Having a line of products go from idea to shelf doesn’t just involve waving a magic wand and watching it manifest right in front of you. While you might have a brilliant plan in place to offer your patients a selection of supplements in-house, you’ll need a reliable manufacturer to bring that vision to life.
If you’ve never partnered with a supplement manufacturer before, though, the very thought of it can feel intimidating. Adding on the fact that there are several types of supplement formulations that manufacturers tackle, such as white label and custom formulas, the entire process can throw you for a loop.
Our guide serves as a useful resource to help you understand private label supplements and smartly select the ideal manufacturer to meet your needs.
What Are Private Label Supplements?
The entire concept of private label supplements can get confusing, considering there are also what’s called ‘white labeling’ and ‘custom manufacturing.’ Are they just different ways to term the same idea? What’s the difference between the three? While they all refer to the act of branding and creating a product, they don’t function the same when it comes to control and customization.
Let’s start with white labeling. White labeling is considered the method with the least amount of involvement and customization. These white label products are pre-made and generic, with standardized formulations that are simply all branded in a variety of ways. It’s the fastest route to market, but there’s not a lot of differentiation there. Custom manufacturing lands on the opposite side of the spectrum, where a manufacturer will work closely with a company to craft an entirely unique product from scratch. The company would be involved in every stage of the process, from ingredient selection to testing.
Private labeling falls somewhere in the middle. A company will take an existing product and make modifications to the formula, as well as completely rebrand it. It’s a great way to develop strong patient-physician relationships, among other benefits.
What to Consider When Choosing a Manufacturer
The first course of action before you proceed with practically anything else is to choose a manufacturer that specializes in private labeling. Select a custom manufacturer, and they might not have the pre-made products that you can build upon. On the other hand, pick a white label manufacturer and they won’t allow for the customization that you want. Other than their specialization, there are a few select considerations you’ll want to vet every manufacturer for.
Quality Control
Quality might not be as important if you’re looking to manufacture disposable products, but supplements are ingestible and need to stringently abide by FDA standards. Not only do they need to adhere to standards and have accurate labeling, but they also need to be effective in providing the expected health benefits. The best private label supplement manufacturers in the game will have strict quality assurance processes in place and be GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified. Being GMP-certified is a big deal because it means that medicinal products are consistent and meet defined quality standards [1]
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)
If you’re a small practice or clinic and aren’t planning to order in excess, you’ll need to keep minimum order quantities in mind. A MOQ number will stand for the least number of units you’re required to purchase at a single time in order to place one. Some manufacturers will set high MOQs, while others, like Legere Pharmaceuticals, will have much lower ones – it all depends on what they feel works for their production setup and what’s feasible. You don’t want to start working with a manufacturer only to find out that their MOQ is too high!
Product Range and Customization
Private label supplement manufacturers should all involve some level of customization, but you need to be mindful of how much customization is allowed. Perhaps the manufacturer only allows for a single change to be made, or maybe they encourage distinctness and permit multiple changes so long as they’re capable of handling it. There’s also the consideration of the supplement types they offer – do they only work with standard vitamins and minerals, or do they offer protein powders, liquid gels, and other more modern formulations like private label weight loss products?
Reputation and Experience
An established supplement manufacturer will have a history of successful partnerships or even many current ongoing partnerships with health companies. Even if they’re relatively new in the field, they might already have proved themselves to reputable brands. That’s why it’s extremely useful to read up on reviews and testimonials, and potentially contacting other brands directly for extra peace of mind.
Turnaround Time
Before contacting a manufacturer, you might have already drafted up a product roadmap that illustrates your plans on a timeline. Your chosen manufacturer should be able to perfectly meet those launch plans and have the ability to scale and adapt to future projects. An agile manufacturer will be most equipped to serve your company for the long haul.
Pricing Structure
There are a lot of factors that go into pricing for private label supplements, including production costs, costs for quality control, MOQs, customization, packaging complexity, shipping, and other additional services relating to branding and logistics. Here’s where comparison will come to the rescue, as having multiple quotes to look at will give you a better idea of the market and whether you can negotiate to fit your budget.
Step-by-Step Vetting Guide
At the stage where you’re fully ready to start production of your very own supplement line? Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to vetting potential manufacturers.
Do Your Research
Prior to settling on a manufacturer, you’ll need to consider all the above factors for each potential partner. The more first-hand, thorough research, the better, so you can narrow down your choices effectively. It can help to rummage through industry forums and ask for recommendations from other relevant brands if you aren’t sure where to start.
Communicate with the Manufacturer
As this manufacturer will likely become a long-term partner, starting a healthy communicative relationship will help you see whether your values and goals align and foster a strong feedback loop to nip concerns in the bud.
Request Samples
It might be tempting to dive head first into supplement production, but why not lessen the risk by requesting a few samples to start? Having a tangible sample in hand will let you evaluate the quality of ingredients, consistency between bottles, sensory characteristics like taste, smell, and appearance, and even allow you to try the formula yourself. If you find any quality control issues, you can address them before you begin production or even go ahead and decide on another manufacturer.
Visit the Facility
Although this isn’t always possible, considering there are international manufacturers you might want to work with, conducting a site visit will give you a first-hand look into their facilities, quality control measures, and production processes. Rather than only trusting the testimonials of others, a direct visit can validate or invalidate your expectations right away.
Draft Up an Agreement
Every partnership should involve some type of agreement, including a private labeling partnership. At its core, an agreement does three main things – it defines expectations on both the manufacturer’s and the brand’s ends, protects both parties and establishes cost and payment terms.
How The Right Private Label Manufacturer Can Make All the Difference
When you invest the time into finding a manufacturer that has a stellar reputation, selling private label supplements becomes that much closer to becoming a reality – and a successful one at that. Working closely with a reputable partner can make the difference between a product launch that resonates with your patients and lost revenue, and that’s reason enough to put all those considerations on the table and prioritize a vetting process.
Legere Pharmaceuticals is a private label supplements and IV supplements provider for physicians and clinics seeking out unique formulas to improve their patients’ health and wellness. For over 45 years, we’ve sought out to offer the highest quality and most rigorously-tested pharmaceutical-grade products with complete marketing support to grow your practice. Interested in working with Legere? Contact us today!
Dr .Taylor Froiland
President of Legere Pharmaceuticals
Taylor Froiland is the president of Legere Pharmaceuticals in Scottsdale, Arizona and serves on the Board of Directors for RK Logistics Group. He also owns and operates Medmetrics Compounding Pharmacy in Chandler, Arizona, specializing in various pharmaceutical services. Taylor holds a PharmD and has expertise in compounding, medicinal chemistry, and quality control.
