The Contract Manufacturing Alliance (Contract Manufacturers, Pilot Plants, Private Labelers, Commercial Kitchens) Was Created to Be the Key Resource For Anything to Do With Manufacturing Consumer Products
The Contract Packaging Association and the Co-Packing Network Created the Contract Manufacturing Alliance to bring together Consumer Product Industry Groups (Trade Associations, Product Developers, Ingredient Companies, Packaging Companies, Food Scientists, Incubators, Funding Groups, Brokers, Retailers, Food Service Customers, Distributors and Others) For Common Collaborative Goals: Helping Brand Groups (Of All Sizes) With Their Manufacturing Needs.
The Contract Packaging Association

The Contract Packaging Association is the national, nonprofit trade organization for the Contract Packaging/ Manufacturing industry. Formed in 1992 for contract packaging firms and those businesses related to them, CPA promotes the growth and welfare of member firms through its industry exposure and programs.
The Contract Packaging Association members are comprised of the nation’s leading contract packagers, which perform all packaging functions; from the simplest to the most complex and from the glamorous to the hazardous. Our members offer these packaging services to an extremely wide variety of consumer goods companies and these services range from manual and semi-automatic to full-speed, high performance packaging lines.
www.ContractPackaging.org
The Co-Packing Network

Consumer product industry veterans came together to create the first CPG incubation program coming directly from the manufacturing side of the business (contract manufacturers, pilot plants, commercial kitchens and private labelers).
The Co-Packing Network (www.Co-Packing.net) is available to any consumer product group needing help with its manufacturing needs.
As part of the Co-Packing Network’s offerings, we created Lemonaders to be a monthly program helping start-up and emerging brands with their needs for the business. We get involved with everything from helping find a contract manufacturer to helping set up territories (regions), finding sales broker partners to helping set-up 3PL (warehousing partnerships).
The Lemonader’s advisor team comes from the largest CPG companies as well as start-ups as well.
www.Lemonaders.com

Consumer Product Brands (Start-up to Emerging to Established): We work with start-up, emerging and established brands in categories such as:
- Gloves
- Cosmetics
- Cleaning Supplies
- Laundry Care
- Snacks
- Beverages
- Frozen Foods
- Deli and Dairy
- Meat and Seafood
- Produce
- Bakery/Bread
- Pet Products
- Stationary
- Family Planning
- Apparel
- Health and Beautycare
- Audio-Electronic
- General Merchandise
- Sports Nutrition
- Paper Products
- Liquor Products
- Sporting Goods
- Party Supplies
- Religion Supplies
- Video Gaming
- Front-End Products
- Perfumes
- Pool Supplies
- Personal Care
- Charcoal and BBQ
- Condiments
- Sauces
- Pickles/Olives
- Picnic and Trash
- Side Dishes
- Supplements/Vitamins
- Kitchen Needs
- Peanut Butter/Jams
- Coffee/Cocoa/Tea
- First-Aid
- Pest Control
- Office Supplies
- Craft and Hobby
- OTC/Pharma/CBD
- Ethnic Foods
- Dietary Foods
- Baby and Kids Products
- Breakfast/Cereals
- Canned Goods
- Floral Products
- Grains and Pasta
- Batteries
- Tobacco Supplies
- Writing Instruments
- Water Softeners
- Confections
- Educational Materials
- Farm Supply
- Hardware/Electrical
- Auto Care/Parts
- In-Store Deli
- Baking Products
- Cooking Oils
- Spices/Seasonings
- Lighting

Founded by the Contract Packaging Association and its partners, the Contract Manufacturing Alliance was created as an expansion of the CPA’s RFQ Tool. The RFQ Tool helps start-up and emerging brands with their co-packing needs.
The RFQ Tool is being expanded to include efforts with commercial kitchens, private label companies, CPG companies with their own facilities and related partners.
The CPA’s Request for Quote (RFQ) tool allows an automated submission to CPA Members to securely submit their project details and needs. Your Request for Quote will be dispatched to CPA Members whose capabilities match your project needs, and if they can assist you, will contact you directly about their services and capabilities. RFQ Tool
- Need a Contract Manufacturer?
- Need Help With Packaging?
- Need Help With Ingredients?
- Need a Commercial Kitchen?
- Need Help With a Pilot Plant?
- Need a Private Label Manufacturer?
- Opening Up a Facility of Your Own?
Are you looking for a Co-Packer?
The Co-Packing Network: With our roster of 30,000 plus contract manufacturers (of all types), we can help start-up, emerging and established brands of all-kinds. If it can be sold in a Wal-Mart (or Target and/or AAFES) we have co-packing partners who can make it.
The Co-Packing Network was created as the extension of the RFQ Tool (Request For Help) created by the Contract Packaging Association 15-years ago. Simply fill out a RFQ Tool request or email us to talk about your needs.
The Contract Packaging Association has its own extension program relating specifically to contract manufacturers / co-packers (www.Co-Packing.org). Co-Packing.org will have its own specific programs that relate to client-based needs, facility equipment, ingredients, packaging, shelf-life testing, product certifications, trade associations, formulation partners, and more.
Need Help With Packaging?
The subject of packaging itself is one of the most expensive parts of he manufacturing process. The costs for film, film plates and first order of packaging is an investment to be careful with (make sure you are 100% correct on the information on the packaging). The Co-Packing Network makes packaging one of the cornerstones in its discussions with clients.
Our team’s packaging advisors have over 30 years’ experience in technical, design, production, thin-wall plastic packaging, extrusion, molding, labelling and Heat transfer decoration. Management, sales & marketing of packaging. Local and Overseas sourcing. Passionate about packaging technology & trends, Folding Carton, Litho-Laminate and Corrugated Packaging. Point-of-Sale, Shelf-Ready Packaging. Marketing & Promotional Printing; Large Format, Digital, Offset, Flexographic and Labels. Expertise also in developing Contract Packing and Product Co-Manufacturing arrangement. Extensive Domestic and International Pack and Print Resourcing. innovation, sustainable materials along with waste management (recycling education) production performance. Knowledgeable in start up operations, importing and shipping, warehousing & transport, Quality, FMCG and HACCP. When it comes to choosing the right packaging material for your product, you can’t go wrong by paying close attention to the details. After all, packaging may just be one of the biggest factors in making your product a success.
The right packaging not only attracts consumers, it will keep your product safe in transportation and keep it fresh. This reinforces the quality of the brand and item when customers know they can count on a fresh item from when it hits the shelf to when it’s in their hand.
Source: www.industrialpackaging.com
Packaging has grown in importance in recent years and innovative packaging is a valuable selling point in the market. Packaging ensures that offerings conform to market trends by communicating unique selling points and offering freshness and convenience. By being lightweight, packaging can reduce the carbon footprint of transportation. Consumers expect that packaging will be recyclable. International studies found that a majority of consumers think food and drink products are over-packaged and a number of them would consider boycotting a product if it didn’t meet their environmental criteria.
A client maybe to use the ingredient suppliers of their selected co-packer or commercial kitchen to save time and money. In most cases the client ends up finding sources for some of the ingredients (which maybe unusual or not used by their manufacturing partner). There are a number of sources for ingredients in general, mostly being either direct manufacturers or from distributors.
From The Experts: Will the brand take care of ingredient sourcing or let the contract manufacturer take care of it? Key points to consider before making the decision: traceability, quality assurance, regulatory awareness, financial consideration, availability of specialty ingredients.
Notation: Ingredient suppliers will usually give free samples to the manufacturing partner for a client’s needs to use in test runs.
Ingredient sourcing is one of the most important things to consider when questioning a co-packer. If your raw ingredients are top quality and the co-packer will do the sourcing, you must ensure they will match the integrity profile of your brand. It may take a while to find balance between the quality and cost of your product. Coming up with, or refining, your recipe to meet scale may include a lot of back and forth, including some compromise on your part. However, if you choose a co-packer that already makes the type of product you produce, they should have a list of sources and vendors readily available for you to select the ingredients you prefer.
“The co-packer usually has better buying power, which can be beneficial to the developer of the product, both in price and consistency of ingredients,” Denis notes. The exception: If you have a niche product and need a specific ingredient that the co-packer doesn’t want to source or carry, “then it is worth sourcing it out yourself,” he adds.
Before you start, run a test batch with the new ingredients so you can get feedback from customers and family, and then tweak the recipe if needed. Test for taste, shelf stability, and nutritional profile.
Source: Specialty Food Association
The Co-Packing Network handles ingredient sourcing for most of its clients (either for direct manufacturing or going through a co-packer). We are partners with a-number of regional and national ingredient suppliers.
With ingredient manufacturer and supply partners, we are creating the Ingredient Manager. The Ingredient Manager (www.IngredientManager.com) will be a match-making service offering help to all those needing ingredients (manufacturers, food labs, commercial kitchens, brands, pilot plants, private label manufacturers and others in the industry.
Are you looking for a Commercial Kitchen?

Commercial Kitchens work with new food industry start-ups, small-scale producers, farmers market vendors, chefs, cooking classes, home-based bakers, caterers, food truck vendors, beginning farmers, photographers, or anyone needing a certified commercial kitchen.
Commercial Kitchens usually come with kitchen equipment, packaging equipment, ovens, gas or electric stoves, prep tables, convection ovens, walk-in refrigerators and/or freezers, prep sinks, a wash-room, loading docks for trucks, shipping prep areas, storage areas, fryers, flat-top grills, 20-quart mixers, dough sheeters and more.
www.CommercialKitchens.org

Are you looking for a Pilot Plant?
Definition: The food Pilot Plant is a scaled-down factory built to simulate food and beverage manufacturing practice. It allows manufacturing businesses to experiment and produce trial product under industrial conditions (up to 264-gallon batches).
The Pilot Plant bridges the gap between product formulation and full commercial manufacturing. It is designed to suit a variety of needs and includes a range of portable manufacturing equipment.
Pilot Plants by The Contract Packaging Association: The Contract Packaging Association has created PilotPlants.org to group together Pilot Plants nationwide to be available for clients of all sizes (Start-up to Emerging to Established).
www.PilotPlants.org
Are You Looking For a Private Label Manufacturer?
The Packaged Goods Services Association (www.PGSA.us) and the Co-Packing Network have come together to create a sub-group specific to the topic of private labeling (www.PrivateLabeling.org).
We have an extensive database of private label manufacturers nationwide (in all consumer product categories) available for your needs. A-number of contract manufacturers also work with private label customers.
Private Label Sales Brokers: The Co-Packing Network can guide you also to a-number of private label sales brokers ideal to introduce your capabilities to a-number of customers nationwide.
PrivateLabeling.org: The Packaged Goods Services Association has an extension program involving private label manufacturers and their manufacturing facilities. With strategic partners such as PMMI (Pack Expo) and others, we help food groups with subjects such as sourcing new manufacturing equipment, packaging, ingredients, sales team programming and more.
* PGSA will also be creating programs for private label manufacturers looking for new customers and for food service and retail customers looking for new private label manufacturer partners.
www.PrivateLabeling.org
Are you looking for to open-up your own production facility?
The Co-Packing Network and its partners are available to help create and build out a facility for a client group. It can simply be our helping source manufacturing equipment to mapping out the complete facility with everything that is needed.
There is a high percentage of successful food start-ups that chose to have their own facility (versus going through a contract manufacturer). Taking over an existing facility (with updates) or building a facility means different pros and cons to the brand group.
a.) Existing Facility: You may want to explore looking for an existing manufacturing facility to save costs. Re-vamping an existing building can be an ideal option.
b.) Building a Facility: If there is enough funding the efforts of building a facility would be ideal. The location is very important. Most states have financial benefits (grants, loans) relating to your choice of a location. States such as Nevada, Utah and North Carolina are very generous in their programs. Another important factor is relating to the distribution of the product.
PackagedGoods.org: The Packaged Goods Services Association has an extension program involving brand groups with their own manufacturing facilities. With strategic partners such as PMMI (Pack Expo) and others, we help food groups with subjects such as sourcing new manufacturing equipment, packaging, ingredients, sales team programming and more.
www.PackagedGoods.org
Our Extended Community Also Includes:
Agriculture
Shows
Incubators
Score.org
Universities
funding Groups
Labs
Kitchens
Markets
Websites
Complete Incubation Programs for Contract Manufacturing Alliance/Co-Packing Network Partners: We help brands with anything to do with the business. We are available for any subject that involves with the following areas:
- Innovating a Brand: We help with everything from brand concepts, first-run recipes, branding exercises, customer research, competitor research, retail and format planning and anything else with the ideas behind the new brand.
- Creating a Brand: Most importantly with finding a contract manufacturer, we also help brands with ingredients, packaging, first test-runs, shelf-life testing, pilot plant testing and much more.
- Launching a Brand: After a product is created, we are vital for the launch of the brand into the marketplace. We have internal and external teams that cover most retail, food service and e-commerce channels (www.RetailFormats.com)
We Are Recruiting Partners

We are recruiting other consumer product groups to join us in helping start-up, emerging and established brands with their needs (innovation, creation and launch). We are looking for trade associations, brokers, food developers, ingredient companies, packaging companies, retailers, food service operators and others to join us.
Contract Packaging (CP) is the official magazine for the Contract Packaging Association, published three times each year by PMMI Media Group (owners of Packaging World magazine). Dedicated exclusively to contract packaging issues and news, each issue is overseen by Editor-in-Chief, Anne Marie Mohan.
20,000 qualified packaging professionals receive each edition of CP. These professionals are individuals who have indicated that they have purchase involvement in contract packaging and related services and products. Magazine recipients are also contract packagers, who are CPA members.
Contract Packaging has the privilege and the advantage of being the official publication for the Contract Packaging Association, positioning CP journalists for optimum access to and trust of key influencers who are driving the leading edge of the industry.
www.ContractPackaging.org
