How do I choose a private label manufacturer in Europe?
Decide in seven steps: the product and route (ready-made or your own formula), the country and product group, proof that the company makes for other brands, the certificates your product needs, the minimum order and lead time, a sample, and the contract. Of the 443 manufacturers on NordSourced, 49 publish a minimum order and 51 a lead time.
In what order should I choose a private label manufacturer?
Work from the product outwards, because each step narrows the field before the next one costs you time. The route decides which manufacturers can help at all, the product group decides which certificates matter, and only a short list is worth a sample and a contract. The seven steps below follow that order.
- Product and route. Decide whether you want a product the manufacturer already makes, a product developed for you, or production to your own formula. The three routes differ in minimum order, time and who owns the formula.
- Product group, then country. Start from the manufacturers that make your kind of product (all five countries), then narrow by country if delivery, language or labour cost matters to you.
- Proof that it makes for other brands. Look for a sentence on its own website offering to make products under your brand, and find the company in its national register; how to check a manufacturer links the registers.
- Certificates your product needs. Some requirements come from law, such as good manufacturing practice for cosmetics; others are private certification schemes such as IFS or FSSC 22000. The table below sorts them by product group.
- Minimum order and lead time. Compare them only for the same route and in the same unit; see minimum order quantities.
- Sample. Ask which kind it is: a catalogue product, a development sample of your formula or a pilot batch from production equipment. Samples explains what each one proves.
- Contract. Put the specification, the approved sample, price, payment, delivery, confidentiality and formula ownership in writing; what the agreement should contain lists the clauses.
If your product rests on a formula or design you want kept secret, sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before you send it. A first enquiry does not need to contain it; see whether you need an NDA.
Ready-made product or your own formula: what does each route cost me?
The route decides three costs: how long you wait, which minimum order applies and who owns the formula. A product the manufacturer already makes needs no development. A product developed for you adds development, samples and testing. Production to your own formula adds trial runs on the manufacturer's equipment and the handover of your documents.
| Route | What you bring | What it costs you | Who owns the formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| A product the manufacturer already makes, under your brand (white label) | Your brand, label and artwork | The manufacturer's minimum for that product; other brands may sell the same product unless the agreement says otherwise | The manufacturer |
| A product developed for you (private label) | A brief: what the product should contain or do | Development charges and sample rounds; for a cosmetic, stability testing and a safety assessment before sale | Whoever the agreement names |
| Production to your own formula (contract manufacturing) | Your formula or specification | Trial runs on the manufacturer's equipment and any changes they need; an NDA before you send the formula | You, if the agreement keeps it yours |
Time is one cost you can see in manufacturers' own figures. Cosmetic Lab, based in Latvia, writes that "a full OEM project typically takes 12–20 weeks from brief to dispatch", and that "brands working from our existing formula library can expect a 4–6 week lead time". How long private label takes sets out more published figures.
What does my product decide for me?
Your product group decides which rules and certificates apply. Cosmetics carry legal duties for the brand itself: under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Article 4(6), "the distributor shall be the responsible person where he places a cosmetic product on the market under his name or trade mark". For food and household products, ask first about the manufacturer's certification scheme.
| Product group | What applies | Ask the manufacturer for | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetics | Good manufacturing practice (Article 8), a safety assessment before sale (Article 10) and a notification in the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal, CPNP (Article 13) | The good manufacturing practice it works to, and who prepares the safety report and the product information file | Selling cosmetics in the EU |
| Food supplements | Food safety certification schemes such as IFS Food, FSSC 22000 or BRCGS Food Safety, where the site holds one | The certificate, its scope and the site it covers | Launching a food supplement |
| Food and beverages | IFS Food audits are annual and at least every third one is unannounced; FSSC 22000 is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative | Which scheme, which site, and the date of the last audit | Food labelling |
| Household and cleaning | IFS HPC covers household and personal care products, including retailer private label | Whether the site holds IFS HPC or another scheme | Cleaning product rules |
| Furniture and interior | No certification scheme covered on this page; the product rules come first | The EU rules it applies to your product | Furniture rules |
| Home textiles | No certification scheme covered on this page; the label rules come first | What the label must state, and who prepares it | Textile labelling |
A certificate covers the manufacturer's site and system. It does not take over the duties the Cosmetics Regulation gives the brand that sells a product under its own name.
Which criteria should I compare, and where do I check each one?
Compare facts you can check, not how a website reads. The table lists nine criteria, what to look for in each and where the evidence is. The company check comes first: the European e-Justice Portal notes that "as of June 2017 the business registers of all EU countries have been interconnected and become searchable."
| Criterion | What to check | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Registered company | Name, registration number and address match the company that will sign | The national register; how to check a manufacturer links all five |
| Makes for other brands | A sentence on its own website offering to make products under your brand | The manufacturer's website, quoted on its NordSourced profile |
| Production site | Where your product is made, and which steps a partner does | A written answer from the manufacturer |
| Certificate | Holder, scope, site and expiry on the document itself, not a logo | The scheme's register, such as the FSSC Public Register or the IFS Database; see certificates |
| Social audit | Whether a SMETA audit (Sedex's social audit format) exists, and which pillars it covered | The audit report, from the manufacturer |
| Minimum order | The quantity, its unit and the service it applies to | The website or quotation; see minimum order quantities |
| Lead time | What starts the clock and what ends it | The quotation; see how long it takes |
| Sample | Which kind of sample it is, and what it costs | The quotation; see samples |
| Contract | Specification, price, payment, delivery, confidentiality, formula ownership | What the agreement should contain |
How many manufacturers publish a minimum order, a lead time and a certificate?
49 of the 443 manufacturers listed on NordSourced publish a minimum order on their own website, 51 publish a lead time and 206 name a certificate (data of 2026-10-14). A missing figure means the website does not state it, not that the manufacturer has none, so ask.
| Product group | Manufacturers listed | Publish a minimum order | Publish a lead time | Name a certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetics | 75 | 16 (21%) | 9 (12%) | 39 (52%) |
| Food supplements | 68 | 19 (28%) | 19 (28%) | 52 (76%) |
| Furniture & interior | 99 | 7 (7%) | 9 (9%) | 36 (36%) |
| Food & beverages | 130 | 5 (4%) | 5 (4%) | 66 (51%) |
| Home textiles | 29 | 3 (10%) | 6 (21%) | 6 (21%) |
| Household & cleaning | 39 | 2 (5%) | 1 (3%) | 19 (49%) |
| All groups | 443 | 49 (11%) | 51 (12%) | 206 (47%) |
Supplement manufacturers publish a minimum order most often: 19 of 68. A certificate named on a website is a claim until you read the document. For 23 manufacturers, NordSourced opened a certificate document and found it still valid.
Which manufacturers publish both a minimum order and a lead time?
27 manufacturers listed on NordSourced publish both on their own websites. They are below in alphabetical order, with each figure as the manufacturer states it; the order is not a ranking. A figure belongs to one service and one unit, so read the profile before you compare two of them.
| Manufacturer | Country | Product groups | Published minimum order | Published lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allreasons | Latvia | Food & beverages | 100 units | 3–5 weeks |
| Amber Linen | Lithuania | Apparel | 5 pieces | 2–6 weeks |
| Aukmergės baldai | Lithuania | Furniture & interior | 20 pieces | 6–8 weeks |
| Bars Production | Sweden | Food supplements, Food & beverages | 10,000 bars (yearly minimum ≈100,000) | 12 weeks |
| BF-ESSE | Latvia | Food supplements | 90,000 capsules | 14 days to test run; 2-8 weeks to production |
| BioCC | Estonia | Food supplements | 30,000 capsules | 4-6 weeks |
| Cosmetic Lab | Latvia | Cosmetics | 500 units | 12-20 weeks for a full custom OEM project; 4-6 weeks from existing formulas |
| ERA Scientifico | Latvia | Food supplements | 500 bottles (ready-made/white label) | 6-8 weeks (ready-made); 8-9 weeks (custom formulations); 5-8 weeks (reorders) |
| Futures Nutrition | Lithuania | Food supplements | 1,000 units (starter batch) | 3-4 weeks (standard/repeat orders); 6-8 weeks (custom formulations) |
| Gauya Furniture | Latvia | Furniture & interior | 10,000 EUR | 8-12 weeks from approved technical drawings |
| HYPERPHARM (Client) | Estonia | Food supplements | 100 units (ready-made formula) | from 2 weeks |
| Jonnex-Farma | Latvia | Food supplements, Cosmetics | 60,000 capsules (other forms differ) | 60 days to 9 months |
| Kemvit | Finland | Household & cleaning | 1,000 litres (or 1000 kg) | 2-10 weeks |
| Lami Super Booster | Estonia | Cosmetics | 100 kg | 2-4 months |
| Make My Products | Sweden | Furniture & interior | 100 pieces | about 10 weeks |
| Merywood | Estonia | Cosmetics, Food supplements, Pet | 2,500 units (White Label) | 4-6 weeks |
| Miss Lolita lingerie | Latvia | Apparel | 100 units | 4-6 weeks |
| MUSHEEZ | Estonia | Food supplements | 48 bottles (100ml liquid extracts) | 2–8 weeks |
| Noviatic | Lithuania | Food supplements | 1,000 units (pilot batch) | ~2.5 months (private label, existing formula); ~2.5-3 months (contract manufacturing, existing formula) |
| Pharma Manufacture (Client) | Latvia | Food supplements | 150 units (ready-made formula) | from 4 weeks |
| Propack Powder and Formula | Lithuania | Food supplements | 1,000 packages (or 300 kg raw material) | 2 weeks average (order confirmation to launch); can extend to 4-6 weeks |
| PURUS.PET | Latvia | Pet | 100 units | 4 weeks |
| Skarvin | Estonia | Furniture & interior | 10 sets | 10-15 working days (sample batch) + 25-40 working days (main batch), depending on batch size and finish |
| Swedish Nutra | Sweden | Food supplements, Cosmetics | 1,200 bottles | 2 weeks |
| The Room Studio (Client) | Latvia | Furniture & interior | 1 piece | from 1 week |
And 2 more in the directory.
Questions and answers
What should I decide before I contact any manufacturer?
Decide the product and the route. Say whether you want a product the manufacturer already makes under your brand, a product developed for you, or production to your own formula. The route changes the minimum order, the time to the first batch and who owns the formula, so manufacturers can only quote correctly once they know it.
Which private label manufacturers in Europe publish their minimum order?
On NordSourced, 49 of the 443 manufacturers listed in Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia state a minimum order on their own website, each with a quote and a link (data of 2026-10-14). Each figure belongs to one service and one unit, so compare it only with a figure for the same route. The ranked lists are on the Northern Europe page.
How many cosmetics manufacturers in the Baltics and Nordics name a certificate?
39 of the 75 cosmetics manufacturers NordSourced lists name a certificate on their website (data of 2026-10-14); for 6, NordSourced opened a certificate document and found it still valid. The EU Cosmetics Regulation requires good manufacturing practice in Article 8, so ask which standard the manufacturer works to and read the document itself.
Which supplement manufacturers in Northern Europe publish a lead time?
19 of the 68 food supplement manufacturers listed on NordSourced publish one on their own website, for example Bars Production (12 weeks), BF-ESSE (14 days to test run; 2-8 weeks to production), BioCC (4-6 weeks). Each starts its clock at a different point, such as the order or the approved artwork, so ask what starts it before you compare.
Am I legally responsible for a cosmetic another company makes for my brand?
If it is sold under your name or trade mark, yes. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 makes a distributor that places a cosmetic on the market under its own name or trade mark the responsible person (Article 4(6)). That role carries the safety assessment before sale (Article 10) and the notification to the Commission (Article 13). See is my brand the manufacturer.
Is a certificate logo on a manufacturer's website enough proof?
No. Read the certificate document and check the holder, the scope, the site and the expiry date, then look the company up in the scheme's own register. The FSSC Public Register "lists all current FSSC Certified Organizations", and IFS shows assessed companies in its IFS Database. A logo does not tell you which company, site or product it covers.
Should I choose a manufacturer in the Baltics or in the Nordics?
Choose by product group first, then compare countries. Labour costs differ widely: an hour of manufacturing labour cost EUR 14.9 in Latvia, EUR 16.4 in Lithuania and EUR 19.5 in Estonia in 2025, against EUR 43.6 in Finland and EUR 47.2 in Sweden (Eurostat). Unit prices also depend on materials and batch size; see Baltics or Nordics.
How many private label manufacturers does NordSourced list in each country?
104 in Sweden, 104 in Finland, 82 in Latvia, 87 in Lithuania and 66 in Estonia: 443 in all (data of 2026-10-14). Each is listed because its own website says it makes products for other brands. Companies that offer the service without saying so online are not counted, so these are not counts of every manufacturer in each country.
What does IFS HPC cover?
IFS HPC is the IFS standard for household and personal care products. IFS says it assesses "the safety and quality management system and production processes", and that it applies to retailer private label products, manufacturers' brands and non-branded products. Version 3 is the current one on the IFS page. Ask a cleaning or household product manufacturer whether its site holds it.
Are food factory audits announced in advance?
Not always. Under IFS Food, audits are annual and at least every third audit must be unannounced; a site that passes an unannounced audit earns IFS's Star Status. IFS describes the standard as one that "reviews the products and production processes to evaluate a food producer's ability to produce safe" products. Ask when the last audit was and whether it was unannounced.
What is a SMETA audit, and who carries it out?
SMETA is a social audit format created and stewarded by Sedex. Every SMETA audit covers labour standards and health and safety; the 4-pillar version adds environment and business ethics. Sedex writes that "Sedex does not carry out SMETA audits directly": approved audit companies do, and the findings come with a corrective action plan that can be shared with several buyers.
When should the NDA come in this process?
Before you send anything you want kept secret, such as a formula or technical drawings, which need not be the first enquiry. The EU IP Helpdesk writes that "it is best practice to conclude an NDA before engaging in negotiations for license agreements, R&D projects" or when you show new ideas to potential partners. See whether you need an NDA.
Where to go next
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Articles 4, 8, 10 and 13, European Parliament and Council, hosted by the European Commission (DG SANTE). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Business registers: search for a company in the EU, European e-Justice Portal, European Commission. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- FSSC Public Register, Foundation FSSC. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- FSSC 22000 scheme, Foundation FSSC. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- IFS Food standard, IFS Management GmbH. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- IFS HPC standard, IFS Management GmbH. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- BRCGS standards, BRCGS. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- SMETA audit, Sedex. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Non-Disclosure Agreement: a Business Tool (fact sheet, updated April 2021), European IP Helpdesk (EISMEA). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Eurostat, Labour cost levels by NACE Rev. 2 activity (lc_lci_lev), manufacturing, 2025, Eurostat. Checked 12 Oct 2026.
Directory figures are counted from the manufacturers listed on NordSourced, each listed because its own website says it makes products for other brands; see how we check. This page is general information, not legal advice. Found a mistake? Tell us.