Contract manufacturing questions, answered

Contract manufacturing is when a brand hires an outside partner to produce its product instead of building and running its own facility. The brand owns the product, the formula, and the label; the manufacturer handles sourcing, production, quality control, and packaging. For beauty and wellness brands it means launching a compliant, retail-ready product without the capital cost of a factory.

For non-supplement products: Private label products built on our existing stock formulations can run as low as 1,000 units. Fully custom formulations typically start at 5,000 units, because custom work carries formulation, testing, and raw material commitments that stock products do not. As your brand scales, we scale with you — there is no upper limit on what we can produce. For supplements, stock minimums: from 1,000 units, varies by format — see individual product pages. Custom formulations are quoted per project, typically starting at 2,500–5,000 units depending on format. Finished units: bottles, sachets, pouches or boxes, depending on format.

A private label launch using one of our existing FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-compliant formulas can move from contract to first production run in approximately 60 to 90 days. Custom formulations typically run 4 to 6 months depending on testing, certification, and regulatory requirements. Because we also handle packaging, distribution, and fulfillment, your first sale follows production rather than waiting on a second round of vendor sourcing.

Private label puts your brand on an existing, proven stock formula — fastest path, lowest minimum, least formulation risk. Modified stock starts from that same base and adjusts actives, sensory profile, or claims, which keeps most of the speed while giving you differentiation. Custom formulation develops a product from a target profile, which takes the longest and costs the most up front but produces something no competitor can order off a shelf.

The main drivers are formulation work, raw material and active ingredient selection, batch size, packaging components, and the testing and certification your category and markets require. Private label avoids most development cost because the formula and stability data already exist. Custom adds R&D, benchmark iterations, and stability testing before you ever run production — which is why volume has such a large effect on your per-unit cost.

Yes. We handle the customs documentation, labeling requirements, regulatory compliance, and distribution partnerships needed to move product into Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, including COFEPRIS (Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk – Mexico), ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency – Brazil), and INVIMA (National Institute of Food and Drug Surveillance – Colombia) registration pathways. Miami serves as our gateway to the region, and LATAM requirements are far cheaper to design in at formulation than to retrofit later.

Our partner facilities are FDA-registered and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)-compliant, with MoCRA (Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act)-compliant operations for cosmetics. Specific certifications are confirmed per product and per manufacturing facility before a project is placed.

Yes. PMG manufactures in FDA-registered, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)-compliant partner facilities and offers cruelty-free (no animal testing) formulations. Also available: MoCRA-compliant cosmetic operations, USDA Organic, Kosher, Halal, Vegan, Gluten-Free and allergen-controlled manufacturing. Certifications are held by our partner facilities and confirmed per product and per facility before production.

Both. A meaningful portion of our work is with first-time inventors and startup brands launching their first product — our low private label minimums and full-service model exist precisely to make that path accessible. We also work with established brands launching line extensions or expanding into new geographies.

PMG covers the full value chain: research and development, manufacturing, packaging and component sourcing, product testing, certifications and compliance, distribution, 3PL fulfillment, Amazon FBA prep, and channel sales development. Most contract manufacturers stop at the warehouse door — you work with one partner from concept to your customer's hands.

The best fits are health, wellness, personal care, beauty, nutraceutical, and OTC products where the founder wants one partner across formulation, production, and getting to market. Tell us your category, your target volume, and your timeline through our project form, and we will give you an honest read on fit — including telling you when we are not the right partner.

Confirm the facility is FDA-registered and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)-compliant for dietary supplements, and ask which certifications apply to your specific format — capsules, tablets, gummies, powders, and liquids are not interchangeable capabilities. Check that the minimum order quantity matches your launch budget, and confirm you own the formula and the testing data. Finally, ask what happens after production, because packaging, distribution, and fulfillment are often left for the brand to solve alone.

Yes. We manufacture OTC formulations, including sun care and other monograph categories, through FDA-registered, GMP-compliant partner facilities. OTC work carries additional requirements — Drug Facts labeling, monograph alignment, and stability and testing obligations — so we scope those up front rather than discovering them mid-project.

Skincare, sun care, body care, and hair care are core categories for us, covered from R&D through packaging, testing, and retail-ready fulfillment. Our team includes formulation chemists and regulatory specialists with decades of individual experience in these categories, and our operations are MoCRA (Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act)-compliant.

Yes — bilingual project management is a baseline, not a premium. Our team operates in English and Spanish with working Portuguese capability for Brazilian market engagements, which matters because regulatory submissions in Mexico and Brazil are done in the local language.

Available capabilities across our partner facility network include USDA Organic, Kosher, Halal, vegan formulations, Cruelty-Free, Gluten-Free, and allergen-conscious manufacturing, on top of FDA-registered and GMP-compliant production. Certifications vary by product and by facility, so we confirm which ones apply to your specific formula before production.

Our headquarters is in Boca Raton, Florida, and we operate through a network of partner manufacturing and distribution facilities in Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Minnesota, and Arizona. That footprint gives us efficient logistics coverage across the entire United States, with Miami serving as the gateway to Central and South America.

Typical first-run project cost: $5,000–$25,000 for stock formulas (private label) and $25,000+ for custom formulations, depending on format, volume, packaging and testing scope. OTC and specialty projects are quoted case by case. The smallest project we take is about $5,000.

Payment terms are set per project in your quote and agreement, and they generally follow project milestones — development and testing, raw material and component purchasing, and production. Terms depend on batch size, component lead times, and whether the work is private label or custom, so we confirm them in writing before anything is ordered.

As a planning guide: discovery and scoping usually run a couple of weeks, formulation is fast for private label and the longest stage for custom work, testing and certification depend on your category, and production and packaging follow component lead times. Overall, a private label launch typically runs about 60 to 90 days from contract to first production run, and a custom formulation typically runs 4 to 6 months. We give you a dated schedule for your specific product at kickoff.

Production runs in FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-registered, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)-compliant facilities with batch records, identity testing, and quality control on every run, and you receive COA documentation for your batch. Product is manufactured to the specification you approve, and if a batch does not meet that approved specification we work the issue with you rather than handing you a testing report and a phone number.

Manufacturing is the middle of our scope, not the end. After production we handle packaging, distribution, 3PL fulfillment, Amazon FBA prep, and channel sales development, and your project lead stays with you through first sale. Reorders, documentation requests, and regulatory paperwork go through that same person.

Your formula, specification, and testing data are already documented after the first run, so repeat batches skip development and move straight to scheduling and component lead times. Scaling up usually improves your per-unit cost, and larger volumes can open formats or facilities that weren't practical at launch quantities. There is no upper limit on what the network can produce.

Most contract manufacturers stop at the warehouse door — they make the product and leave distribution, fulfillment, and channel work for you to source separately. PMG covers the whole value chain under one accountable team, starts at 1,000 units on private label stock formulas so first-time inventors can actually begin, and builds Latin American compliance in from formulation rather than retrofitting it after a US launch.

It depends on the category. Dietary supplements and cosmetics are not pre-approved by the FDA, but they must be manufactured, labeled, and substantiated to FDA requirements, with MoCRA (Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act) obligations applying to cosmetics. OTC drugs must align with an applicable monograph or a separate approval pathway, and Latin American markets require registration with COFEPRIS, ANVISA, or INVIMA before sale. We scope which of these apply to your product before production, not after.

Yes, and they vary by market and category. Labeling language, ingredient restrictions, permitted claims, product registration, and import documentation all differ country to country, and an ingredient that is routine in the US can be restricted elsewhere. That is why we design for your target markets at formulation and handle customs documentation and registration pathways through our Miami gateway.

For non-supplement products: Custom formulations typically start at 5,000 units per SKU, because custom work carries formulation, testing, and raw material commitments that stock products do not. If that is above your launch budget, private label on a stock formula starts at 1,000 units, and a modified stock formula is often the middle path — real differentiation without a full custom minimum. For supplements, stock minimums: from 1,000 units, varies by format — see individual product pages. Custom formulations are quoted per project, typically starting at 2,500–5,000 units depending on format.