Looking for a Contract Manufacturer / Co-Packer / Packager

Our RFQ Tool (Request For Quote) is available for your search needs. Founded by the Contract Packaging Association, the RFQ Tool’s survey results are dispersed to our members.

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What is a Contract Manufacturer?

A Contract Manufacturer relating to consumer products is a third-party company hired by a brand or company to produce their CPG items. They handle the manufacturing process, adhering to the brand's specifications and recipes, while allowing the brand to focus on marketing, sales, and distribution.

Recruiting Contract Manufacturers

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance is recruiting Contract Manufacturers (also Contract Packagers and Co-Packers) to join the Contract Packaging Association. The Contract Packaging Association is the premiere trade association to anything relating to contract manufacturing. They are also involved with private labelers and pilot plants.

What is the Difference Between a Contract Manufacturer, Packager and Co-Packer?

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance’s Co-Packing.org is a service to both consumer brands looking for contract manufacturers as well as those contract manufacturers looking for new clients and other industry related subjects.

The Contract Packaging’s Association’s Request for Quote (RFQ) tool allows for an automated submission to CPA Members to securely submit their project details and needs. Your Request for Quote will be dispatched to CPA Members whose capabilities match your project needs, and if they can assist you, will contact you directly about their services and capabilities.  If they cannot help you, we will work directly with you from our own roster of 40,000 contract manufacturers and others.

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The Contract Manufacturing Alliance’s Mission:  To help consumer product groups of all sizes (start-up, emerging and established) who either have their own manufacturing facilities and/or are planning to create one or more.  We also recruit consumer product manufacturers to become private labelers as well (to help round out their manufacturing schedules as well as to help their bottom lines). For our CPG manufacturer partners we have offers and discounts with companies in these related areas:

The Benefits of Contract Manufacturing:

  • Flexibility: By owning the product design, you maintain control over the branding, product specifications, and quality testing. However, the tasks the manufacturer takes on will give your employees more time to focus on other work.
  • Maximizing profits: You reduce the overhead costs involved with the production, thereby increasing your profits. Sometimes, you can negotiate lower pricing than with private label manufacturers.
  • Source:  Alliance Rubber Co (RubberBand.com)
  • Scalability: Contract manufacturing allows you to scale your production without heavy investment. The manufacturers often have a network of suppliers worldwide to tap into (ingredients, packaging and more).
  • Expertise: By drawing on the manufacturer’s expertise, you gain help perfecting your product and eliminating costly design flaws. You capitalize on the manufacturer’s suggestions for advantageous processes and materials.

Start-up, Emerging and Established Brands:
Needing a Contract Manufacturer or Needing New Customers?

About the Contract Manufacturing Alliance’s Consumer Product Manufacturing Program: The Contract Manufacturing Alliance (with industry partners) created the Co-Packing / Contract Manufacturing Extension Program as an add-on to the existing RFQ Tool process created by the Contract Packaging Association.   We are offering contract manufacturing services to brand groups needing help finding a manufacturing partner as well as those contract manufacturers / co-packers looking for help in securing new brand group clients (also with retailers, e-commerce platforms and food service operators).
Helping Create a New Facility: The Contract Packaging Association has partnering trade associations (ex:  PMMI – Pack Expo) and other partners (facility designers, others) who are available to help design and create manufacturing facilities. Helping With Needs For Ingredients, Packaging and More: The Contract Packaging Association has resources that help with subjects such as certifications, shelf-life testing, ingredients, operations, quality assurance, recall procedures, packaging and more.
Helping With Manufacturing
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Starting With Local Sales Opportunities
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Expanding CPG Opportunities in America
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Introducing New Brands to Customers
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The Contract Packaging Association and the Co-Packing Network established the Contract Manufacturing Alliance as a prime resource for all aspects of consumer product manufacturing, catering to startups, emerging, and established brands.
Explore more at www.ContractMFG.org

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance

The Eight Arms of Manufacturing:

Logo for CPA

Pioneering Industry Standards in Contract Packaging & Manufacturing

Established in 1992, the Contract Packaging Association (CPA) is the national, non-profit trade organization dedicated to promoting the growth and welfare of firms in the Contract Packaging / Manufacturing industry and related businesses. We offer exposure and programs designed to foster growth within our member firms.

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A Century of Expertise in Consumer Product Manufacturing

The Co-Packing Network is a comprehensive national Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) advisory group deeply rooted in the diverse US and Canadian consumer product manufacturing industries. Celebrating our 100-year anniversary, our expansive history spans supermarkets, wholesaling, manufacturing, owning brands, and beyond.

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance’s founders have over 30-years in the consumer products space and are available to help create new brand group (start-up, emerging and established) customer sales plans. Recruiting New Commercial Kitchens: The Contract Packaging Association’s membership  includes contract manufacturers, pilot plants, private labelers and commercial kitchens of all-types.  We are recruiting current commercial kitchens and contract manufacturers to offer pilot runs and / or to create pilot plants within their own locations.  We also are working with colleges and universities with current programs.

We offer all Commercial Kitchens (culinary kitchens, shared kitchens, kitchen incubators, food innovation centers) with tools that help their clients (such as incubation programs).  We will be availing our matchmaking platforms to our commercial kitchen partners that have needs for kitchen equipment, ingredients, packaging, recipe tools and much more.

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance’s founders have created an incubation program specific to the clients of commercial kitchens nationwide (also kitchen incubators, food innovation centers and others).
1.) Working With Farmer’s Markets: We have created modules that align the vendors (current and future) of farmer’s markets introducing them to commercial kitchens in their areas.
2.) Incubation Programming:  We have created white label incubation models ideal for commercial kitchens that help their clients with subjects relating to the business.  These include subjects such as retailers, calendar reviews, distributors, brokers, funding, PO financing, logistics, recipe and formulation help, packaging, ingredients, food service, exporting product and more.

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance

Creating products for the following:

100 Years Experience

Our family has been involved within the consumer product industry (US based manufacturing, retailing, distribution) since the early 1920’s.  From the first generation to the latest, our best practices have been handed down over time leading to a long legacy of successes in the business (manufacturing, retailing, distribution and more).

Our New Community Tool: Squawkee

We our using our own media assets by creating, Squawkee, a new community communication tool aligning with internal and external relationships, platforms (with their own slack communities) and more. We will be offering our programs (examples include  Pilot Plants, Commercial Kitchens, Expo Manager, Ingredient Manager and others) to anyone in the industry (to use for their members and clients).

Our Own Media:

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Contract Packaging (CP) is the official magazine for the Contract Packaging Association, published three times each year by PMMI Media Group (owners of Packaging World magazine). Dedicated exclusively to contract packaging issues and news, each issue is overseen by Editor-in-Chief, Anne Marie Mohan. 20,000 qualified packaging professionals receive each edition of CP. These professionals are individuals who have indicated that they have purchase involvement in contract packaging and related services and products. Magazine recipients are also contract packagers, who are CPA members.
www.ContractPackaging.org

What is the Difference Between a Contract Manufacturer, Packager and Co-Packer?

Contract Manufacturer:

  • Takes responsibility for the entire production process, from sourcing ingredients to manufacturing the final product.
  • Often has more extensive capabilities, including product formulation and development.
  • May handle multiple aspects, such as procurement, quality control, and distribution, depending on the agreed-upon terms.

Contract Packager:

  • Specializes in the final stages of food production, where they focus on packaging the finished products.
  • Typically, does not engage in the manufacturing process but receives already-produced goods for packaging.
  • Offers services such as labeling, bottling, and other packaging solutions to make products shelf-ready.

Co-Packer (Contract Packer):

  • Works in collaboration with the brand or company to produce the product based on their specific recipe and formula.
  • Typically, does not own the product’s intellectual property or brand and operates under the brand’s guidance.
  • May offer manufacturing capabilities tailored to the brand’s needs but may not have the same level of product development expertise as a contract manufacturer.

Contract Manufacturers

Contract Manufacturers:  With strategic partners such as PMMI (Pack Expo) and other industry trade associations and other consumer product groups, we help contract manufacturers with a-number of subjects relating to their facilities, operations, client recruitment, ingredient and packaging needs and more.

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance’s founders have over 30-years in the CPG/contract manufacturing space and are available to help brand groups (start-up, emerging and established) in a-number of ways:
1.) Search and Secure Contract Manufacturers:  The Contract Manufacturing Alliance can create a full contract manufacturing program for brand clients (search and secure a facility partner).
2.)  Manage the Process:  Our team is available to be project managers to manage to whole process (managing co-packers).
3.) Be Involved With Product Development: We have a full roster of product developers (food scientists, nutritionists) for projects.

Consumer Brands

Consumer Brands: Our roster of the combination of contract manufacturer types is over 30,000 .  We help start-up, emerging and established brand groups with their search for new contract manufacturers (co-packers, contract packagers) to manufacture products for them.

The Contract Manufacturing Alliance’s founders have over 30-years in the CPG/contract manufacturing space and are available to help brand groups (start-up, emerging and established) in a-number of ways:
1.) Search and Secure Contract Manufacturers:  The Contract Manufacturing Alliance can create a full contract manufacturing program for brand clients (search and secure a facility partner).
2.)  Manage the Process:  Our team is available to be project managers to manage to whole process (managing co-packers).
3.) Be Involved With Product Development:  We have a full roster of product developers (food scientists, nutritionists) for projects.