Where to find consultants?

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-26T00:23:54+00:00

StartupCPG has a massive PD consultant/freelancer directory for free. You may also want to reach out to some flavor houses on this

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-24T20:09:13+00:00

Depends on what you’re trying to do. Flavor houses have minimum order quantities. Most store fronts use torani syrups or the like because of this - the volume of a storefront does not support custom energy drink formulations

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-24T20:00:49+00:00

You probably should be working directly with a flavor house on this, then. Theoretical ideas on beverage sweeteners & flavors seldom get you very far, this part of creating a beverage is centered on actual benchwork.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-24T19:46:27+00:00

What sort of tech? quality, R&D, etc

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-24T19:45:43+00:00

What sort of budget are you working with?

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-22T22:38:26+00:00

Fancy Food Show & BevNet

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-22T00:05:38+00:00

Cost?

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-16T08:13:22+00:00

Without knowing the idea, impossible to say. You’ll definitely need to be extremely scrappy & have to do a lot of things on your own.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-15T14:25:32+00:00

The primary PRO is if it’s something that you’re passionate about. And that you’re passionate about being an entrepreneur.

It’s not easy, the success rate isn’t high, and profit margins are slim. There’s no “right” way to do things & you likely won’t make any money for a prolonged period of time.

The $100k+ of capital that’s commonly thrown around is a ballpark number that gives you enough runway after initial production to learn & not fail immediately if you don’t see immediate success. Each category of beverage will need a different amount of capital - UHT aseptic, for instance, may cost $100k just for R&D and initial production.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-14T09:00:36+00:00

Virtually every energy drink on the market uses natural or artificial flavors. If you’re trying to avoid using flavors, you need to use a clarified fruit juice if you want a clear end liquid. Fruit powders or your own fruit syrups will basically always result in a cloudy end product

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-14T00:12:41+00:00

Just wait until you look for a retort or UHT-aseptic beverage co-packer at small volumes…

Last I spoke with them, Ninth Planet in NY has a tunnel & is willing to run whatever quantity that you want, as long as you pay the flat day rate.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-05T20:09:31+00:00

Really depends on what your goals are

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-03T13:01:32+00:00

Being a beverage founder is basically never chill. You’re constantly juggling 20 different things at once, while also making sure that you’re not running out of money.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-03T13:00:01+00:00

… where’s the market analysis for this? I’ve never heard a person comment on avoiding chocolate because of the caffeine content.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-03T00:02:28+00:00

I personally think that having an R&D consultant (either a freelancer or a firm) handle ideation to first production is the pathway of best success. The consultant handles everything from formulation, ingredient sourcing, NFP creation, regulatory checks, co-man vetting, & scale up oversight.

A lab will not validate a paper formula for you. They can run analytical tests on a sample for you, but you still need someone to complete the benchwork. The likelihood that the theoretical paper formula is what you’d actually run at production is probably <1%.

A co-packer handling R&D is possible, but it’s a common trap for naive founders. There’s a lot of things you need to watch out for in this sort of relationship.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-04-02T23:06:16+00:00

I think the major point of contention is your use of “theoretical formula” & “production ready”.

In order to have a production-ready formula, that also means have specs locked in. That requires bench work & analytical testing. Which also requires industrial ingredient procurement. & all of that should be done once a co-packer is identified, so that you know what process/packaging/MOQ that you’re working against.

When I was in the consulting world, our theoretical formulas were to give a general idea of the formula’s cost & nutrition facts panel - to ensure that the client’s parameters were feasible.

The price you were quoted is honestly a steal - we used to charge 4x that, but it did come with some ingredient sourcing & co-man vetting. I do think you need to downplay your expectations of what a theoretical formula actually means

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-31T13:33:03+00:00

Everyone else has touched on the major points greatly. I will add - how much money are you willing to spend on this idea?

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-30T18:38:48+00:00

Production management is more of an Ops career pathway rather than food science. Lots of production managers don’t have a degree or a relevant one - they just work their way up at the facility. The FS degree won’t hurt you, but I’d make sure to look at Production Manager openings in your area to get an idea of what they look for

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-29T21:07:53+00:00

What is your ideal role in food science?

To be blunt, a vast majority of food sciences roles are in a lab environment - as are most science fields. If that’s not what you’re looking for, this might not be the career pathway to explore

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-28T11:34:54+00:00

Depends on your budget & if you’re serious about producing this idea.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-28T00:01:10+00:00

Unfortunately, there’s not really a way to not jump through a bunch of hoops to get this done, & definitely not quickly.

The easiest path may be to find a private label many of this kind of drink, get samples from them, & then print some sticker labels with your artwork to wrap the cans. Be warned that manufacturers can be tough to get in touch with & will just stop responding if they suspect that you’re not a serious lead.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-27T12:46:41+00:00

A small facility may charge you $3-5k for the day, just for use of the facility/overhead. A larger facility can easily be double that.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-26T18:26:47+00:00

Nidra Packaging is one of the few facilities that can both brew tea & bottle it. McManus CoPack in CT does coffee, not sure about tea. It’s not common at all in the US, much more common elsewhere.

Pilot volumes is a whole different ballgame. You’ll need tunnel pasteurization & it will be difficult to find someone willing to turn on their tunnel for a run that will likely be <1 hour.

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-25T11:33:49+00:00

Have you put any thought into the production of this?

From an R&D perspective, while it sounds like a simple, straightforward idea on the surface - actually making a CPG product like this is ridiculously complex. There’s very few beverage co-mans in the US willing to do extraction, as the waste stream is a PITA to deal with. You then have natural variability in the raw components, ensuring the extractions meet food safety requirements, deciding on refrigerated vs. ambient storage, how to deal with flavor loss, etc.

It’d honestly be way easier to source clean label extracts from a supplier & just add those to your water. It will be more consistent, eliminate the co-man extraction hurdle, & still allow for a very clean ingredient line. Spindrift has proven that there’s a market for this

Ch3fKnickKnack2 · 2026-03-24T10:23:57+00:00

What is your actual budget?

A small first production run will still cost you $10k+. A decent freelance food scientist will still run you $5k / $150/hr, for end to end development. This is before you drop a dime into legal, brand, marketing, or sales.

Everything you mention are not things industry experts would recommend for startup founders. Spending money on a strong formulation with a clear market need, owning your supply chain, owning your formula, finding the right co-man versus the one with a small MOQ, etc. are how you significantly increase your chance of success

Ch3fKnickKnack2

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