The Co-Packer RFP Checklist

Company and facility information

Understand who you are working with before you evaluate what they can do.

Company overview. Year founded, ownership structure, number of employees, facility size in square feet, and location.

Ownership and financial stability. Is the facility independently owned or part of a larger company? Any ownership changes in the last three years? Current financial health and investment trajectory.

Regulatory certifications. Current FDA registration status, state licenses, TTB registration where applicable, and any food safety certifications such as SQF, BRC, or FSSC 22000. Provide copies.

Insurance coverage. Product liability insurance coverage amounts and certificate of insurance upon request.

Facility audit history. Date and result of most recent third-party audit. Willingness to allow a prospective client facility visit prior to agreement.

Current client portfolio. How many active clients does the facility serve? What categories do they produce? Are any direct competitors to our brand currently in the portfolio?

Production capabilities

Confirm the facility can produce your specific product at your projected volumes before you go any further.

Category experience. Specific experience producing products in our category and format. Number of brands currently producing in this category and approximate volume ranges.

Equipment specifications. Production line equipment relevant to our product type. Fill speeds, bottle handling capabilities, labeling equipment, and any relevant format-specific machinery.

Minimum order quantities. Minimum run size by product type. Economic minimum that produces viable unit economics for both parties. Minimum annual volume commitment if any.

Production capacity. Current capacity utilization. Available capacity for new clients. Maximum run size possible for our product type.

Lead times. Standard lead time from purchase order to product delivery. Minimum advance notice required to schedule a production run. Lead time for first run versus repeat runs.

Ingredient and raw material handling. Who sources ingredients: co-packer or client? Raw material storage and handling procedures. Process for ingredient quality failures and run delays.

Formula and recipe ownership. Who owns the formula on file? What documentation is maintained? What happens to formula records if the relationship ends?

The capability question that matters most

Ask specifically about experience with your exact product format, not just your general category. A co-packer with spirits experience but no RTD experience will face a meaningful learning curve on an RTD product. The right co-packer has done your specific product type before.

Quality and compliance

Quality failures become your quality failures. Understand the QC process in detail before you commit.

QC program overview. Written quality control program documentation. QC checkpoints during production. Who performs checks and with what frequency.

Certificate of Analysis. Will a COA be provided for every production run? What does it include? Who signs it?

Product testing capabilities. On-site lab capabilities. External lab partnerships for testing that cannot be performed in-house. Testing protocols for new product formulas.

Recall and quality failure procedures. Written recall procedure. Most recent quality failure and how it was handled. Cost allocation in the event of a quality failure caused by the co-packer.

Regulatory filing responsibility. Who manages TTB formula approvals, COLA filings, and state product registrations? Who pays for regulatory filings? What is the process when a label change triggers a new filing?

Record retention. How long are production records retained? What documentation is available for traceability in the event of a quality or compliance issue?

Commercial terms

The commercial terms determine your financial exposure and your operational flexibility. Get them in writing.

Pricing structure. Detailed breakdown of how production pricing is calculated. Variable versus fixed cost components. Volume tier pricing if applicable.

Price escalation. Under what conditions can pricing be adjusted? How much advance notice is provided? Is escalation tied to a specific index or at co-packer discretion?

Payment terms. Deposit requirements before scheduling a run. Invoice timing relative to production and delivery. Late payment penalties.

Minimum volume commitments. Any annual or quarterly minimum purchase commitments required to maintain pricing or access. Consequences of missing minimums.

Termination and transition. Notice period required to terminate the agreement. Process for transitioning formula, raw materials, and finished goods inventory to a new facility. Data and record transfer upon termination.

Liability and indemnification. Allocation of liability for quality failures, regulatory violations, and third-party claims. Insurance requirements for both parties.

References

Every co-packer looks good in their own proposal. References tell you what working with them is actually like.

Client references in our category. Minimum three references from current clients producing products similar to ours. Name, contact, and brief description of the relationship.

Reference check authorization. Written authorization to contact all provided references. Willingness to provide additional references upon request.

Longevity of relationships. How long have each of the reference clients been working with the facility? Long-term client relationships are a signal of consistent performance.

References for problem resolution. At least one reference who experienced a quality or operational problem and can speak to how the co-packer resolved it. How a facility handles problems is more revealing than how they perform when everything is smooth.

The bottom line

A complete RFP issued to multiple co-packer candidates produces the information you need to make a selection decision based on evidence rather than presentation. Do not shortcut the process. The co-packer you choose will make your product for years. The RFP is the most powerful tool you have to evaluate your options before you are committed to one.

Want a pre-built RFP template and evaluation scorecard?

The Co-Packer RFP Template gives you a formatted document ready to send to candidates, and the Co-Packer Evaluation Scorecard gives you a side-by-side framework for comparing responses.