Outgrowing the Weekend Kitchen: Should You Build or Co-Man?

Co-Manufacturing: Simpler, But Not Simple

For many growing brands, outsourcing production is the smarter, faster path. That’s where a co-manufacturer—often called a co-man or co-packer—comes in.

At its core, a co-manufacturer is a third-party company that produces your product to your specifications. They handle the physical production—mixing, baking, bottling, freezing, packaging—using your formula and packaging. The terms co-man and co-packer are often used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference worth understanding:

• A co-packer typically refers to companies that package goods into final formats (think: bottling sauces, bagging snacks).

• A co-manufacturer may do that too, but often includes ingredient sourcing, batching, cooking, and quality control—more full-scope production.

Some partners do both. Others specialize in just one part of the chain. Either way, you’ll need to bring a complete, scalable formula, finalized packaging specs, and clarity on what you want them to do.

These partnerships can unlock rapid growth and remove operational headaches—but only if you’re ready. Co-mans expect precise documentation and professionalism from day one. If you show up unprepared, you risk burning the relationship before your product even gets made.

When It’s Time to Move On

Here’s the truth: shared kitchens weren’t built to scale. Once you’re running consistent volume, or working nights and weekends to keep up, the costs and constraints start to pile up. Producing enough in the same batch to meet PO requirements, making enough for the whole week and then storing it(where?), lost time doing other work in your new business, ingredient spoilage, and sanitation requirements all chip away at your margins—and your sanity.

That’s when you’ve got to make the call. Keep grinding it out? Or build something that supports growth?

There’s no universal trigger point, but a few signs are hard to ignore: you’re turning down orders because of production limits, running dangerously low on inventory between batches, or seeing quality start to slip as you rush to meet demand.

Building Your Own Facility: What It Really Means

We very rarely suggest this as the solution in your early stages. A lot of founders romanticize the idea of having their own space. More control, better margins, and no more renting time from someone else. But building a facility is a capital-heavy move. It means land and commercial space, equipment purchases, facility design, permitting, inspections, insurance, utilities, and staffing. And then there’s the actual day-to-day operations: scheduling, cleaning, food safety logs, and training.

If you have a background in ops or you already own a suitable space, this route can work. It also gives you the flexibility to run custom SKUs, test new formats, and maintain tighter control over ingredients and sourcing.

But make no mistake—this is manufacturing. You need to be ready to run it like a business within your business.

Not a Question of If—But When

Eventually, you will outgrow the shared kitchen. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when. What matters most is choosing the right next step for your brand’s size, goals, and cash position. Some brands build and grow into their space. Others lock in a co-man and scale rapidly. Both paths work. But sitting on the fence too long? That’s how you lose velocity.

If you’re approaching this pivot, now’s the time to start planning—before you hit a wall that knocks you off course.

Next Steps

• Visit our Co-Man and 3PL Partner Strategy Page to explore what to look for in a manufacturing partner

• Understand Your First Real Supply Chain before production starts scaling faster than you can handle

• Download Our SOP Template so you’re ready to document your process before handoff or facility buildout