How to find a beverage co-packer, from 293 listed plants

This is for founders with a non-alcoholic drink who want a plant to make it: a juice, a cold brew, a tea, a kombucha, a plant milk. The short answer: first work out which FDA rules your drink falls under, because juice, shelf-stable low-acid drinks, and everything else go to different kinds of plants. Then match the plant to your package and fill method, and send each one the same brief. Our directory lists 293 co-packers under beverages, in 39 states, as of October 27, 2026. This guide shows what they publish about their lines and minimums, and what to ask them. Beer, wine, and spirits have their own rules and are not covered here.

Step 1: find out which rules your drink falls under

Three questions sort most drinks.

Does it contain juice? The FDA's juice rule says "Any juice sold as such or used as an ingredient in beverages shall be processed in accordance with the requirements of this part." Juice there means "the aqueous liquid expressed or extracted from one or more fruits or vegetables, purees of the edible portions of one or more fruits or vegetables, or any concentrates of such liquid or puree." The rule is built on a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, and the plan's controls must reach "at a minimum, a 5 log (i.e., 10^5) reduction" in the most resistant microorganism of public health significance likely to occur in the juice. Two kinds of processors are exempt from that reduction step: those already under the low-acid canned food or acidified food rules (parts 113 or 114), and those using "a single thermal processing step sufficient to achieve shelf-stability." Both stay under the juice rule, including its written hazard analysis; the exemption only removes the 5 log step. So a cold-pressed juice and a shelf-stable juice in a can face different steps, and you want a plant that already has a juice HACCP plan for drinks like yours.

Is it low acid and shelf stable in a sealed container? The FDA defines low-acid foods as "any foods, other than alcoholic beverages, with a finished equilibrium pH greater than 4.6 and a water activity (a w ) greater than 0.85." A plant that heat processes low-acid foods in hermetically sealed containers registers on Form FDA 2541 "not later than 10 days after first so engaging", and files a scheduled process for each product "prior to the packing of a new product." Ask early whether your drink's pH puts it here, and whether the plant is registered for this kind of work.

Is it carbonated? The acidified foods rule excludes "Carbonated beverages" by name. That does not mean no rules apply; it means the acidified foods rule does not cover that drink, so ask the plant which rules do.

Your pH, water activity, and process decide the last two answers, so get a lab test and, for anything shelf stable, a process authority's opinion before you choose a plant. Confirm with your regulator when the answer depends on your recipe.

Step 2: match the plant to your package and process

Of the 293 beverage listings, 142 have been read from the company's own website. Among those 142, the number whose processes or services name each method:

Read it as a floor. Most plant websites leave processes out, so a plant missing from a row may still do it. The rows with the smallest numbers are the ones to plan around: if you need carbonation, a retort, or an aseptic line, expect a short list and possibly a long drive. The Fit Check shows which listings name the product and process you enter.

Step 3: know the minimums before you call

Only 7 of the 293 beverage listings mention a minimum order on their own website. Here is each one, in the company's words, as recorded in our directory:

Two of these seven are in gallons, so convert to finished units before you compare.

ExampleLDB's 1,000 gallon pre-production batch is 128,000 fluid ounces (1,000 x 128). In 12 ounce cans that is about 10,667 cans, or about 444 cases of 24, before any loss on the line.

Our post on real co-packer minimums converts more published minimums, and the cost calculator turns a quote into a cost per can or bottle.

Step 4: look where the plants are

A plant close to you is easier to visit before you sign and during your first run. The states with the most beverage listings:

Of the 293, 264 are USDA organic certified and 29 are not. For one drink at a time, our product pages list the certified co-packers whose records name it: juice (180), plant milks (63), smoothies (44), cold brew (32), sparkling water (17), and kombucha (14).

Step 5: send the same brief, then ask these questions

Send every plant the same brief: what the drink is, its pH if you know it, the container and size, how it is meant to be stored (refrigerated or shelf stable), and the size of your first run. Our request for quote template has the fields.

Then, on the first call:

1. Have you made drinks like mine before, at the pH and storage I need?
2. If it contains juice, do you have a juice HACCP plan, and how do you reach the 5 log reduction?
3. If it is low acid and shelf stable, are you registered for that work, and who sets the scheduled process?
4. Which containers, sizes, and fill methods run on your line today?
5. What is your minimum per run, per SKU, in finished cans or bottles?
6. Who buys the ingredients, cans or bottles, and labels, and where are they stored between runs?

More questions, by stage, are in our guide to questions to ask a co-packer.

What to do next

If you would rather not email a dozen plants, get matched free: tell us what your drink is and how it is packed, and we ask the co-packers that fit. We never share your recipe.

Sources

• 21 CFR 120.1, Applicability (juice HACCP), eCFR, read October 26, 2026.
• 21 CFR 120.24, Process controls, eCFR, read October 26, 2026.
• 21 CFR 113.3, Definitions (low-acid foods), eCFR, read October 26, 2026.
• 21 CFR 108.35, Thermal processing of low-acid foods packaged in hermetically sealed containers, eCFR, read October 26, 2026.
• 21 CFR 114.3, Definitions (acidified foods), eCFR, read October 26, 2026.
• CoPacker Index directory: counts for the beverages category, its state pages and product pages, and the processes and minimums recorded from each company's own website, from blog_numbers.py, run October 27, 2026.