Getting started
What does a drinks technical consultant actually do?
It's a fair question, and one worth answering plainly, since the role sits between a few jobs people are more familiar with: it's not a co-packer, not a branding agency, and not quite the same as a food scientist working alone.
The short version
A drinks technical consultant is an independent expert who helps a brand get its product right, and gets it made, without owning any of the production equipment themselves. That independence is the point: every recommendation is made for the brand, not to fill a factory's next production slot.
What the work actually involves
- Strategic navigation, helping a founder work out what stage they're at and what decisions actually matter next, rather than getting lost in the wrong ones early.
- Recipe and product development, formulation, flavour, and stability work that's built to survive a real production line, not just a test kitchen.
- Production partner matching, introductions to canners, bottlers, keggers and co-packers chosen for what the product actually needs.
- Production and stabilisation troubleshooting, independent diagnosis when a batch, a partner, or a process has gone wrong, and a plan to fix it.
Who actually uses one
Two quite different groups, in practice. The first is founders building a brand from scratch, who need guidance through a world of contract manufacturing, procurement and shelf-life testing they've never navigated before. The second is brands already trading, who've hit a wall with a current partner and need an independent, technical second opinion rather than another vendor pitching their own factory time.
Why independence matters here specifically
Most of the people a new brand meets in this industry, co-packers, ingredient suppliers, packaging companies, have a commercial interest in a particular outcome. That's not a criticism of them, it's simply the nature of running a business. An independent consultant is the one person in the process whose only job is representing the brand's interests.
Common questions
Do I need a drinks technical consultant if I already have a recipe?
Often, yes, a recipe that works in a test kitchen doesn't always survive a real production line. A consultant can check it for stability and shelf-life before it's committed to a production run.
Is a technical consultant the same as a co-packer?
No. A co-packer physically produces the drink. An independent technical consultant advises on the recipe, matches a brand with the right co-packer, and troubleshoots problems, without owning a production line themselves.
At what stage should I bring in a technical consultant?
As early as the idea stage, before committing budget to a co-packer or a production run, though it's just as common to bring one in later, when an existing product runs into a problem.
Not sure which stage you're at?
Taste Right is a first-stop, independent guide through drinks development and production, based in London, working with brands across the UK.
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