#97 Co-Packing 101: Tapping into a Motherlode of Co-Packing Wisdom

One of the hottest topics in our Slack community is brands looking for the right co-packer, and since this is something that I often help brands navigate outside of my work at Startup CPG, it’s a topic near and dear to my heart and I wanted to bring on one of my favorite co-packers to talk with, Motherlode Co-Packing in Colorado. Our guests today are Kit Maxfield, their Chief Marketing Officer and Partner, and Adam Bender who is their New Product Development Manager. I met Kit and Adam through my work at Boyle Brands and have always been impressed by their organization and willingness to educate, so I’m so excited to share this 101 level conversation where we establish some of the basics of working with a co-packer.Listen in as Kit and Adam shares about:The co-packer business modelDay-in-the-life of a co-packer that affects communication, timing, and relationships with brandsHow a co-packer scales up a recipe for their facilityWhy co-packer relationships are different than other vendorsBest practices for outreach to co-packersTips for successfully navigating onboarding with a co-packerAnd more!Because this topic is near and dear to my heart as an operations person and it’s the area spend the most time freelancing in, I’ve added in some extra context and term explanations throughout the episode and linked a bunch of resources in the show notes that can help you navigate the world of co-packing. Now let’s hear from Kit and Adam!This episode was sponsored by Shopify. Go to shopify.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Maven Agency. Go to strategymavenagency.comThis episode was sponsored by Kickfurther. Go to https://www.kickfurther.com/startupcpgEpisode Links:Motherlode websiteKit’s LinkedInAdam’s LinkedInBrands mentioned: Primal KitchenUseful resource articles on co-packing: 3 Things To Have Before You Reach out to a Contract ManufacturerTurnkey vs. Tolling in a Contract Manufacturing RelationshipThe Thrill of the Search - The Journey of Searching for the Right Contract Manufacturing Partner3 Costly Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Working with Co-packersCo-Packing 101Shopify Links:Start a free trial and enjoy 2 months of Shopify for $1/monthStrategy Maven Agency Links:Strategy Maven websiteBook your free account audit hereKickfurther Links:Kickfurther websiteSee how much inventory funding you qualify hereShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (12K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics