Your business idea is finally coming together and taking form. Your product has gone through rigorous stages of being vetted and prepared for manufacturing and now, you’re ready to get started. Finding the right private label manufacturer requires considerable research, planning, negotiating and knowing your business inside and out. Making sure your business model lines up well so you can have a seamless business relationship is essential. 

Let’s go over some of the best practices you can use to find your company the best and most reliable private label manufacturer for your brand. 

How to Find Private Label Manufacturers

Here are the best ways to start your search:

• Online Manufacturer Directories. This is one of the easiest ways to find a factory to manufacture your product is through online supplier directories. The top directories offer thousands of manufacturer profiles you can browse and choose from depending on the product you want to produce.
• Referrals. Word of mouth from other private label brands you know and trust go a long way.
• Search by NAICS Code. If you'd rather not seek out competition or just want to go through another channel to identify a similar product that’s on the market and then find the manufacturer who created it. You can do this by using the already-made product’s NAICS code.
• Online Forums.  Looking through forums that discuss the type of product you’re seeking to manufacture and information about the experiences of those businesses can be valuable information if you can find the right forums to check out.
• Google. When in doubt, we go to the mighty Google for help.
• Reviews. A manufacturer is only as good as their work so finding some reviews on services rendered and even trying a product out to test quality will help seal the deal.

Domestic VS Overseas Manufacturers

Deciding if you want to go with a US manufacturer or overseas (most of the time in China or India) is going to be one of the first decisions you make when searching. 

Overseas Manufacturing

Pros:

• Lower manufacturing costs
• Large number of manufacturers to choose from
• Lots of manufacturing options to choose from

Cons:

• Products may be lower quality and harder to verify beforehand
• Difficult and expensive to visit manufacturing site for production checks
• Shipping may be more expensive and take longer
• Less security and legal recourse regarding payments and intellectual property
• Importation and customs laws are more complicated
• Lower environmental standards in many major manufacturing countries

Domestic Manufacturing

Pros:

• Higher quality of manufacturing
• Easier to communicate with your manufacturing partner
• On-site visits can be done more frequently
• Manufacturers can be easily verified
• Cheaper and faster shipping
• Improved environmental standards
• Greater security regarding payments and intellectual property
• Locally manufactured products have an increased marketing appeal

Cons:

• May be harder to find certain ingredients
• Manufacturing costs are often higher
• Fewer manufacturers to choose from
• Limited product options

Inquiring with the Manufacturer

Now that you’ve found a manufacturer you’re interested in, here are some tips to making sure everything will run smoothly if you decide to use them in making your private label product:

1. Experience Making Your Brand of Product

It would be pretty counterproductive to go with a manufacturer that is inexperienced in making your brand of product.  Make sure they have knowledge and experience making exactly what you are wanting. Get samples and make sure they use ingredients whose quality is in line with your own. Don’t let a manufacturer lower your standards to reduce pricing if you aren’t comfortable with that. 

2. Checking the Legitimacy of the Manufacturer

In this day and age of fraud, requesting a copy of their business license should be on your short list of things to ask for first. Vet them with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and make sure they are who they claim to be. This is especially important when working with manufacturers overseas who may not have as stringent laws as we do. Many business licenses include a scope of operation that shows the range of activities the business can legally participate in. 

3. Product Samples

You always want to ensure the quality of the products the manufacturer makes before you place your order. Request as many product samples as needed to verify the consistency of their work and ensure your product will be faithfully manufactured. It is much better to discover an issue with a sample, rather than a full batch of product meant for sale.

Partner with Aloe Labs

Have you sourced high-quality aloe for your next product launch? Are you struggling to find a private label manufacturer that lives up to your ideal standards?

Let Aloe Laboratories help.

The best way to ensure that you're getting the highest quality cosmetic-grade aloe possible is to choose a company with complete control over the manufacturing process, from growing to harvesting and processing. 

At Aloe Laboratories, we maintain our own aloe vera farm and production site, allowing us to craft the most desirable products possible while keeping bulk and wholesale prices low. We pride ourselves on producing aloe vera gel, juice, and powder specific to each customer's needs for their food-grade and cosmetic-grade products.

If you'd like to learn more about how aloe vera gel can enhance your products, or if you have some ideas of your own, reach out to us to learn more about our private labeling options and how we can help you make your product a reality.