3 Secrets For Choosing The Right Supplement Manufacturer
Whether you're a seasoned nutraceutical industry veteran or a first time dietary supplement brand owner – there are certain qualities and characteristics that are always worth looking for when identifying the correct supplement manufacturer.
So, you have your target customers, a business plan, a budget, and almost everything else you could possibly need to manufacture your dietary supplement...except for one important thing – you still haven't settled on a contract manufacturer.
Whether you're looking for your first manufacturer or seeking to replace your existing supplier, there are dozens of factors worth considering – everything from price to lead times .
NutraScience Lab's Top 3 Secrets For Identifying A Dietary Supplement Manufacturer
After asking our customers what they valued most in a dietary supplement manufacturer, we've taken their answers and broken them down into three main key categories:
Secret #1: People
When shopping around for a contract manufacturer there are a few "P" words that are worth valuing more than "price" – the first of which being people. From top to bottom, the staff of an organization worth entrusting with your company's money, time, and effort with should be willing to provide you and your team with top-notch customer service.
That top-notch customer service should include the simple things like timely responses to phone calls and emails, a willingness to explain the processes at play, and a willingness to answer any questions that you or anyone with in your organization might have.
Secret #2: Process
Any contract manufacturer worth working with should be able to back their claims and offers with a proven track record of satisfied customers, high quality products, and adherence to all the rules and regulations that govern our industry.
Moreover, some of the best manufacturers in the industry are the ones who know which questions they should be asking you. A manufacturing team that's in the habit of maintaining and establishing an open dialogue from the start, where all the necessary resources and steps are outlined from the beginning can make all the difference.
So far as process is concerned, you'll find that certain manufactures may also be able to offer you a number of additional in-house services. Some of the more popular secondary services include label design, packaging, and help with product formulation.
Secret #3: Experience
In an industry that's constantly changing, being able to recognized patterns and trends as they unfold can prove invaluable – and one of the simplest (and arguably most effective) ways to understand what's happening in the moment is with the help of past experiences.
More often than not, a manufacturer with sales and production teams that are drawing on decades of experience – as opposed to years or months of experience – will have the resources and experience necessary to bring a dietary supplement to market that will meet your business' and customers' needs.
Another (historically undervalued) benefit of working with an experienced manufacturing team is the ability to rely on their earned foresight and knowledge to help your company avoid pitfalls and set-backs that might otherwise be missed – effectively helping to keep your resource pool, budget, and sanity intact.
The Takeaway
More often than not, the best contract manufacturers to work with are the ones who recognize the importance of treating you and your support team like people, and not like numbers on a page. Chances are, your ideal contract manufacturer will be able to provide your company with top of the line customer service, a tried and true process that values efficiency and efficacy, and years (if not decades) of industry experience and all the knowledge that comes with it.
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