• Free reference
Five words for making it somewhere else, and they are not synonyms
Whose formula is it, whose brand goes on it, and who buys the ingredients. Those three answers separate every model here, and they decide what you own at the end.
| Model | Whose formula | Whose brand | Who buys materials | Typical minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract manufacturing | Yours | Yours | Usually you, sometimes them | Medium to high |
| Private label | Theirs | Yours | Them | Low to medium |
| White label | Theirs | Yours, on their product | Them | Lowest |
| Co-packing | Yours | Yours | Either | Medium |
| Toll manufacturing | Yours | Yours | You | Medium to high |
The one that matters most is the first column. If the formula is theirs, you are renting a product; if it is yours, you are renting a factory. Everything else follows.
Contract manufacturing Your formula, their factory, your brand. The model most challenger brands actually use, and the one this whole site is built around. aka Co-manufacturing Private label Their formula, your brand on the front. The fastest route to a product on a shelf, and the one where you own least. aka Own label White label A finished product, made to be rebranded by anyone. The lowest effort route, and the least defensible. aka Generic manufacturing Co-packing Filling and packing your product into its final format. Sometimes the whole job, sometimes the last step of it. aka Contract packing Toll manufacturing You supply the ingredients, they supply the process. The arrangement most contract manufacturing actually runs on. aka Tolling
Whichever model you pick, the plan is the hard part.
NextBatch is for the version where the formula is yours and the factory is not — one schedule, one recipe, one cost per unit, shared with the site that makes it.
No card. Set up your first product in about ten minutes.