Search for co-packer pricing and you'll mostly find one answer: "call for a quote." That's not because pricing is impossible to explain — it's because most shops treat it as leverage. Here's what actually goes into a co-packing quote, using our own published rate card as a real, worked example.
The cost components behind every quote
Whoever you talk to, a co-packing quote is built from some combination of these pieces:
- Machine setup / changeover: the labor and downtime to configure a line for your specific pouch size, fill weight, and formula.
- Blending labor: combining your formula to spec, often priced per pound and scaled by how many ingredients and how fine a mix you need.
- Fill & pack labor: running the actual production, typically rolled into a per-unit or flat run rate.
- Packaging materials: film, pouches, or stick pack stock — either supplied by you or sourced through the copacker (usually at a markup if they source it).
- Minimum job charge: a floor price that exists because a changeover costs roughly the same whether you're running 500 units or 5,000.
A real rate card, fee by fee
Here's our own published pricing, exactly as it appears on our site, so you can see the shape of a full quote:
| Volume | Price | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
| HFFS sachets or stick packs, up to 5,000 units | $2,750 flat | Machine setup and the full run, counted across flavors. Blending billed separately per pound. |
| HFFS sachets over 5,000 | $0.25 / $0.18 | Per sachet to 25,000, then to 50,000. Quoted above 50,000. |
| Stick packs over 5,000 | $0.30 / $0.22 | Per stick to 25,000, then to 50,000; fills over 10 g add $0.03. Stick packs cost more because the stick machine runs about half as fast. |
| Hand fill | from $1.00 / pouch | Plus $250 setup. HFFS zipper and gusset pouches are quoted. |
| HFFS zipper / stand-up gusset pouches, any volume | Quote only | Bag size, fill weight, zipper and film change the line speed too much for one price. |
| Blending (per pound) | $0.50–$1.50 | Depends on formulation complexity — ingredient count, particle size, and mix time. |
Beyond the base run, most copackers — us included — charge for specific, situational things. Here's our full fee schedule:
| Item | Fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Changeover — same package size, non-allergen, no full clean-out | $250 | Flavor switch within an existing run block. |
| Changeover — full clean-out, allergen clean-out, or package size change | $795 | Anything that requires a true reset of the line. |
| Rush order | Ask us | We'll do it when line time and materials allow. Fee depends on the ask. |
| Pathogen / micro testing (per test) | Lab price + shipping | About $10–$36 a test at the labs we use — no markup on lab work. |
| Identity testing — supplements we blend (per dietary-ingredient lot) | Lab price + shipping | About $80–$700 per lot depending on the method. Required by FDA (21 CFR 111.75) for every lot of each dietary ingredient we blend; confirmed on your quote. Not needed for pre-blended product we only fill and pack. |
| Allergen testing | Quoted | Depends on the allergen and your product — priced with your quote. |
| Sample / proof-of-concept run | $750 | A small test batch in your actual packaging format before you commit to a full order. Credited toward your first run of 15,000+ units. |
Fees that don't show up until the invoice
The fees above are the ones a copacker will happily tell you about. The ones worth asking about directly, because they're where surprise invoices come from:
- Rescheduling fees for moving a booked production date.
- Cancellation fees if you cancel close to your scheduled run — once a slot is booked, the line time is a real cost to the copacker whether or not your product runs through it.
- Storage fees for finished goods or raw materials sitting in their warehouse.
- Markups on sourced packaging or ingredients, if you're not supplying your own.
Ask for these numbers in writing before you sign, not after your first invoice.
How to compare quotes apples-to-apples
Two copackers quoting the same run can look wildly different until you normalize for what's actually included. Before comparing numbers, confirm each quote covers: machine setup, blending labor, and the full production run — not just fill-and-pack. Then check separately for MOQ, changeover fees, and cancellation/reschedule terms. A lower headline number with a higher MOQ and a punitive cancellation fee isn't actually cheaper.
Want a real number instead of a range?
Send us your fill weight, format, and volume and we'll quote every line item above against your actual job.
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