Service 05 · Brand development & private label
Brand development, private label and co-manufacturing.
We help retailers, distributors and founders develop food and beverage products, from concept and specification to a qualified co-manufacturer, compliant packaging and a first production run, together with Functional Brands Group's strategy team.
What is brand development and private label?
There are two routes. In private label, a retailer or distributor sells a product under its own brand, made by a manufacturer that meets its specification. In brand development, a founder or company builds a new brand and product from the start. Both depend on the same supply-side work: the right recipe, the right manufacturer, compliant packaging and a cost that works at the shelf.
Union Trade runs that supply side. Functional Brands Group works on brand strategy, positioning and marketing. On these projects the two teams work together, so the brand plan and the manufacturing plan are built at the same time.
Who is private label and brand development for?
- Retailers and distributors building or extending a private-label range.
- Importers creating their own brand for specialty or world-food channels.
- Founders and companies launching a new food or beverage product.
- Brands adapting an existing product for the US, UK or EU.
What private label and brand development cover
- Concept and range brief. Category, target retailer, price position, claims and pack formats, agreed before any samples are made.
- Formulation and specification. We work with food technologists and manufacturers on the recipe and write the product specification. Ingredients come through our ingredient sourcing work where needed.
- Co-manufacturer search and qualification. Capability, certifications, minimum runs, capacity, audit status and commercial terms of co-packers and private-label manufacturers in the US, UK and EU.
- Packaging and label compliance. US labels follow FDA rules on the Nutrition Facts panel, allergens and claims. UK and EU labels follow their own food information rules, and nutrition and health claims are generally limited to the wording on the separate GB and EU registers of permitted claims. We have artwork reviewed by regulatory consultants before print.
- Costing. A costed bill of materials and the price structure through the channel to the shelf.
- Trademark coordination. We coordinate trademark searches and filings with your IP counsel in each market before the name goes on pack.
- Production and launch. Samples, pilot run, first production order and shipment, then distribution and retail listings.
The Functional Brands Group team has developed a breakfast range for contract manufacture, produced UK labels and US Nutrition Facts labels for the same products, and redesigned a snack producer's packaging for export.
What you get from private label and brand development
- Product and range brief
- Product specifications
- Co-manufacturer shortlist with certification and audit status
- Costed bill of materials and price structure
- Label and claims review notes for each market
- Packaging specification and artwork brief
- Production timeline and launch plan
How does a private label project run?
- Brief. We agree the product, the market and the target retailer or channel.
- Develop. Recipe, specification and first samples.
- Source. The co-manufacturer and ingredient suppliers are qualified.
- Pack. Packaging and labels are designed and checked for each market.
- Produce. Pilot run, first production order and shipment.
- Sell. The product moves into distribution and retail listings.
FAQ
What is the difference between private label and co-manufacturing?
Private label is a commercial model: a retailer or distributor sells a product under its own brand. Co-manufacturing, or co-packing, is how the product is made: a third-party factory produces it to someone else's recipe and specification. Private-label ranges are usually co-manufactured, and so are many branded products. We find and qualify the manufacturer in both cases.
Can you find a co-packer in the US, UK or EU?
Yes. We search for co-manufacturers that match your product type, process, certifications and run sizes, then check their capability, audit status and commercial terms before you visit or sample. Where it makes sense, we compare making the product in the destination market with making it at origin and shipping it, on landed cost and lead time.
Can one label work in the US, the UK and the EU?
Usually not. The US Nutrition Facts panel and the UK and EU nutrition declarations use different formats, allergens are presented differently, and claims rules differ. UK and EU labels also need the name and address of a food business based in that market, often the importer. Many brands keep one pack design and change the regulated panels for each market. We plan that from the start, so artwork and print runs are not repeated later.
How does Functional Brands Group fit into these projects?
Functional Brands Group, based in London, covers brand strategy, positioning, design direction and marketing. Union Trade covers specification, sourcing, manufacturing, compliance coordination and getting the product to buyers. Clients get one plan and one team, with the strategy and supply sides working from the same brief from the first meeting.