Packaging in the Food and Supplement Industry. Here is What You Need to Know to Get Started.

Blog Contents

• Co-packers: The solution to efficient packaging of diverse packaging formats and products

• Retail-ready packaging options

• Co-packing equipment and processes

• Quality practices and certifications

• Common questions to ask your Co-packer

Efficient Co-Packing of Diverse Packaging Formats and Products

Successfully selling a food or supplement product requires bridging the gap between an industrial blender and your customer’s hands. This means filling your product into consumer-friendly containers that can be shipped, stored, and displayed. For many brands, the logistics of developing and manufacturing a product are difficult enough, so figuring out how to quickly (and accurately) fill it into thousands of packages may be overwhelming! Don’t let supply chain and food-packing logistics become a barrier to your success. Co-packers can help!

Whether your product is a powdered blend, an individually wrapped candy, or something else, there are co-packers with the infrastructure and expertise necessary to package your products efficiently. In this post, we’ll go through the types of co-packers you can find in the supplement industry so you can narrow your search based on the product you are developing. We’ll also talk about the packaging formats you can choose from, why co-packing equipment is so efficient, the importance of quality, and common questions you should ask prospective partners.

What Types of Co-Packers are There?

Co-packers frequently have different areas of expertise. However, they often distinguish themselves by the kind of product their equipment can handle, which can help you find exactly what you need in a partner. For example, there are:

1. Bulk Fill Co-Packers (non-liquid): They specialize in filling bulk packaging with solid products or individually packaged units by fill weight or unit count.

2. Powder Co-Packers: They specialize in filling several kinds of packaging materials with powder (e.g, stick packs, capsules, tubs, jars, bottles).

3. Liquid Co-Packers: They specialize in handling and filling liquid products into various packaging formats.

4. Gel Co-Packers: They specialize in filling gels/pastes into suitable packages.

You can use these classifications in online searches to find potential co-packing partners most likely to have the equipment or expertise your project needs. Although specific searches will reveal a few good prospects, you’ll still need to verify that these companies can handle your product and meet other important criteria, such as supporting your packaging format or desired capacity!

Nutra Connection is both a “Powder Co-Packer” and a “Bulk Fill Co-Packer (non-liquid),” which means we can package powders or food items into popular formats like pouches, tubs, bottles, sachets, stick packs, or gusseted bags. As a high-volume manufacturer and co-packer, we can help you maintain efficiency at scale.

Retail-Ready Packaging Formats for Your Products

Choosing the right format is all about ensuring your product is easy to store, convenient to consume, and safe to ship. There are plenty of excellent packaging options, all of which you can personalize with well-designed artwork and your product’s nutrition or supplement facts.

Common Packaging Formats Filled by Nutra Connection:

1. Gusseted Bags or Pouches (powder or solid food products)

2. Tubs (powder or solid food products)

3. Capsules (powder)

4. Stick Packs (powder)

5. Sachets (powder)

6. Cartons (stick packs or sachets)

7. Bottles (capsules, softgels, or tablets)

Nutra Connection is happy to package your innovative powder or food products into those retail-ready packaging formats using our specialized co-packing equipment. We are capable of net weight filling, which is pivotal for many food projects where unit weight or dimensions may vary. Some food (or solid supplement) products we can package include (but are not limited to):

• Freeze-dried fruit

• Individually-wrapped candy

• Gummies

• Capsules

• Tablets

• Softgels

• Single-serve packets (e.g., stick packs or sachets into stand-up pouches or cartons)

You can learn more about our co-packing services here.

Co-Packing Services Can Streamline Your Path to Market

Carefully designed packaging machines have dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of product filling. By partnering with the right co-packer, you can gain immediate access to these machines without the burden of investing in real estate, equipment, training, or personnel. In other words, outsourcing your packaging needs can help save you time and money!

Nutra Connection is a one-stop shop for developing foods and supplements. With services including product development (custom formulation), bulk blending, and large-scale manufacturing/co-packing, we aim to simplify your path to market by eliminating the need to juggle multiple partnerships and minimizing your investment risk. Our state-of-the-art packing equipment completes filling tasks rapidly, helping you gain efficiency while scaling your product. Through automation, our co-packing services provide unparalleled speed and precision, delivering market-ready results you can trust.

Looking for a co-packer? Streamline your path to market with Nutra Connection’s advanced equipment, supply chain connections, and experienced team. Click HERE to request a quote for your project.

Certified Manufacturing for Quality Results

Your final product is a representation of your vision, brand, and value, so it is crucial to choose a packaging partner that prioritizes quality and proves compliance with industry-leading standards of quality. After all, scalability means far more than just capacity. Scalability means creating the same great product from batch to batch. Your 10,000th customer deserves the same experience as your first!

Click HERE (or the image below) to view our Certifications page.

Questions to Ask Potential Packaging Partners

Trying to land a trustworthy co-packer that can meet your project needs? Look to answer these questions when determining compatibility:

• What kind of products can you package? (E.g., “Can you package powders?”)

• What packaging formats can you fill? (E.g., “Can you fill my powder into gusseted bags?”)

• Can you supply the packaging materials?

• What quality certifications do you have?

• What are your Minimum Order Quantities?

• What kind of volume can you handle?

• Are you a turnkey manufacturer? (E.g., Can you handle formulation, blending, packaging, and 3PL services?)

Curious what Nutra Connection’s answers are? Please view our Services page to learn more about what we do! We also have an FAQ page for general inquiries.