Bakery co-packers: how to find one and compare quotes

Types of bakery co-packers

• Commercial wholesale bakeries with spare capacity, making bread, buns, rolls or sweet goods. Often regional, with their own delivery routes.
• Frozen bakery manufacturers. Freeze finished, par-baked or raw dough products for shipping nationally on frozen freight.
• Specialty and small-batch bakeries. Smaller runs, hand finishing, decorated items, and more willingness to work on new formulas.
• Dedicated gluten-free or allergen-free bakeries. Run in facilities that exclude wheat or other allergens, which matters for claims.
• Tortilla and flatbread plants. Specialized lines; usually not a fit for cakes or sweet goods.
• Mix and dough suppliers. If you bake yourself but want to outsource mixing, some will make a private label mix or dough.

Fresh, frozen or shelf-stable

Decide this before you ask for quotes, because it changes which plants fit and what the quote covers:

• Fresh: short shelf life, regional distribution, frequent production. Delivery routes and returns policies are part of the deal.
• Frozen: longer distribution reach, but you pay for freezing, frozen storage and frozen freight. See cold storage and food 3PLs.
• Shelf-stable: packaged baked goods with a longer ambient shelf life, which usually depends on formula, water activity and packaging. Plan for shelf life testing.

Products with cream, custard or cheese fillings may need refrigeration, and baked goods containing meat or poultry above set thresholds fall under USDA inspection, so they need a USDA-inspected plant.

Allergens, sesame and claims

• Allergens. Wheat, milk, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts and sesame are all common in bakeries. Ask what runs on the same line, how changeovers are cleaned and verified, and what "may contain" statements you'd need.
• Sesame. Since sesame became a major allergen in 2023, some bakeries started adding sesame to products rather than separating it. FDA says intentionally adding and labeling sesame is legal but doesn't support the practice, and that a label can't list sesame that isn't actually in the formula. Ask any bakery whether it adds sesame to products that don't need it, if your customers avoid it.
• Gluten-free. A "gluten-free" food must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten under FDA rules. Ask whether the plant is dedicated gluten-free and how it tests.
• Other claims: organic, kosher, non-GMO, vegan, and any retailer audit requirement such as a GFSI scheme.

Sources: FDA: Food allergies (sesame) · 21 CFR 101.91 (gluten-free labeling)

What to send each bakery co-packer

• Product type and description: size, weight, shape, inclusions, toppings, fillings, finishing
• Fresh, frozen (finished, par-baked or raw) or shelf-stable
• Formula status: final by weight, or still in development, and who owns it
• Allergens in the formula and claims you need
• Packaging: bag, clamshell, tray, flow wrap, box; units per pack; case pack; and who supplies it
• Run size per SKU, number of SKUs, and expected reorder size and frequency
• Distribution: pickup, delivery routes, frozen freight, or shipping to a distributor
• Target first-run date

Minimums and how they're stated

Bakery minimums are stated many ways: units, dozens, pans, trays, mixer batches, pounds of dough, or a full shift. Ask each bakery for its minimum in finished packaged units per SKU, whether SKUs can share a run, and whether the minimum changes after the first run. See co-packer minimums for converting units.

What goes into a bakery co-packing quote

• Price per unit or per case, and what it includes: ingredients, packaging, labor, freezing
• One-time costs: product development, test bakes, plates or labels, line setup
• Ingredient and packaging sourcing: who buys, and who carries the inventory risk
• Freezing, storage and freight, if not included
• Payment terms, deposits, and how price changes when flour, butter or sugar markets move
• Shelf life the plant will support, and who pays for testing

Questions to ask a bakery co-packer

• Which line would my product run on, and what else runs on it?
• What's your minimum per SKU in finished units, and can SKUs share a run?
• How do you control allergens, and do you add sesame to any products?
• Do you freeze, and can you store and ship frozen?
• Who sources ingredients and packaging, and how are price changes handled?
• What audits and certifications does the plant hold?
• Can we do a test bake, and what does it cost?

How PostRequest helps

Tell us what you bake, how it's sold and your volumes once. Our agents shortlist bakery co-packers that fit your product and distribution, email each one your request from a PostRequest address, follow up once, and line up the replies: unit price, minimums, what's included, one-time costs and lead time. Bakeries see your product details, not your name or company, until you choose to connect. During early access, a person on our team reviews every comparison before it reaches you.