CHICAGO — With a rise in emerging brands and resounding product innovation, the need for contract manufacturing remains prevalent, especially for the commercial baking industry. But while the need is there, many brands struggle to find contract manufacturers that fit their specific needs, and vice versa.
According to the Contract Packaging Association (CPA), brands are relying on external manufacturing more than ever, with food and CPG contract manufacturing and co-packing reaching more than $100 billion — not including private label manufacturing — in 2023.
To fill that gap, The Melville Group, in partnership with CPA, has launched CoPackConnect.com, a new platform designed to connect brands with a wider network of external manufacturing resources.
The site launched in beta at Pack Expo 2024, which was held Nov. 3-6 in Chicago.
“CoPack Connect represents a robust and focused solution for brands and manufacturers, enabling superior sourcing alternative, improved speed to market, greater innovation and more efficient production capacity,” said Ron Puvak, executive director of CPA.
Powered by AI-RFQ technology, the site was designed for brands to more efficiently identify contract manufacturers and co-packers with capabilities that fit their specific needs. The site is free for brands and private labels and contains thousands of product profiles and manufacturers, with the database still growing.
“One of the biggest complaints we hear from brands is, ‘When I put out an RFQ, the whole world starts calling me, including unqualified manufacturers,’” said Carl Melville, managing partner of The Melville Group and owner of CoPack Connect. “And we hear from manufacturers that they get calls from small brands who are making a product in their kitchen and want help commercializing without a budget to do it. It’s two sides of the same problem. We protect the identity of all parties, connecting them with their mutual approval.”
Once a brand creates a verified user profile, it can create a request for quote (RFQ) right away, based on location, product type, level of commercialization and volume.
By using a combination of AI and human interface, the site can continually refine its database based on the RFQ information that users submit. Once a brand has a verified profile, the system enables a dashboard that shows all RFQs and any manufacturers that match their needs. Matches are typically made within 24 to 48 hours.
“CoPack Connect, powered by AI-RFQ, is based on decades of brand and manufacturer input and solves these problems efficiently and cost-effectively.” — Carl Melville | owner | CoPack Connect
Manufacturers who receive the RFQ are not given a name or contact information until the match is made and confirmed. Communication requesting additional information is all done through the platform. Once a match is confirmed on both sides, the RFQ can be submitted according to the specific parameters set up by the brand, and the two companies can move forward from there.
“It’s a very simple, straightforward process,” Melville said. “There could be thousands of manufacturers in the system, and the network effect grows as more brands sign up.”
While the platform is free for brands, manufacturers have the option to use the free version or pay for a membership that allows for increased visibility.
“Some categories can be very competitive,” Melville said. “We have a ‘Featured Providers’ area, where brands can find additional information or visit their website directly.”
CoPack Connect houses capabilities for thousands of product types and specific services, allowing users to efficiently narrow down the best potential partners to suit their needs by narrowing down the qualitative details.
“A huge list of products and providers is not the hard part, nor does it address the core frictions,” Melville said. “During 25 years of connecting brands and external manufacturers, I’ve seen tech platforms evolve, yet these problems still exist. CoPack Connect, powered by AI-RFQ, is based on decades of brand and manufacturer input and solves these problems efficiently and cost-effectively.”
CoPack Connect is the result of more than two decades of research by The Melville Group. In 2023 the group partnered exclusively with CPA to build out platform, which was developed by top global firms in the UK and Malaysia.
The site also houses a resource center for emerging brands, including articles outlining best practices for developing relationships with contract manufacturers, navigating the top pitfalls new brands make, and more.
Brands, private labels and manufacturers can create a profile by visiting CoPackConnect.com.
