How to Choose CPG Partners: Co-Mans, 3PLs, and Ingredient Suppliers

When you’re ready to scale, your success hinges on the partners you bring in—production, logistics, packaging, and sourcing. But most emerging brands don’t stumble because they picked the wrong partner. They stumble because they didn’t manage the relationship. Expectations weren’t clear, responsibilities were assumed, and things broke when it mattered most.

This guide walks you through the foundational rules of selecting and managing good partners, and then breaks down what’s unique about each type—from co-manufacturers and 3PLs to packaging and ingredient vendors.

Foundations of a Good CPG Partnership

Before we get into the details, here’s the truth: every good vendor relationship comes down to how you communicate, document, and follow through.

Clarity First, Then Contracts
Don’t rely on someone’s handshake or industry reputation. If you want consistent results, you need to spell out what you expect. That includes timing, tolerances, documentation, approvals, and communication style. The contract matters—but the clarity matters more.

Documentation Wins
Have SOPs, packaging specs, and batch instructions ready before your first PO. Your expectations aren’t real until they’re written. The more detailed your onboarding packet, the faster your partner becomes an asset instead of a liability.

Communication Rhythm
Set a standing meeting if needed. Create a shared document for updates or questions. When problems happen—and they will—you don’t want your first call to be in panic mode. Good partnerships run on proactive contact, not emergency cleanup.

Always Have a Backup Plan
Your label vendor might fall behind. Your co-man might double-book the line. Your 3PL might lose a pallet. These aren’t “if” scenarios—they’re “when.” Build buffers. Identify secondary suppliers. Keep your freight partners diversified.

You Set the Tone
You want vendors who treat your product like it matters. But they want clients who are easy to work with, respectful, and organized. If you pay late, ghost during production issues, or deliver sloppy info, the relationship breaks. Fast.

Choosing the Right Co-Manufacturer

This is one of the biggest inflection points in your brand’s life. You’re handing off your product to someone else’s production crew. If they get it wrong, it hits your bottom line—and your shelf presence.

What to Look For

  • Do they make other products like yours? If not, do they understand your process?

  • What are their minimums—and can you actually hit them more than once?

  • Do they provide ingredients, or are you managing sourcing?

  • Can they do test runs, or is every batch a full production cycle?

  • How do they document QA and food safety, and will they share it with you?

Where It Breaks
When founders show up with vague instructions, inconsistent batch sizes, and “we’ll figure it out” attitudes. You need documented specs, a defined lead time, and a mutual understanding of who owns what.

Choosing a 3PL or Fulfillment Partner

The second your product leaves production, you’re now in logistics mode. If you don’t have internal capacity, a 3PL (third-party logistics provider) is where your inventory lives, gets picked, packed, and shipped.

What to Look For

  • Can they handle DTC and wholesale?

  • Do they offer cold storage or ambient only?

  • What does real-time inventory access look like?

  • Do they integrate with your systems (Shopify, NetSuite, etc.)?

  • How do they bill (storage vs handling vs freight coordination)?

Where It Breaks
Mislabeling, damaged shipments, late LTL pickups, or stockouts because your inventory data is out of sync. You want a team that gives you visibility—and actually responds when you need help.

Choosing Ingredient and Packaging Suppliers

Sourcing sounds simple—until you’re out of caps and can’t run product for 10 weeks. Or your label vendor ships gloss instead of matte and your buyer flags it.

What to Look For

  • Lead time consistency and responsiveness

  • MOQs that won’t trap your cash flow

  • Whether they’ll hold safety stock for you

  • Are they experts in your form factor (e.g., shrink sleeves, stand-up pouches)?

  • Can they help ensure compliance (USDA approval, nutritional formatting)?

Where It Breaks
Founders often treat packaging vendors like Amazon—they expect fast turnaround and 24/7 availability. But custom print and niche ingredients don’t work that way. Build a buffer into every production timeline. Always.

Choosing a Broker or Sales Agent

We’re not brokers and we don’t push every brand to hire one. We love this guide by Mangrove Management Consultants highlighting how you should go about navigating a potential broker relationship. Always remember, a broker isn’t a magic pill for sales!

You’re running a business. Treat your partners like extensions of that business—and hold them accountable. Set up quarterly reviews. Track issues in writing. And if things start to slip, address it early.

A bad vendor situation doesn’t usually start with a disaster—it starts with little misses that get normalized. Don’t wait for a major problem to reset expectations.

Next Steps