Copacking Nightmares Ep. 1

Hey Founders and Friends,

I believe in being an open book. Honesty is what leads to progress. It’s the foundation of a strong relationship.

This story was shared with me anonymously, and I think it’s important to share it publicly. We learn from these stories. We grow from experiences.

Here’s a copacking horror story about a beverage company called Red Boot Distillery.

The Story

Has a copacker ever seduced you? They sweet talk you and it sounds like heaven, so you're like sure, let's do business.

Well, that's what happened to me once. I didn't know any better and it was my first copacking experience.

Red Boot Distillery was their name and deceit was their game.

After going through multiple phases of R&D, we had our formulation set. We were ready to commercialize and go to a copacker. The search was exhausting but we settled on Red Boot Distillery (I think Red Boot Beverage is their name now).

Again, they made us believe they were the right partner. And honestly, we were tired of searching for copackers. Of all the companies we spoke to, RBD seemed like the right fit.

First, their communication was crap. It took us forever to get an ETA from them.

But having transitioned copackers a couple of times now, that appears to be how they operate. You won’t believe what the real issue was though…

They changed the entire formulation of our product without telling us, and they ran the entire lot of production! To make it worse, they substituted one of the ingredients for another because they didn’t have the inventory on hand.

Never once did they consult with us about this.

They just produced and did whatever the hell they wanted. We found out when the time came for shipping. Honestly, we were shook and needed product. So we felt we had no choice but to accept the product as is.

I can look back on it now and slightly laugh. We were able to survive, but I want others to know how shady RBD was.

Their communication sucked. They weren’t transparent at all. Their inventory was out of control. I’m sure they cut corners frequently because the cans they used leaked.

It was a horrible experience, and no founder should have to go through that. End.

My Thoughts

Thank you for your submission! This is so unfortunate and I couldn’t imagine the emotions that were felt in this scenario. I’ve never had a copacker change things without telling me first.

That is so unprofessional. Like, why would you do that?

It’s important to remember that my experience with a copacker is different than your experience with that same copacker. Even so, we can’t overlook the bad experiences, which many of us have had.

These experiences shape us.

- Josh, Your Copacker Curator

Submissions

One last thing, if you have any stories you’d like to share with me, please feel free to submit them here.

They will remain anonymous, and I believe it’s important for the CPG community to know. Thanks!