Daniel Karsevar, CEO of PlantBased Solutions lends his insights to the Good Food Institute GFIdeas Community. Read Sophie Troyka’s July 23, 2019 article, Scaling for Success: How to Expand Your Good Food Production — copied with permission from the Good Food Institute:
With demand for plant-based foods skyrocketing, how can producers keep up?
Many food startups partner with co-packers, companies that manufacture and package food to specifications. This allows startups to scale more quickly without investing capital into building their own production facilities. Finding the right co-packer and fostering a mutually beneficial relationship is essential for success.
PlantBased Solutions CEO, Daniel Karsevar joined our GFIdeas community to share some wisdom about how founders can find the right fit and tackle the challenges of scaling. Read on for insights on common pitfalls and best practices.
Starting off on the right foot
Karsevar notes that new plant-based food companies often enter this process with different expectations than their co-packer. Co-packers have large operations, receive more requests than they can support, and are hard to reach. Often, you need them more than they need you, so when trying to secure a co-packer, it is important to pitch why your brand represents a good business opportunity for them. If you’re in the market for a co-packer, he has a few tips for how to get the most out of early conversations:
Additional insight from Daniel Karsevar
#1 Is it a good fit?
#2 Know your timeline
#3 Forecast and know your minimum order quantity
#4 Come prepared
The ingredients for long-term success
Karsevar has a few recommendations for ensuring long-term success with your co-packer. For one, you should know your supply chain and have back-up plans in case there are fluctuations in the availability or price of ingredients. Once you’ve reached a certain level of consistency and growth, look into contract pricing—a mutual agreement with your supplier on price and quantity of supplies for a certain length of time—for your top three ingredients.
Lastly, it is essential that you communicate with your co-packer, from giving notice about any expected changes to showing a willingness to take their advice.
Karsevar has much more to say about common mistakes, negotiating with co-packers, and strategies for communication. If you are interested in detailed insight from experts in the plant-based and cell-based industries, then join GFIdeas, and get support from a community of good food entrepreneurs!
Learn more about The Good Food Institute GFIdeas Community for “forward-thinking entrepreneurs who are transforming our food system away from industrialized animal agriculture and toward a healthy, humane, and sustainable future.”