For established brands
5 signs your production partner is letting you down
Most brands don't leave their co-packer over one bad moment. They leave after a pattern, small slips that kept happening, that eventually cost more in stock, reputation or stress than switching would have. Here are the signs worth taking seriously, sooner rather than later.
The five signs
- 1. Batches are inconsistent, and no one can explain why A product that tastes or behaves differently from batch to batch, with no clear explanation, usually points to a process issue rather than bad luck. If the answer is always "it's fine, don't worry about it," that's worth pushing back on.
- 2. Deadlines slip without warning Delays happen. What matters is whether you hear about them early, with a real reason, or find out only when stock doesn't arrive. A pattern of last-minute surprises is a sign of a facility prioritising other clients over yours.
- 3. Quality control feels like a formality Ask what checks actually happen before a batch ships, and who's accountable if something's wrong. If the answer is vague, or if faults are only caught after the product reaches you (or your customers), that's a real gap.
- 4. Communication only goes one way You're expected to chase for updates, but never hear from them proactively. A partner who only responds when prompted is a partner who isn't really managing your account.
- 5. Every problem is somehow your recipe's fault Sometimes it genuinely is the formulation. But if every stability issue, every inconsistency, gets blamed on the recipe without any real investigation of the process, it's worth getting an independent, technical second opinion.
What to do if this sounds familiar
The first step isn't necessarily to leave, it's to get a clear, independent diagnosis of what's actually going wrong: the recipe, the process, or the partner itself. That distinction changes what happens next, and it's much easier to have that conversation with your co-packer once you know exactly what you're asking them to fix.
Common questions
What should I do if my co-packer keeps missing deadlines?
Ask for a clear, written explanation of the cause and a revised schedule. If it happens repeatedly without a credible explanation, it's worth getting an independent view on whether the relationship is recoverable or whether it's time to move.
How do I know if a stability problem is the recipe or the production process?
This usually needs a technical review of both the formulation and the process it's run through, since the same recipe can behave differently on different equipment. An independent consultant can diagnose which one is actually at fault.
Can I switch co-packers without relaunching my product?
In most cases, yes. It typically involves re-validating the recipe on the new line and agreeing a handover of stock and packaging, but the product itself doesn't need to change.
Something not adding up with your current partner?
Taste Right provides independent, technical diagnosis when a batch, a partner, or a process has let a brand down, based in London, working across the UK.
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