING that goes into a bottle. Hair gel, floor cleaners, body wash, cream, supplements. But that's because they outsource all formulations to different partners (the real manufacturers). For example: Home - Kleen Concepts I recently contacted for a quote and turns out they were just going to buy the product in bulk from my current manufacturer that I'm already using :/
Then you have facilities that offer either ALL or just one of the following services: contract manufacturing, custom formulation, & private label.
Depending on your goals and risk tolerance, you can go a few different routes. From least expensive to most expensive:
1) Brand a product that they already make aka private label. Normally they will have no minimum order quantity (MOQ), but a trivial amount for first purchase order, like $100-$200. There are private label manufacturers that sell high quality "natural" products & more traditional ones. You can usually search these ingredient lists and find review and sellers on google.
Pros: Spend all your money and effort on marketing. Be able to launch a whole line of products because of low start up cost. You can tell the product quality without investing anything (ask for samples).
Cons: You might not find a private label product that fits into your brand. Per unit cost may be more expensive.
2) Have them custom formulate for you, but they own the formula. This will range from $300-$2500 (never pay the higher range for this, its almost never worth it). You telll them what you want, what ingredients to include/exclude, texture, fragrance etc... and they will make it to the best of their ability (some have good abilities, some not so much).
Pros: You get to tweak a formula just how you want it to fit into your brand and or to a need in the market place. You can have them try to reach a target price per unit.
Cons: Unless they have similar private label products you can sample, product quality is UNKNOWN. You will have to take the risk. MOQs here are usually 1000pcs (less common) - 5000 pcs(more common). You don't own the formula, and if you want a back up manufacturer or another manufacturer for lower cost, you will have to re-formulate and it won't end up exactly the same (but can be very similar). This is what I am currently doing.
3) Have a formula created for you, and you own the formula (including mixing instructions). This will cost you a few grand. Now with formula in hand you can contact anyone who offers contract manufacturing to make this for you.
Pros: You can take this formula anywhere. Two different contract manufacturers with your instructions can make the same exact produt. You have more options to find the right contract manufacturer for the right price. Because of this, you can usually get this per unit cost the lowest with this option. This is what the big companies do.
Cons: Same as above, you wont know product quality until its made. The formula can suck. MOQ usually higher, but there are some that offer lower ones.
Everyone offers the option of your own packaging and most offer a turn key process. Maybe the most you will have to do is order packaging yourself and ship it to them.