The Eight Arms
The Alliance
Eight dedicated arms. Eight domains. One ecosystem covering the entire manufacturing journey — from your first cottage food sale to your own production facility.
Cottage Foods
Cottage food laws allow home-based producers to sell direct to consumers without a commercial kitchen license. This is where most food entrepreneurs begin — making, selling, and validating their product at farmers markets, online, and through local channels.
- ✓Home-based food production under cottage food laws
- ✓Farmers markets, direct sales, online platforms
- ✓Understanding labeling requirements and legal limits
- ✓The first step before graduating to a commercial kitchen
Home-based food producers, farmers market vendors, direct-to-consumer sellers
Commercial Kitchens
Commercial kitchens — also called shared-use kitchens or incubator kitchens — are licensed, inspected production facilities available to rent by the hour or month. They're where cottage food producers graduate to when they need more capacity, different equipment, or food service licensing.
- ✓Shared-use, licensed kitchen spaces
- ✓Search by county and zip code tool
- ✓Incubation programs for emerging food brands
- ✓Bridge between home production and contract manufacturing
Cottage food graduates, food startups, catering businesses needing licensed production space
Food Innovation Centers
Food Innovation Centers are specialized R&D facilities focused on recipe development, food science, and product testing. They offer nutritional analysis, shelf-life studies, food safety testing, and formulation support. Many are university-linked; others are private.
- ✓Recipe development and formulation testing
- ✓Nutritional analysis and label compliance
- ✓Shelf-life and food safety studies
- ✓University-linked and private R&D facilities
Brands developing or improving formulations, food scientists, R&D teams
Pilot Plants
Pilot plants are pre-commercial production facilities designed for testing at scale before full manufacturing commitment. They bridge the gap between the food innovation lab and a commercial co-packer — validating that a recipe that works in a commercial kitchen also works on industrial equipment.
- ✓Pre-commercial scale production runs
- ✓Process validation and equipment testing
- ✓Bridge between R&D and commercial manufacturing
- ✓Reduce risk before committing to a co-packer
Brands ready to test at production scale before committing to a full co-packer
Contract Mfg / Co-Packing
Contract manufacturing and co-packing is outsourced manufacturing at commercial scale. You own the brand, the recipe, and the relationship with the retailer. The co-packer handles the equipment, production labor, and facilities. This is the core of the Alliance — and where most brands spend most of their life.
- ✓Contract packaging and co-packing matching
- ✓CPA RFQ system access
- ✓Capabilities matching across product categories
- ✓North American co-packer network
Brands ready for commercial scale, companies switching manufacturers, private label products
Private Labeling
Private labeling is manufacturing for other people's brands. Retailers use it to create store brands; brands use it to create product line extensions without new R&D investment. It's a distinct model from co-packing — the manufacturer owns the formula; the brand owner owns the label.
- ✓White-label and private label manufacturing
- ✓Retailer and store brand production
- ✓Formula ownership models
- ✓Faster-to-market for line extensions
Retailers launching store brands, brands creating white-label products, distributors
Inventions & Prototyping
Not every product fits neatly into the food track. The Inventions & Prototyping arm serves inventors, product developers, and brands with hardware, non-food, or cross-category products. It covers the path from concept to working prototype, including patent guidance and licensing strategy.
- ✓Concept to working prototype development
- ✓Patent guidance and IP strategy
- ✓Product development for non-food categories
- ✓Licensing and commercialization pathways
Inventors, product developers, brands with hardware or non-food product concepts
CPG Own Facilities
For brands that have outgrown co-packing or that need the margins, control, and flexibility of owned production, the CPG Own Facilities arm provides resources for planning and building a manufacturing plant. This is the endgame for many successful CPG brands.
- ✓Facility planning and design guidance
- ✓Equipment sourcing and commissioning
- ✓Regulatory compliance for owned facilities
- ✓Resources for brands building their own plants
High-volume brands building in-house manufacturing, brands outgrowing co-packing
Not Sure Which Arm You Need?
Walk through the journey stages and find where you are — we'll point you to the right arm.