What is a co-packer, and how is it different from a private label manufacturer?
A co-packer, or contract packager, is a contract manufacturer that performs packaging operations for its customer. A private label manufacturer makes the product itself, sold under your brand. In toll manufacturing you own the materials and pay for the processing. 21 manufacturers on NordSourced say they pack or fill for other companies.
What is a co-packer?
A company that packs another company's product. Wikipedia, a tertiary source, puts it in one line: "A contract manufacturer performing packaging operations is called copacker", and lists contract packager as the same thing. NordSourced found no trade association or standards body that defines the term.
The term is narrower than contract manufacturing, which Wikipedia describes as a company that "produces goods under contract for an outsourcing company". Many co-packers make products too: of the 21 manufacturers on NordSourced that say they pack or fill for other companies, 20 also name contract manufacturing or private label among their services.
How is a co-packer different from a contract, toll or private label manufacturer?
By who owns the materials and how much of the work the manufacturer does. A co-packer packs; a contract manufacturer buys the inputs and sells you finished goods; a toll manufacturer processes materials you own, for a fee; a private label manufacturer makes products sold under your brand. The table sets out each, with the source of its definition.
| Model | What the manufacturer does | Who owns the materials and the goods | Definition from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Co-packer (contract packager) | Packaging operations, as a contract manufacturer | The definition does not say; agree it in the contract | Wikipedia (tertiary) |
| Contract manufacturer | Produces goods under contract for an outsourcing company | The contractor acquires the material inputs; the principal acquires finished goods | Wikipedia (tertiary); IMF |
| Toll manufacturer (tolling, toll conversion, custom manufacturing) | Processes the customer's materials as a service | The customer keeps ownership of the raw materials and unfinished products | IMF paper for the UN Statistics Division |
| Private label manufacturer | Makes products sold under another company's brand | As the contract says | PLMA |
The cost of a co-packer: you need the product itself from elsewhere, made by you or by another manufacturer. The cost of contract manufacturing: the materials sit in the manufacturer's price. The cost of tolling: you buy and deliver the materials and pay for the processing. The cost of private label: development and ownership terms you settle in the agreement.
Who owns the materials and the finished goods?
It depends on the arrangement, and statisticians draw the line clearly. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) describes the outsourcing brand as a principal that "controls production of a good by undertaking entrepreneurial steps" and outsources most of the material transformation. In that arrangement the "contractor acquires material inputs; principal acquires finished goods".
Toll manufacturing turns the materials round. An IMF paper for the UN's national accounts experts says: "Ownership of the raw materials and unfinished products remains with the customer for the processing service". It lists the other names: toll processing, tolling, toll conversion and custom manufacturing.
For a brand this decides who buys the materials and what the invoice is for: finished goods, or a processing service. Write it in the contract, with who insures the materials while they are at the plant.
Which manufacturers in the directory say they pack or fill for other companies?
21 of the 443 manufacturers listed on NordSourced say on their own website that they pack, fill or co-pack products for other companies; the table quotes the sentence. A manufacturer that names packaging only as one step of making its own product is not counted, and others may still pack if asked.
| Manufacturer | Country | Product groups | In its own words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albina Snacks | Sweden | Food & beverages | “We offer customized packaging with your own brand, or alternatively, we can pack in your existing packaging.” source |
| Bio Circle Balticum | Lithuania | Household & cleaning | “Įmonė taip pat tiekia plovimo įrangą, konsultuoja, atlieka plovimo paslaugas pramonės objektuose, vykdo privačių prekinių ženklų projektus, išpilstymo ir sandėliavimo paslaugas, gamina ir tiekia medžio pramonei …” source |
| Careria | Estonia | Cosmetics | “With extensive expertise, advanced equipment & proven competence, Careria offers full-service contract filling for businesses seeking reliable manufacturing partners.” source |
| Fitonordic Lab | Estonia | Cosmetics, Food supplements | “Formula development, contract manufacturing and packaging of cosmetic products and supplements” source |
| Foodwest | Finland | Food supplements, Food & beverages, Beverages | “Foodwest Oy sopimusvalmistaa ja -pakkaa erilaisia elintarvikkeita tehtaallaan Seinäjoella. Olemme erikoistuneet nestemäisten tuotteiden, kuten mehujen, smoothieiden, kastikkeiden ja ravintolisien prosessointiin ja …” source |
| H2O4U Finland | Finland | Food & beverages | “We are FSSC 22000 certified and specialize in packaging water for brands and partners seeking reliable, scalable and responsibly sourced solutions.” source |
| Hafi | Sweden | Food & beverages | “During the last years we’ve been investing heavily to accommodate future growth and to keep focusing on our private label and co-packing partners.” source |
| Involutus | Lithuania | Food supplements | “Jūsų žaliavos ir pakuotės, mūsų gamyba ir fasavimas; Jūsų žaliavos, mūsų pakuotės, gamyba ir fasavimas; Jūsų pakuotės, mūsų žaliavos, gamyba ir fasavimas; Jūsų idėja, mūsų žaliavos, pakuotės, gamyba ir fasavimas;” source |
| Kornita | Lithuania | Food & beverages | “Skrudinimo, fasavimo bei privataus prekės ženklo paslaugas teikiame ir kitoms įmonėms.” source |
| Koslita | Lithuania | Household & cleaning | “Koslita, UAB offers a wide range of services – from contract manufacturing and packaging to private label product creation.” source |
| MedPro Nutraceuticals | Latvia | Food supplements | “MedPro Nutraceuticals sniedz pilna cikla uztura bagātinātāju ražošanas, fasēšanas un pakošanas pakalpojumus pēc klienta pasūtījuma.” source |
| NPK Expert | Latvia | Other | “NPK Expert offers contract packing services by combined packaging with electronic marking from 5kg to 1000kg.” source |
| Propack Powder and Formula | Lithuania | Food supplements | “We are a contract manufacturer dedicated to precision sachet filling for functional supplements.” source |
| Rexsan Pharmaceuticals | Lithuania | Food supplements | “Visi gamybos etapai gaminant vaistus ir maisto papildus tablečių ir kietųjų kapsulių pavidalu; Produktų gamyba iki pirminio įpakavimo ir pristatymo didmeniniu būdu; Pirminis pakavimas;” source |
| Saldukas | Lithuania | Food & beverages | “✅ Atliekame pakavimą pagal „Private Label“ – galime supakuoti jūsų maisto produktus su individualiu prekės ženklu.” source |
| Soledo | Finland | Household & cleaning | “Kauttamme myös aineiden sopimusvalmistus; sekoitus ja pakkaus.” source |
| Švenčionių vaistažolės | Lithuania | Food & beverages | ““Svencioniu vaistazoles” offers a wide range of herbal products and teas, packaging services, contract manufacturing, and production of private label products.” source |
| Swedish Can Factory | Sweden | Beverages | “We co-pack beverages — canning, labeling, date coding and palletizing. For breweries we run a full-service setup with our own refrigerated transport tanks, up to 6,000 L per pickup and up to 10 SKUs per run. We bring …” source |
| Valdo (SIA Voldemārs) | Latvia | Food & beverages | “We produce and pack food under your brand, help you select packaging and organise raw material and packaging orders.” source |
| Valezs | Latvia | Food & beverages | “Since 2010, Valežs has prepared and packed private-label seasonings using both our own recipes and customer-supplied formulations, with the customer’s branding on the packaging.” source |
| Vipis | Estonia | Food supplements, Cosmetics | “Villimisteenus vedelatele ainetele. Lahuste valmistamine ja segamine (klaastaara, plasttaara, airless, pihustid, aerosoolid).” source |
By country: Sweden 3, Finland 3, Latvia 4, Lithuania 8, Estonia 3. 3 of them also name formulation and R&D among their services.
Who is responsible for the product when a co-packer packs it under my brand?
For a cosmetic, the brand. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Article 4(6) says "the distributor shall be the responsible person where he places a cosmetic product on the market under his name or trade mark". For a cosmetic manufactured in the EU, Article 4(3) names the manufacturer established in the EU, unless it mandates another person in writing.
Other product groups have their own rules on who answers for the product. See is my brand legally the manufacturer? and the rules for cosmetics, food labels and food supplements.
What does your product decide for you?
What you already have decides. With a finished bulk product, a co-packer packs it. With a formula and a wish to let the factory buy the materials, a contract manufacturer. With materials you want to buy and supply yourself, a toll manufacturer. With only a brand and an idea, a private label manufacturer that develops the product.
- Ask a co-packer who supplies the packaging, who checks the filled product before release, and how batch and date codes are printed.
- Ask which certificate covers packing at that site: the FSSC Public Register filters by scope, so the scope line shows whether packing is included.
- Ask where the finished goods go: back to you, to your buyer or to a warehouse.
- Run the audit checklist on the site that packs, not only on the one that makes.
Questions and answers
Is a co-packer the same as a contract packager?
Yes, the two names are used for the same thing. Wikipedia, a tertiary source, lists contract packager as an equivalent of copacker, a contract manufacturer that performs packaging operations. NordSourced found no trade association or standards body that defines either term, so ask what a company includes: filling, sealing, labelling, date coding, cartons or palletising.
What is toll manufacturing?
Processing in which the customer keeps ownership of the materials. An IMF issue paper for the UN's national accounts experts says goods for processing is often called toll processing, and also toll manufacturing, tolling, toll conversion and custom manufacturing. Ownership of the raw materials and unfinished products remains with the customer, who pays for the processing service.
Is toll manufacturing the same as contract manufacturing?
Not quite. In contract manufacturing as the IMF describes it, the contractor acquires the material inputs and the principal acquires finished goods. In toll manufacturing the customer keeps ownership of the raw materials and unfinished products and pays for a processing service. Both make goods for another company; they differ in who owns the materials.
Does a co-packer develop the product or the formula?
Not by definition: a co-packer performs packaging operations. Many also manufacture. Of the 21 manufacturers on NordSourced that say they pack or fill for other companies, 20 also name contract manufacturing or private label and 3 name formulation and R&D. Ask which steps the company does itself and which a partner does.
Which companies in Sweden offer co-packing?
3 of the manufacturers NordSourced lists in Sweden say on their own website that they pack or co-pack for other companies: Albina Snacks, Hafi and Swedish Can Factory. Read each one's sentence on its profile, then ask about the formats, run sizes and certificates that fit your product.
Which manufacturers in the Baltics fill or pack food supplements for other brands?
6 of the supplement manufacturers NordSourced lists in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia say so in their own words: Fitonordic Lab, Involutus, MedPro Nutraceuticals, Propack Powder and Formula, Rexsan Pharmaceuticals and 1 more. Others make supplements for other brands without naming packing as a separate service; the supplement rules guide covers what the brand must do.
Who is the responsible person for a cosmetic packed under my brand?
Under Article 4(6) of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, a distributor is the responsible person where it places a cosmetic product on the market under its own name or trade mark. For a cosmetic manufactured in the EU, Article 4(3) names the manufacturer established in the EU, which may designate another person by written mandate.
Who owns the goods in toll processing?
The customer. An IMF issue paper for the UN's Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts says ownership of the raw materials and unfinished products remains with the customer for the processing service. The processor is paid for its work, not for the goods, so the contract should say who insures the materials while they are at the plant.
Can a co-packer pack into packaging I already have?
Some say so outright. Albina Snacks writes that it can "pack in your existing packaging", as an alternative to packaging made with your brand. Ask any co-packer whether its line can run your container, closure and label, whether it needs a test run, and who pays for packaging spoiled in setting up.
What does a private label manufacturer do that a co-packer does not?
It makes the product itself, to be sold under your brand: PLMA describes private label products as merchandise sold under a retailer's brand. A co-packer may receive a finished product and only pack it. NordSourced lists 443 manufacturers, each because its own website says it makes products for other brands.
What is the principal in contract manufacturing?
The company that has the goods made. The IMF describes a principal as one that controls production of a good by undertaking entrepreneurial steps and outsources all or most of the material transformation process. In this language a brand that has its products made by someone else is the principal, and the factory is the contractor.
How do I check that a co-packer's food safety certificate covers packing?
Ask for the certificate and read its scope line: it names the activities and products covered at that site. For FSSC 22000, the FSSC Public Register lists all current certified organisations and filters by scheme, status, country and scope. Then check that the holder and the address match the company and site in your quotation.
Where to go next
Sources
- Contract manufacturer (tertiary source), Wikipedia. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Factoryless goods production: compilation guidance, International Monetary Fund, Statistics Department. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Goods for processing, issue paper SNA/M2.04/24 (November 2004), IMF Statistics Department, hosted by the UN Statistics Division. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Private label today, PLMA International Council (Private Label Manufacturers Association). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Article 4, European Parliament and Council (OJ L 342, 22.12.2009), hosted by the European Commission. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- FSSC Public Register, Foundation FSSC. Checked 13 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.