Manufacturers for food products in the USA?

[NewManRising]

HI,

So I am thinking of a food product idea but I want all the ingredients sourced in the USA. Does anyone know of manufacturers that I could give my formula to that could create this product?

Thanks

 

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[biophase]

HI,

So I am thinking of a food product idea but I want all the ingredients sourced in the USA. Does anyone know of manufacturers that I could give my formula to that could create this product?

Thanks

Google does.

 

[fauche65]

What is the Food Product, and how do you intend to validate the need for it?

The first thing I would do is read this - How to Start a Food Business

 

[racyred09]

I am working on a food product...what I did is googled co-packers for my state, found a directory, and messaged every single one of them to see if they could do my product and I think I've found a perfect fit.

 

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[Scot]

I just so happen to have made a nifty guide for this

Food entrepreneurship startup guide

And @racyred09 i didn’t know you were in the food biz too. I’m not alone!!

 

[Scot]

give my formula to that could create this product?

Thanks

I really hope you’re not just “giving your formula” to every cute copacker that catches your eye.

NDA the hell out of it. Make sure your copacker DOES NOT do private label either. Because they could always turn around and sell it themselves.

 

[racyred09]

I just so happen to have made a nifty guide for this

Food entrepreneurship startup guide

And @racyred09 i didn’t know you were in the food biz too. I’m not alone!!

It's a stretch to say I'm "in" the biz, but I'm starting! I have been in a different industry until now.

Thanks for the guide- that was really helpful! Now I am a bit worried about the co-packer I've settled on because they do have their own brand, however they assured me it won't be an issue and we will sign a mutual NDA (which I took to mean also a non-compete agreement). Do you think it's possible to protect oneself adequately from having your co-packer compete with you if your recipe proves a success? I would appreciate your advice (and I hope OP doesn't mind me asking on his thread- can take it offline if you'd like)!

 

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[Scot]

It's a stretch to say I'm "in" the biz, but I'm starting! I have been in a different industry until now.

Thanks for the guide- that was really helpful! Now I am a bit worried about the co-packer I've settled on because they do have their own brand, however they assured me it won't be an issue and we will sign a mutual NDA (which I took to mean also a non-compete agreement). Do you think it's possible to protect oneself adequately from having your co-packer compete with you if your recipe proves a success? I would appreciate your advice (and I hope OP doesn't mind me asking on his thread- can take it offline if you'd like)!

I’ll tag @G-Man in here to get his input too.

NDA is great, but check the wording, because most NDA’s I’ve seen say the recipe is confidential, but if they run private label, make sure that’s in there, in writing.

Another thing to check is that they won’t use your tricks for other clients. For example, I use a pretty cool flavor hack because my products focus on a “free from” diet. If they passed that on to a competitor, I’d be pissed.

If you have any other questions, feel free to either put them here, on my food Startup thread of shoot me a PM!

 

[G-Man]

You're going to need more than a strongly worded NDA. The co-manufacturing agreement should specifically state that they can't manufacture the product for themselves or other customers. There are lawyers that doing nothing but food manufacturing contracts. It's worth the time to find one. That said, here's a few things to keep in mind:

• Most (not all co-packers) aren't actively looking to rip you off. They're happy to just do what they do.
• Even with an honest co-packer and good contract, take steps to make it not easy for people to reverse engineer the supply chain. Example: The key ingredient in our product is the seasoning, so we buy it elsewhere and have it shipped to them. They're missing the last 10% of the formulation to make the product. Again, not impossible for someone to piece together, but unlikely, as it would take multiple bad faith actors

Do you think it's possible to protect oneself adequately from having your co-packer compete with you if your recipe proves a success?

Your product is more than a recipe. If someone can compete with you by just ripping off the recipe, you're not creating a true value added brand. Think about it this way: Anybody can throw sugar in a can of fizzy chemical water, but you'd never consider buying it. You buy Coke. That's a brand that's more than the recipe. Think about the full experience and feeling you're offering the customer. That's the hardest thing to knock off.

 

[racyred09]

I’ll tag @G-Man in here to get his input too.

NDA is great, but check the wording, because most NDA’s I’ve seen say the recipe is confidential, but if they run private label, make sure that’s in there, in writing.

Another thing to check is that they won’t use your tricks for other clients. For example, I use a pretty cool flavor hack because my products focus on a “free from” diet. If they passed that on to a competitor, I’d be pissed.

If you have any other questions, feel free to either put them here, on my food Startup thread of shoot me a PM!

Thank you so much, Scot!

You're going to need more than a strongly worded NDA. The co-manufacturing agreement should specifically state that they can't manufacture the product for themselves or other customers. There are lawyers that doing nothing but food manufacturing contracts. It's worth the time to find one. That said, here's a few things to keep in mind:

• Most (not all co-packers) aren't actively looking to rip you off. They're happy to just do what they do.
• Even with an honest co-packer and good contract, take steps to make it not easy for people to reverse engineer the supply chain. Example: The key ingredient in our product is the seasoning, so we buy it elsewhere and have it shipped to them. They're missing the last 10% of the formulation to make the product. Again, not impossible for someone to piece together, but unlikely, as it would take multiple bad faith actors

Your product is more than a recipe. If someone can compete with you by just ripping off the recipe, you're not creating a true value added brand. Think about it this way: Anybody can throw sugar in a can of fizzy chemical water, but you'd never consider buying it. You buy Coke. That's a brand that's more than the recipe. Think about the full experience and feeling you're offering the customer. That's the hardest thing to knock off.

Thank you, G-Man! You're absolutely right, and that's a great thing for me to remember going forward- how important the brand/marketing is. The product is in fact something that has not been commercialized yet for reasons unbeknownst to me although almost every foodie I know makes it in their own kitchen, but I am certain once people see me start there will be copycats. So I had better stay two steps ahead by creating a solid brand. I will look into a lawyer. Thanks for your help!

 

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