The first question most founders ask a co-packer is the minimum order, and it is the one question almost no website answers. Of the 145 certified organic co-packers whose websites we have read so far, 14 mention a minimum order at all. We went back to all 14 sites on October 3, 2026, to see what they say today:
- five publish a starting production quantity, in a number (one of them for trial runs);
- one publishes a minimum shipment;
- one publishes a minimum for buying its own products in bulk, not for a production run;
- one says it has no minimum orders;
- three say only that their minimums are low;
- and for the remaining three we could not confirm a minimum. High Quality Organics shows "For 10 Pallets or more" without saying what it applies to, and its private label page mentions minimum order volumes without a number. ZoRoCo Packaging mentions MOQs without giving one. Assured Edge Solutions turned our reader away.
The five production quantities are below, in the companies' own words, along with how to turn each one into the thing you actually care about: how many finished units you would be paying for.
The published minimums
| Co-packer | What they make | Published minimum, in their words |
|---|---|---|
| HBNO, California | Essential and carrier oils, private label | "For essential oils and carrier oils, we typically start at 100 units per SKU" (private label) |
| Element Bars, Illinois | Nutrition bars | "Initial production trials starting at only 1,000 bars" (trial runs) |
| Monterey Wine Company, California | Wine | "We have a minimum 800 Case Production." |
| Brooks Bottling Company, New York | Sauces, dressings, condiments | "1800 gallons per sku" |
| Hybrid Confections, Colorado | Gummies and chocolates | "200,000 pieces per production run" |
Three more publish something different. Berglund Natural Foods in California, which packs grains and flour, including under private label, writes: "Minimum shipment is 2,000 lb." That is a minimum shipment, not a production run. Morning Myst Botanics in Washington writes: "For Hydrosols, the minimum order is one gallon and for infused oils it is one quart." That sits next to quantity discounts on its products, so read it as the minimum to buy its hydrosols and oils, not as a production run. And Gateway Food Products Company in Illinois, which makes oils, shortenings, and syrups, writes that it has "catered to companies of all sizes with no minimum orders."
Look at the units in that table: units, bars, cases, gallons, and pieces. Five companies, five different units, which is why a published number is only useful once you convert it.
How to turn a minimum into finished units
Every minimum converts the same way: find out what one unit of their measure holds, then divide by the size of your package.
Gallons. Brooks Bottling did the math on its own site: 1,800 gallons per SKU is "1200 cases of 16 ounce (packed 12) or 1600 cases of 12 ounce (packed 12)". That is 14,400 bottles of 16 ounces, or 19,200 bottles of 12 ounces, of one flavor. A gallon is 128 fluid ounces, so you can check it: 1,800 times 128 is 230,400 ounces, and 230,400 divided by 16 is 14,400.
Pounds. Berglund's minimum is a shipment of 2,000 pounds, not a production run, and the same page lists the package sizes: 2,000 lb totes, 50 and 25 lb bags, and private label sizes including 30, 15, 10, and 3 lb.
Example2,000 pounds packed in 10 pound bags is 200 bags. In 3 pound bags it is about 667 bags.
Cases. A case count only means something once you know what is in a case. Monterey Wine Company's bottling line handles "187 ml to 1.5 liter size containers," so ask how many bottles a case holds for your size.
Exampleif each case holds 12 bottles, 800 cases is 9,600 bottles.
Pieces, bars, and units. These are already counts of finished items, so divide by what goes in one retail package, or ask exactly what a "unit" is.
Example200,000 gummies sold 60 to a bottle is about 3,333 bottles. A trial run of 1,000 bars sold in boxes of 12 is about 83 boxes.
What the numbers tell you
The range is enormous. A private label run that typically starts at 100 units of an essential oil and a run of 200,000 gummies are both real, published starting points from certified organic facilities. If a quote feels impossibly high, it may simply be the wrong kind of plant for your stage, not a sign that every plant is out of reach.
A minimum is often a starting point, not the whole answer. HBNO writes that its MOQs "vary by product category" and gives 100 units per SKU as the typical start for oils. Element Bars starts trial runs at 1,000 bars and says it can grow "to over 1,000,000 bars". Ask what a first or trial run looks like, not only what the standard minimum is.
"Low minimums" is not a number. Three co-packers say their minimums are low without giving one. North West Pharmanaturals writes that it offers "low MOQs and scalable solutions tailored to your needs." Nutragem writes that its "reasonable MOQs are designed to look out for you." That may be exactly right for you, but you will only know by asking for the number in your format and package.
Most co-packers don't publish a minimum. On 131 of the 145 websites we have read, we found no minimum at all, and only 5 publish a starting production or trial quantity as a number. Expect to ask, which is why the first message you send matters.
What to do with this
- Write your own number first. Decide your first run in finished units per flavor, then convert each quote you get into the same units. The cost calculator turns a quote into a landed cost per unit.
- Ask for the minimum in your units. "What is your minimum per SKU in 16 ounce bottles?" gets a better answer than "What is your MOQ?"
- Ask about a trial run. Element Bars, for one, offers them, and a smaller first run lets you test the product and the relationship.
- Read the whole picture. Our guide to co-packer minimums covers setup fees, packaging minimums, and how to start small.
Published minimums change, and every one above is quoted as it appeared on October 3, 2026. Confirm the current number with the co-packer before you plan around it. If you would rather we ask for you, send a free match request with your first run size, and we will suggest certified co-packers that fit.
Sources
- Morning Myst Botanics, homepage, read October 3, 2026.
- HBNO private label, read October 3, 2026.
- Element Bars wholesale, read October 3, 2026.
- Berglund Natural Foods services, read October 3, 2026.
- Monterey Wine Company services, read October 3, 2026.
- Brooks Bottling Company, homepage, read October 3, 2026.
- Hybrid Confections, homepage, read October 3, 2026.
- Gateway Food Products Company, homepage, read October 3, 2026.
- North West Pharmanaturals, homepage, read October 3, 2026.
- Nutragem manufacturing, read October 3, 2026.
- Also counted above: Heiden's ("Low Minimum"), ZoRoCo Packaging ("95% MOQ Execution Guaranteed"), High Quality Organics ("For 10 Pallets or more"), and Assured Edge Solutions (the site did not let our reader in), all on October 3, 2026.
- CoPacker Index directory counts (949 listings, 145 reviewed, 14 that mention a minimum), taken October 3, 2026.