- How to Choose a Co-Manufacturer That Can Grow With You - April 21, 2025
What to look for—before you land your dream retailer.
As an early-stage brand, choosing a co-manufacturer might feel like a short-term decision. You’re focused on getting into production, launching your first SKUs, or getting your first PO out the door. But the truth is: your co-man decision today can define your growth potential tomorrow.
What happens when a buyer from Whole Foods is interested? When Target wants to test your line in 50 stores? When Costco needs you to scale overnight?
Too many brands get caught off guard when the opportunity comes—because their co-manufacturer can’t keep up. To avoid costly delays (or worse, losing shelf space), you need to choose a manufacturing partner who is not just right for now, but ready for where you’re going.
Here’s how to future-proof your co-manufacturer decision from the start.
1. GFSI-Certified Food Safety
Most major retailers—including Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, Sprouts, and Costco—require food to be produced in facilities certified by a GFSI-recognized food safety scheme such as:
- SQF (Safe Quality Food)
- BRCGS
- FSSC 22000
Ask for your co-man’s most recent audit report and make sure their certification is current. If they aren’t GFSI-certified, that’s a non-starter for many retailers and distributors.
2. GS1 Barcode & Label Compliance
Your product won’t make it into a warehouse—let alone a store—without proper labeling. Your co-manufacturer should:
- Apply GS1-compliant UPCs to units and cases
- Understand case labeling, inner packs, and pallet tags
- Help ensure retail-ready packaging from day one
3. Ingredient Traceability & Recall Readiness
Retailers and distributors require fast, complete traceability of ingredients and packaging. Your co-man should be able to:
- Run a mock recall in 2–4 hours
- Maintain lot-level batch records
- Document suppliers, COAs, and clean sanitation logs
If they can’t trace it, you can’t ship it.
4. Support for Certifications & Clean Claims
Want to pitch Sprouts, Thrive Market, or Erewhon? These retailers look beyond product quality—they evaluate your ingredient integrity and label claims. Your co-manufacturer should be able to:
- Produce Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, or Allergen-Free SKUs with proper segregation
- Provide documentation for every claim
- Help you avoid compliance issues down the road
5. Fulfillment & Distribution Readiness (Bonus, Not Required)
If your co-man can ship directly to UNFI/KeHE or retailer DCs (like Target or Amazon), that’s a major plus. But here’s the important caveat:
Don’t eliminate a great co-manufacturer just because they don’t handle direct fulfillment.
Many top co-mans work with trusted 3PLs (third-party logistics partners) to handle warehousing and shipping. What matters most is that your co-man can coordinate with those partners and deliver ship-ready, compliant products on time.
6. Packaging That Works for Both Retail & E-Commerce
Whether you’re launching in stores or online, your product has to arrive intact, shelf-stable, and beautiful. Your co-manufacturer should be able to:
- Work with sustainable or custom packaging formats
- Ensure leak-proof, tamper-evident, and DTC-friendly design
- Navigate requirements for expiration dates, lot codes, and FIFO compliance
7. A Willingness to Grow With You
At the end of the day, a great co-manufacturer isn’t just a vendor—they’re your production partner. Look for someone who:
- Believes in your product and your mission
- Can scale production as you grow
- Is willing to collaborate, troubleshoot, and evolve alongside your brand
Final Thoughts
Your first co-manufacturer might be behind the scenes—but they’ll be one of the most important partners on your journey to shelf.
Choose someone who isn’t just good at making your product—they need to be great at making your brand retail-ready, audit-proof, and built to scale.
Because when your dream retailer says yes, you want your co-man to say, “We’ve got this.”
Want help vetting co-mans based on retailer requirements?
We’ve created retailer-specific guides for Whole Foods, Costco, Thrive Market, Amazon Fresh, Target, and more. See our blog for all the guides! PartnerSlate can also help you match with one that’s retail-ready from day one.
