Co-packing FAQ: straight answers to what you'd ask on a call anyway.

$2,750 flat covers up to 5,000 sachets or stick packs, counted across flavors — machine setup and the full run. Above that, sachets are $0.25 each to 25,000 and stick packs $0.30 each; each extra flavor is a $250 changeover. Blending is $0.50–$1.50 per pound on top. Runs over 50,000 units, and HFFS zipper and gusset pouches, are quoted. Full pricing.

That's the default, and usually the better deal for you — you keep your supplier relationships. If you'd rather we source, our Chief Procurement Officer (15 years in ingredient sourcing) handles it turnkey. You own every pound we buy for you, including leftovers from a supplier's minimum order. How turnkey sourcing works.

Once you accept a quote, we book your production date and hold it for you. A 50% deposit and all materials need to be with us at least 7 days before your run. Moving your booked slot is a 25% fee; if you cancel, the deposit is non-refundable. Once a slot's booked, it's real cost whether product runs through it or not.

Sachets, stand-up gusset pouches and zipper pouches today, auger-filled on our HMC Pouchmaster HFFS line, plus hand-fill of gusset bags for small batches with no machine minimum. Stick packs arrive in December 2026: 30, 40 and 50 mm widths, plus 20 mm for 1 g fills. A vertical (VFFS) line and a dedicated stick pack line are on order for limited runs up to 50,000 units per flavor — now booking.

We fill to comply with NIST Handbook 133: the lot average meets or exceeds label weight and no individual package falls below the maximum allowable variation. Standard fill target is label +1% for fills of 30 g and over, +2–3% for 5–30 g, and +3–5% under 5 g. Each run is checkweighed or sample-weighed and recorded. Tighter targets are available with 100% checkweighing or extra sampling, priced accordingly. Net contents and overfill guide.

Plan on about 110% of theoretical (units × label weight) on small runs, closer to 105% on large ones. That covers the small overfill that keeps every pack legal, plus process loss: start-up and calibration packs, seal and weight rejects, and powder left in the hopper. Those losses are mostly fixed, so small runs lose a bigger share. Anything left over is yours.

Our roll stock film spec (PDF): core, roll size, wind, width, repeat and eye mark for our HMC Pouchmaster line. Have your supplier confirm each item with their quote.

We follow cGMP (21 CFR 111 for supplements, 117 for food) and the SQF Fundamentals Intermediate code, with a written batch record for every lot. We're a small shop and won't claim a certificate we don't hold. Ask us for a walkthrough any time.

If your product contains a major allergen (milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy or sesame), we fully sanitize the line after your run, from the auger motor down to the deck, and verify it with allergen test swabs before allergen-free products run again. That’s our full clean-out, about 3.5 hours: the same flat $795 we charge for a package size change, with no separate allergen fee. Book back-to-back runs of the same allergen and you pay it once. It’s also why brands with allergen-free products can trust our line.

Send us your product type, fill weight, units per flavor, packaging, and timeline, and we'll turn around a real quote fast. Standard production turnaround is 30 days from a signed quote to finished product.

A co-packer (contract packager) makes and packages your product under your brand. You own the formula, label and customers; we blend, fill, seal, code and ship it to your spec.

$2,750 flat covers up to 5,000 sachets or stick packs, counted across flavors, including machine setup and the run. Above that you pay per unit. Hand fill has no machine minimum.

Dry, free-flowing to moderately fine powders: protein, electrolytes, greens, collagen, creatine, drink mixes, seasonings and similar. Particle size up to 1/8 inch. We don't cook, bake or add water.

Yes. Most brands supply their own, but we offer turnkey sourcing led by a procurement chief with 15 years in ingredients. You own everything we buy for you, including leftovers from supplier minimums.

Per run, counted across flavors. Five flavors of 1,000 is a 5,000-unit run at $2,750 plus four $250 changeovers.

Our stick machine runs about half as fast as the HFFS sachet line, so the same number of units ties up twice the machine time.

No. Blending is $0.50–$1.50 per pound on top of the run price, confirmed on your quote. If you send a finished blend, there’s nothing to blend.

You do, always: on your carrier account or quoted to you. Palletizing and stretch wrap on production shipments are included.

No. You pay the lab’s price plus actual shipping.

Not for 8 months on reorders of the same product. After that, increases are capped at 5% a year with 30 days’ notice.

Yes. We source ingredients and, on request, film, then blend, fill and ship. Tick “North Lakes sources them (turnkey)” on the quote form.

You do, all of it, including anything left over from a supplier's minimum order. It's set aside for your next run or shipped to you.

15% of the materials we buy for you, on top of the supplier's price. Every ingredient, its supplier price and the fee are itemized on your quote.

Because the supplier bills us for it, and it's your product's ingredient. You get the leftover material; we don't keep it.

Yes. Choose “A mix” on the quote form.

1 g, on 20 mm stick packs once our stick pack machine arrives in December 2026. On the pouch line today, 5 g and up.

Often, yes. Agglomerated, sticky or hygroscopic powders need testing. A $750 proof-of-concept run on your real powder and film tells us before you commit.

No. We fill powders into flexible packaging: sachets, pouches and stick packs.

No. We're a dry powder facility with no liquid or wet processing.

No. You own the formula. We blend and pack to your spec.

Yes. Blend-only jobs are billed per pound.

No. We blend dry ingredients as received. Particle size up to 1/8 inch.

For supplements, blend uniformity on the first batch and after changes, plus finished batch testing per your MMR. For food, testing per your spec or our food safety plan. Lab work is passed through at cost.

Our machine line forms pouches from roll stock. Pre-made bags can be hand-filled for small batches; tell us on the quote form.

Up to 1.5 kg of powder, depending on bulk density and pouch size.

Usually 2–3, depending on clean-out between them.

$250 for a flavor switch at the same pouch size with no allergen. $795 for a full clean-out, which covers a pouch size change or an allergen.

The machine arrives in December 2026. We're booking production windows now and will confirm dates as the line is commissioned.

$2,750 flat covers up to 5,000 sticks, including setup and the run. Above that it's $0.30 a stick to 25,000.

Yes, on a 20 mm stick, with lab-balance sampling to hold the fill weight.

Usually, yes. Printed roll stock to our film spec. We'll confirm the web width for your stick size before you order.

No. If we only fill and pack your pre-blended product, we do a visual and document check against your blend spec instead.

The brand owner. We forward any complaint to you within 1 business day after QC review.

Yes. You can review our full SOPs on site. We send a document index and our FDA registration confirmation on request.

Standard turnaround is 30 days from a signed quote. First supplement runs need time for the MMR, specs and ingredient testing, so plan 4–5 weeks.

Yes. We're an FDA-registered food facility and send the registration confirmation on request, since FDA's registration database isn't public.

Yes, with one allergen profile at a time and a verified $795 full clean-out afterward.

Shelf life is the brand's call; we can send samples to a lab at cost. See shelf-life testing for powders.

No. We blend and pack dry, already-made ingredients only.

Yes. Ingredients and film can be stored for $45 per pallet per month until your run.

Palletized outbound for retail and distributors is quoted per job. Bring your retailer's routing and pallet specs.

Orders ship Monday through Friday.

Yes. Kitting and assembly are priced separately from the run. See planning a variety pack.

Not yet. We run to the SQF Food Safety Fundamentals code and certification is in progress. We won't claim it until we hold it.

There's no government GMP certificate. Third-party GMP certification isn't required by 21 CFR 111. We run to the regulations and you can audit us.

Yes, before any formula details change hands.

Yes. Ask for a walkthrough any time.

No. We work with brands across the US. Local brands just get the bonus of visiting easily.

Yes. Call or email to set up a walkthrough.

Yes, palletized freight and order-by-order fulfillment.