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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CO-PACKING
Questions? Contact John Thomas,
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WHAT SIZE OF CONTAINERS CAN YOU PRODUCE?
EL PINTO FOODS CURRENTLY PRODUCES 16 FLUID OUNCE GLASS JARS AND 64 FLUID OUNCE PLASTIC CONTAINERS FOR RETAIL SALES. WE ALSO PRODUCE 64 FLUID OUNCE COOK-IN POUCHES FOR INSTITUTIONAL USE. WHAT IF I WANT TO USE A SPECIAL CONTAINER?
WE WILL EVALUATE ANY CONTAINERS YOU WISH TO USE HOWEVER, GENERALLY SPEAKING, CONTAINERS THAT VARY FROM THOSE WE CURRENTLY USE WILL SUBSTANCIALLY INCREASE THE MANUFACTURING COST AND REQUIRE LONGER LEAD TIMES FOR PRODUCTION. ALSO, ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT MAY BE REQUIRED, THE COST OF WHICH WILL BE PASSED ON TO YOU. HOW IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT PACKAGED AND PALLETIZED?
16 OUNCE JARS AND 66 OUNCE CONTAINERS ARE PACKED IN QUARTER DEPTH SIX-PACK TRAYS. THE 16 OUNCE JARS ARE THEN SHRINK-WRAPPED EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR AS TWELVE PACKS. 64 OUNCE POUCHES ARE PACKED IN CARTONS, EIGHT POUCHES EACH. ALL PRODUCTS ARE TIE-STACKED ON STANDARD "GROCERY" PALLETS. THE SPECIFIC NUMBER OF CASES PER PALLET VARIES DEPENDING ON SIZE,WEIGHT AND STABILITY. WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM QUANTITIES?
YOUR UNIT COST WILL DEPEND LARGELY UPON THE QUANTITIES WE PRODUCE. WE CAN PRODUCE A SINGLE JAR OR DEDICATE AN ENTIRE SHIFT TO YOUR PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS. EL PINTO DOES NOT SUGGEST PRODUCING LESS THAN 500 GALLON BATCHES. IT IS USUALLY NOT COST EFFECTIVE. WHAT PROCESS DO YOU USE FOR FILLING?
EL PINTO FOODS USES A HOT-FILL METHOD FOR ALL CURRENT PRODUCTS.
HOW DO I PROTECT MY SECRET FORMULA?
ONCE EL PINTO FOODS HAS AGREED TO PRODUCE YOUR PRODUCT, AS PART OF OUR CONTRACT WE WILL PROVIDE A NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT. UNTIL THAT TIME WE ONLY NEED GENERAL INFORMATION REQUIRED TO DETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF OUR FACILITY.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU PROVIDE?
EL PINTO FOODS WILL SUPPLY, AND ENCOURAGES CUSTOMERS TO USE, AS MANY INGREDIENTS AND SUPPLIES AS WE CURRENTLY MAINTAIN AN INVENTORY OF. YOU WILL HAVE TO FURNISH ALL INGREDIENTS AND SUPPLIES UNIQUE TO YOUR PRODUCT. THIS INCLUDES LABELS AND ANY OTHER DECORATED MATERIAL. ALL INGREDIENTS AND LABELS MUST MEET EL PINTO'S REQUIREMENTS. WHERE DO I GET LABELS?
ONCE YOU HAVE DEVELOPED THE SUITABLE ARTWORK AND REQUIRED NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION FOR YOUR LABELS, EL PINTO FOODS CAN ASSIST YOU IN LOCATING A LABEL MANUFACTURER. THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP IN ENSURING COMPATABILITY WITH BOTH OUR MACHINES AND YOUR CONTAINER.
CAN YOU WAREHOUSE MY PRODUCT ONCE IT'S PRODUCED?
EL PINTO FOODS WILL HOLD FINISHED PRODUCT IN QUARANTINE FOR UP TO 14 DAYS; HOWEVER,CO-PACKING DOES NOT INCLUDE WAREHOUSING OR SHIPPING. WE CAN HELP YOU ARRANGE FOR A TRUCKING COMPANY TO TRANSPORT YOUR PRODUCT. WE WILL HOLD YOUR PRODUCT ONLY AS LONG NEEDED TO MEET TRUCK SCHEDULING REQUIREMENTS.
CAN YOU SHIP MY PRODUCT TO STORES OR DISTRIBUTORS?
EL PINTO FOODS WILL ONLY PERFORM ONE LOADOUT PER PRODUCTION PERIOD. OTHER THAN FOR LARGE PRODUCTION ORDERS, WE WILL NOT SHIP TO MULTIPLE LOCATIONS ON YOUR BEHALF. HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO I NEED TO ORDER PRODUCTION?
EL PINTO FOODS SCHEDULES PRODUCTION AT LEAST 30 DAYS IN ADVANCE AND PRODUCTION IS SCHEDULED WITHIN A THREE DAY WINDOW. THIS MEANS YOU MUST HAVE YOUR ORDER PLACED A MINIMUM OF 45 DAYS IN ADVANCE OF THE PRODUCTION DAY REQUIRED TO ENSURE ALL MATERIALS AND INGREDIENTS ARE ON SITE . ALL INGREDIENTS AND MATERIALS YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MUST BE AT OUR FACTORY A MINIMUM OF THREE DAYS PRIOR TO SCHEDULED PRODUCTION OR WE WILL HAVE TO BUMP YOU FROM THE SCHEDULE. IF WE QUARANTINE YOUR PRODUCT FOR YOU, ADD THAT AMOUNT OF TIME BEFORE YOUR PRODUCT WILL BE READY TO SHIP.
CAN YOU HELP FORMULATE MY PRODUCT?
EL PINTO FOODS WILL ASSIST YOU IN DETERMINING MANUFACTURABILITY OF YOU PRODUCT AS IT PERTAINS TO OUR FACILITY. OTHER THAN THAT, YOUR RECIPE IS YOUR OWN.
CAN YOU HELP WITH LABELING REGULATIONS?
EL PINTO FOODS CANNOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE. WE SUGGEST YOU RESEARCH LABELING REQUIREMENTS AND THEN GET LEGAL CONSULTATION TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE BOTH WITH CONTENT AND TRADEMARK LAWS.
WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND AS A "BEST BUY" DATE?
NORMALLY, THE FLAVOR WILL DEGRADE LONG BEFORE THE PACKAGE INTEGRITY FAILS. THIS ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR SPECIFIC RECIPE. WE SUGGEST A DATE CLOSE ENOUGH TO ASSURE FLAVOR BUT FAR ENOUGH TO AVOID "OUT-OF-DATE" PROBLEMS IN THE STORES. WE USE UP TO 1 YEAR IN PLASTIC AND UP TO 2 YEARS IN GLASS.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCT LIABILITY CLAIMS?
GENERALLY, YOU ARE. EL PINTO FOODS MAINTAINS PRODUCT LIABILITY INSURANCE BUT THAT WILL COVER ONLY DAMAGES ARISING FROM OUR PRODUCTION PROCESS. AS SOON AS THE PRODUCT LEAVES OUR WAREHOUSE, IT PASSES BEYOND OUR CONTROL. IMPROPER STORAGE AND COMPROMISED CONTAINERS ARE THE MAIN CAUSE OF COMPLAINTS. WE REQUIRE OUR CUSTOMERS TO CARRY PRODUCT LIABILITY INSURANCE AS PART OF OUR CO-PACKING AGREEMENT.
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