Operators · Food & Beverage · Co-packer Relationships
Your team
inside the co-packer.
Snackteva finds the right manufacturing partner for your product, gets you through the pilot and first run, and stays in the relationship as your operations team.
Thirty years inside food manufacturing: the first certified organic bar in the U.S., a 36,000 ft² SQF-certified plant built and run, and millions of bars made for other brands.
20 minutes · no pitch · you leave knowing your next step · Not ready to talk? Score your operation in ten questions
Not a matching service. A marketplace sends your brief to a list. We put a formula, a control plan, and a practitioner on the floor in front of a plant we already know.
Co-packer fit & first run · Formulation & scale-up · Fractional operations · Food safety, SQF & audits · Systems that run without you
Actual client results. Measured on the floor, not projected.
34%
Lower Labor Cost Share
All-in labor cut from ~20% to ~13% of revenue.
$439K
Labor Cost Avoided
From labor efficiency alone. Systems, not headcount cuts.
3,700
Digital Food-Safety Records
Logged at point of use, replacing paper. Audit-ready daily.
What “Co-packing Experts” Actually Means
Anyone can send you a list of co-packers. Here’s what happens after.
Before the plant says yes
Co-packers turn down most startups because onboarding is expensive and most founders arrive unprepared. We arrive with a manufacturable formula, finished-goods specs, a supply chain, and a sales plan the plant can schedule against. That’s why our clients get in.
Pilot and first run
A certified SQF practitioner and PCQI on the floor. Manufacturing control plan, spec tolerances, batch tickets, seal tests, line photos every half hour. The first run is where money gets lost. We’re standing there when it happens.
Every run after
The plant calls us, not you. Scheduling, spec drift, ingredient substitutions, undeclared changes, audit paperwork. This is the fractional operations work most brands need and can’t hire for at their size.
The Operators Behind It
Built the first certified organic bar in the U.S. Then made millions of them.
1st
Certified organic bar in the U.S.
Top 20
Brand in its category
Millions
Of bars manufactured as brand and co-packer
36,000 ft²
SQF-certified facility built and run
Every decision you’re facing, they’ve made with their own money on the line, across 100+ brands. That’s the judgment your business gets.
The bars Glenn and Liz built were featured in Food Network, Good Morning America, Rachael Ray, Vanity Fair, Elle, Men’s Health, and Women’s Health.
The Network
The bench behind the brand.
A co-packer says yes to a brand that shows up ready: manufacturable formula, packaging on order, a sales and marketing plan, and people who can execute it. Most founders are missing at least two of those.
Thirty years in this industry means we know who to call: packaging and film suppliers who’ll talk to a 10,000-unit run, a brand designer who charges a fifth of agency rates, CPG-specific digital marketing and fractional sales talent, trademark counsel, 3PLs, ingredient sourcing, and the labs and certifiers buyers ask about. We make the introduction, tell you what a fair price looks like, and stay in the loop so the pieces land in the right order.
No co-packer pays us to recommend them. Some of the supporting vendors we introduce you to (packaging and film, brand design, logistics) do pay a referral fee. Where they do, it is in your scope before you sign, and it never changes who we recommend.
The SnackTeva Impact Model
Operator-built expertise, delivered through scalable systems.
Everything starts with what your business needs next, then flows through one model built from decades on the factory floor.
Better decisions. Better execution. Better outcomes.
Sound Familiar?
The questions that show up right as things start working.
“Everything lives in one person’s head. If she leaves, the operation leaves with her.”
“The recipe gets rave reviews. So why can’t the plant make it taste the same at 500 pounds a batch?”
“Every shift runs the line a little differently, and the paperwork can’t keep up.”
“A buyer wants SQF certification before the next order, and the binder isn’t ready.”
None of these are emergencies yet. That’s exactly when the fix is cheapest to make.
Scaling Without Systems
The wall is predictable. So is the way through it.
The symptoms show up the same way every time: margin compression hidden in the P&L. Co-pack relationships that run on trust rather than systems. Schedules driven by urgency instead of planning. Audit prep that becomes a scramble. One person carrying every operational decision alone.
Liz started BumbleBar in a rented commercial kitchen, scaled through co-packing, manufactured in-house for 5 years, and then built a 36,000-square-foot SQF facility. She was Head of R&D at CleanCopack, and her formulation credits include IQ Bar, Verb Bar, and Picky Bar.
Every wall you’re about to hit, Glenn and Liz have already hit. That’s why the systems that prevent them are so familiar.
Glenn & Liz Ward · SnackTeva Co-Founders
Framework Nº 01 · Growth Amplifies Every Decision
Your food business is one system, not four departments.
Solve today’s problem in a way that makes tomorrow’s easier. That is the whole job.
Where Engagements Begin
Four ways engagements begin.
One goal: your business, stronger.
01
Food Safety, SQF & Audits
A buyer wants SQF before the next order, or an audit is on the calendar. FSMA, GMP, SQF, and BRC readiness; SOPs and training operators actually follow; quality systems that hold up when someone walks the floor.
02
Co-packer Fit, Placement & First Run
You need a manufacturer, or the one you have is failing you. Formula-to-plant fit, reformulation and scale-up when the sample won’t run on the line, placement with a facility we know, and a practitioner on site through pilot and first run. Onboarding costs, MOQs, and tolling explained before you commit a dollar.
03
Ongoing Operations
No VP of Operations, and you’re still the bottleneck. Fractional COO work: co-packer management, supply chain, cost, scheduling, and the decisions that decide whether growth protects margin or erodes it.
04
Systems That Run Without You
Everything lives in one person’s head. SnacktevaOS: role-based digital QMS, tablet-native floor records, SOP libraries built on tools you already run. The knowledge backbone that lets you step away from the day-to-day.
Who This Is For
If this describes you, it’s worth a conversation.
✓ You’re a natural or organic food or beverage company doing roughly $2M to $20M, or funded to get there.
✓ You’re scaling through a co-packer, self-manufacturing, or moving between the two.
✓ There’s no full-time head of operations, and you’re the one the plant calls.
✓ You’re seeing margin compression, audit anxiety, or runs that don’t come out the same twice.
✓ You have the capital to invest in fixing it rather than working around it.
Who it isn’t for, yet.
A first commercial run for a bar or snack typically costs $80,000 to $150,000 all-in, and co-packers rarely schedule below 10,000 units per SKU. If that capital isn’t in place, we’ll tell you on the call, point you to a commercial kitchen or a lower-cost pilot partner, and ask you to come back when it is. Every dollar we save you before that point is a dollar you didn’t spend on a run that couldn’t sell.
Featured Results
What changed for the businesses along for the ride.
Systems Build · Natural Snack Brand
From tribal knowledge to systems-driven growth
The schedule lived in one person’s head, and audit prep ate weeks. SnackTeva installed the operating backbone that the whole team runs on.
34% lower labor cost share
$439K labor cost avoided
3,700 digital records
Food Safety & QMS · Startup Beverage Brand
Audit-ready before the first production run
A capable pharma team entering food for the first time, with a hard start date. A complete role-based digital QMS, live before the first run.
Day One audit-ready QMS
5 role-based hubs
25+ tablet floor forms
Emergency Rescue · Natural Foods Startup
A make-or-break KeHE delivery, and no co-packer
Their first national retail window, and the co-packer couldn’t deliver. An emergency search found a new partner in days.
7 days to a new co-packer
2 weeks from crisis to first run
100% delivery on time
In Their Words
What clients say when the work is done.
“Snackteva’s professionalism shone through in the feasibility study they conducted for my food project. Their thorough research, resource management, and budgeting skills gave me a clear view of the project’s scope. Their realistic assessment was crucial in confidently deciding my business model.”
Founder · Startup Wellness Brand
“SnackTeva transformed how we operate, bringing a new level of efficiency and clarity to our day-to-day systems. Their clear communication and fast execution kept us aligned and moving forward.”
CEO · $6M Natural CPG Brand in Rapid Growth
“I had been dreaming about this protein bar for months, but it finally felt real when I held that first great-tasting sample in my hands. Liz guided me through the entire process with patience, clarity, and deep expertise.”
Founder · Early-Stage Bar Brand
Before You Ask
Straight answers.
Do the co-packers you recommend pay you?
No. No manufacturer pays Snackteva for a placement or a recommendation. We sold our own co-packing facility in 2023 and we work on client fees, not tolling markup, so the plant we put you in is the one that fits your product. Some supporting vendors we introduce you to do pay a referral fee, and those are disclosed in your scope before you sign. If a facility is not right for you, we will say so and keep looking.
Is this like Keychain or a co-packer directory?
No. Directories match your brief to a list and step away. We prepare your product and your team for the plant, represent you inside it during pilot and first run, and manage the relationship afterward. The match is the first two weeks; the work is everything that follows.
Which co-packers do you work with?
A vetted network across bar formats, baked goods, and beverage, from small hourly-rate facilities to SQF-certified plants with national retail capability. We don’t publish the list. A facility that’s right for one product is wrong for another, and the recommendation only means something if it’s made for your product.
What if my current co-packer is the problem?
That’s most of our new engagements. We assess whether it’s the relationship, the process, or the formula, and either fix it in place or move you. A transition run at a new facility, done right, is usually cheaper than one more bad run at the old one.
Do you do formulation?
Yes. Reformulation, scale-up, and rescue work for bars and snacks, led by Liz, whose formulation credits include IQ Bar, Verb Bar, and Picky Bar. It’s priced by the round rather than folded into a flat fee, and it’s most useful for brands already producing or at pilot. Formulation & Commercialization →
What makes Snackteva different from other food industry consultants?
Building, not consulting. Most advisors deliver reports and recommendations. Snackteva installs operational systems, knowledge infrastructure, and accountability structures directly into your organization. The output is a functioning operational backbone, not a slide deck.
Co-packers, self-manufacturing, or both?
Both. Many clients are navigating hybrid models or transitioning between the two. The systems work regardless of manufacturing model, and matter most during transitions, when operational risk peaks.
You already have SOPs. Why systems?
Having SOPs and having an operational system are different things. Scattered documents, tribal knowledge, and manual compliance don’t survive growth. A knowledge backbone keeps institutional knowledge accessible, updatable, and audit-ready at all times.
The Right Time Is Before
Talk before the next important decision.
Bring the decision you’re facing to a call. Twenty minutes, no pitch. You’ll leave knowing whether we can help, what it would take, and what to do next either way.
Not ready for a call? Score your operation in ten questions, free.
