"Co-packer", "co-manufacturer", "contract manufacturer", "contract bottler" — same idea, different words: a facility that makes and packages your drink so you don't have to build a plant. Here's how it works, why the minimums exist, and how to pick one.
A beverage co-packer owns the line — the blending tanks, the filler, the seamer or capper, the pasteuriser — and runs your product on it. You own the brand and the recipe; they own the equipment and the process.
They help develop or finalise the formula, source ingredients and packaging, run the fill, label, and sometimes warehouse and ship. Right if your recipe isn't final or you want one partner end-to-end.
You bring a finished, approved formula (and often your own ingredients and cans); they run it on the line. Cheaper per case, but only once your product is fully specified.
A filling line runs at 250 to 600 units a minute. It's built for speed, not short runs — so every changeover (new recipe, new label, sanitation) costs hours whether you order 200 cases or 20,000.
That fixed setup cost is spread across a minimum order. Below it, the run loses the co-packer money — which is why most quote a floor of 2,000–5,000 cases per SKU, and very few publish anything lower, down to a single pallet. See the published minimums, smallest first →
| Question to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What's your minimum run per SKU? | Rules the facility in or out before anything else. |
| Do you formulate, or filling-only? | Decides whether they can help if your recipe isn't final. See which facilities formulate in-house. |
| Which formats & sizes do you run? | A can line can't fill your glass bottle. |
| Alcohol / low-acid / dairy capable? | Needs specific permits (TTB) and processes. |
| Which certifications do you hold? | Organic, kosher, SQF — no cert, no run if your buyer needs it. |
| What's the lead time right now? | Where a facility publishes one, it runs from 2 to 12 weeks. Most publish none, so ask for it in writing. |
The full method: how to find a beverage co-packer →
Coffee & cold brew: of the co-packers we track, most run cold brew alongside other categories — kombucha, juice, functional drinks — rather than as a coffee-only specialty. Only a handful run coffee as their sole line. If you need coffee-specific equipment (nitro infusion, hot-fill RTD), say so in the form below; we won't match you with a generalist that can't run it.
Most co-packers publish no minimum, so the only way to size them up is to ask. Send your requirements for free: within two business days I tell you how many facilities fit. For $99, I ask every one of them and send you their written answers, refunded in full if none says yes.