Why It's Hard to Find a Bottling Co-Packer When Your Volume Is Between 100,000 and 1,000,000 and how PureFlow Bottling and Packaging is specifically designed to help.
If you're a beverage brand producing between 100,000 and 1,000,000 units annually, you’ve probably run into a major roadblock: it’s surprisingly difficult to find a co-packer willing—and able—to work with you. This “mid-volume” stage is one of the most challenging parts of scaling a beverage business.
Too Big for the Small Co-Packers, Too Small for the Big Co-Packers
Smaller co-packers typically specialize in short runs for startups or niche products—think anywhere from a few thousand to maybe 100,000 units. They’re more flexible but often don’t have the capacity to handle six-figure volumes consistently or the ability to materially reduce their pricing.
Meanwhile, the large-scale co-packers are built for massive efficiency—millions of units per SKU, with high-speed lines and automation. If you’re producing under a million units a year, you’re often not big enough to be considered an efficient fit within their lines, or provide enough volume to justify their setup time and line space.
The Line-Time Dilemma
Line time is one of the most valuable commodities in co-packing. A co-packer will want your production to fill a full shift—or ideally, multiple shifts—it’s hard to justify the downtime and labor for partial shifts. Even if a co-packer can run your volume, they may choose higher-volume clients who bring more revenue with fewer scheduling headaches and changeover costs.
Another challenge you may experience is that ingredient and packaging minimums may be set for larger volumes, creating extra difficulty in not tying up cash with inventory, or incur the risks associated with raw materials spoiling before your volume can use it up.
Stuck in the Middle
In this volume range, you’re not just battling logistics—you’re competing with brands above and below you in scale. Large brands may offer longer contracts and more predictability. Startups may offer premium pricing and exciting new products. Unless your business fits cleanly into a co-packer’s model, it’s easy to feel challenged in finding that partner.
PureFlow Bottling & Packaging is equipped to handle orders from thousands to millions of high-quality bottled beverage products, efficiently scaling production and reducing your costs as volume increases.
The jump from 100,000 to 1,000,000 units is a critical (and often challenging) growth phase. It requires patience, strategy, and persistence—but getting the right co-packer like PureFlow Bottling and Packaging in place can position your brand for real scalability without the inefficiencies of moving to different co-packers.
