Co-Man Feedback: What Sets PartnerSlate Apart

As co-manufacturers are getting more attention and startups are changing the food and beverage industry, PartnerSlate, a long time co-man partner, is being joined by other platforms that seek to make connecting with CPG brands a better experience for everyone involved. Co-founded and operated by CPG veterans, entrepreneurs, and food scientists, PartnerSlate has managed to stay ahead of the growing pack with some key differentiators. Anonymous interviews with co-manufacturers using several such platforms highlights these key differences.

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“It’s almost like night and day working within the [PartnerSlate] platform and just the quality of the build of the site itself, it’s much more user-friendly and professional and clean and a lot more information than [competitor platform] for sure.”

Other platforms rely on gamification to keep their users engaged, with frequent notifications and attention grabbing metrics that are always changing. PartnerSlate’s streamlined site relies on quality projects to drive co-mans to return. Upfront pricing means competitor platforms need to justify the investment for co-mans and create the sense of progress, even if there aren’t compatible projects, meanwhile PartnerSlate’s success based pricing means co-mans are only alerted to specific projects that are high fidelity matches to their capabilities and capacity. Fewer bells and whistles, and better results.

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“If I go into the details [of competitor’s project], there’s nothing like what [PartnerSlate] has put in here with the projected volumes, types of packaging, how many SKUs, target annual volume, what do they require for SQF, what are their processing steps, are they refrigerated… none, zero of any of that.”

PartnerSlate’s focus is on getting key information that actually helps co-mans allocate their resources effectively, and not waste time with brands who aren’t good fits. The project listings on PartnerSlate’s Marketplace provide comprehensive views of the anonymous brand needs so co-mans can make educated decisions quickly and spend more time collaborating with compatible brands. Collecting this information also filters out brands who don’t have a clear plan for their product or business.

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“On [competitor platform] I have a lot more conversations from people that haven’t ever been in the industry, don’t know what co-manufacturing is, don’t know what a process authority letter is, don’t know just literally anything. Maybe they think they have an idea.”

Prioritizing quantity over quality means almost anyone can make a project and connect with co-mans through other platforms. In contrast, PartnerSlate relies on a thorough vetting process of every brand and project that comes through the Marketplace. This filtering means fewer noisy notifications, and more high-quality matches with brands who have clearly defined productions needs.

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“[Competitor] is all hat and no cowboy!”

Other platforms rely on up-front pricing to drive their revenue model, and thus lower the barrier to entry for brands in order to ensure a constant stream of notifications to paying co-mans, even if that means connecting brands that are just exploring or have no experience. PartnerSlate’s success-based business model necessitates co-manufacturers reach production, keeping business goals aligned at all times and resulting in broker-quality matches at scale.

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After a decade of working with brands and co-manufacturers, PartnerSlate continues to lead the industry of CPG Matching Marketplaces with thorough brand vetting, detail project information, a simple yet professional user interface, and a team that is dedicated to meeting the needs of growing manufacturers. With success-based pricing, signing up for a free account on PartnerSlate is the best investment savvy co-mans can make.

Explore how PartnerSlate can help your team at partnerslate.com.

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