Cinematic shot of JAI-branded aluminum cans being filled and sealed on a clean modern co-packing line, warm overhead lighting, shallow depth of field

Production operations

We run your production.
You focus on selling.

JAI runs end-to-end manufacturing operations for CPG brands: co-packer search, supply chain, COGS analysis, and on-site production management. We handle getting your products made, so your time, energy, and focus go to growing the brand.

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Jamie Carpenter, Operations Lead at JAI Development

The team running your production

Meet Jamie Carpenter, Operations Lead.

Jamie has spent his career inside the co-packers where food and beverage brands bring their products to life. He has seen production from both sides of the table, from client management to co-packer sales, across beverage canning and food manufacturing. He understands how production lines actually run, from batching and processing through filling, packaging, and quality checks.

At JAI, Jamie serves as the operational bridge between your brand and the production floor. His role is to make sure each run is properly prepared, clearly communicated, and executed with the controls needed to produce consistent product from one production to the next.

"Consistency comes from preparation. The more aligned everyone is before production starts, the fewer surprises there are on the floor." Jamie Carpenter

The JAI production method

Our four-phase method, from co-packer search to finished goods on shelf.

Tall stainless steel mixing and fermentation tanks inside a warm, well-lit beverage co-manufacturing facility, with pallets of canned beverages softly out of focus in the background

Phase 01

Co-Packer Search and Onboarding

If you don't have a co-packer yet, we find one. We compile a shortlist, evaluate on capability, certs, capacity, equipment, geography, and performance, run due diligence and site visits with you, and deliver a written evaluation report. Then we build your Finished Product Specifications SOP. The SOP is the document your co-packer signs and produces against. It defines every spec on your product: ingredients, allergens, target pH and Brix, packaging specs, shelf life, QC procedures, and processing parameters. One source of truth, signed off in writing before any production starts.

Deliverable: Signed-off Finished Product Specifications SOP

Stack of plain kraft cardboard cases on an orange warehouse cart in a loading dock with delivery truck behind

Phase 02

Supply Chain Management

We tap our supplier network to source ingredients and packaging at commercial scale, build the full COGS model per SKU, get your written sign-off, then issue POs in your name. From there, we run the orchestration: tracking every shipment across multiple suppliers, verifying receipts at the co-packer's dock, chasing documentation gaps (organic certs, allergen statements, COAs), and resolving late or missing deliveries before they delay production. Getting every ingredient and package on the floor on time, in spec, with paperwork in order is one of the most time-consuming and hard-to-track jobs in CPG. We carry it end to end so your run starts on schedule.

Deliverable: Production-ready supply chain

A handheld digital pH meter reading 3.42 with its probe in a small glass of pale-coral beverage, beside a clipboard holding a handwritten production batch record, on a brushed stainless steel cart in sharp foreground focus. A conveyor of JAI-branded aluminum cans on a production line and a co-packer worker silhouette are softly out of focus in the background.

Phase 03

On-Site Production Management

We're at the line for every production run, side by side with your co-packer team. We bring our own portable QC kit so we can verify in real time that the product is hitting the specs locked in your Finished Product Specifications SOP. We run first-article checks before the line scales up, taste throughout the run, compare against reference samples when available, document deviations as they happen, and coordinate on-the-spot decisions if anything shifts. JAI Formulation Clients also get lab control samples sent ahead of the run, so the line has a gold-standard benchmark to match.

Deliverable: Completed production run, verified to spec

A packed premium-grocery refrigerated beverage shelf with a prominent eye-level block of JAI-branded 12oz aluminum cans among neat rows of other colorful canned and bottled drinks, with white shelf-edge price tags

Phase 04

Finished Goods Ready for Distribution

After the run, finished goods ship straight to your warehouse, ready for distribution to your wholesale and retail partners. We then schedule the post-production review and send you a written batch record summary: actual vs. target yield, COGS reconciliation against the approved model, deviations and resolutions, recommendations for the next run, and a financial summary with variance analysis. If costs are trending over budget, we flag it before the next PO ships. From there, we plan forward with you. We map demand signals, retailer pull-through, and the timing of your next production run so you're never caught flat-footed when reorder windows open.

Deliverable: Finished goods at your warehouse, and a post-production review including deviations and resolutions, a continuous improvement plan and a financial summary with variance analysis

Free founder tool

The Co-Packer Evaluation Scorecard.

Your co-packer is the company that actually makes your product, so getting the choice right matters more than almost anything else early on. We built this scorecard so you don't have to guess: it walks you through the six things to weigh on every candidate, from capability and capacity to certifications, equipment, location, and track record. It also comes with a questions-to-ask script, a documents-to-request list, and a commercial-terms worksheet, so you can decide with confidence before you sign, not with regret after the first run.

Download the Co-Packer Evaluation Scorecard

The JAI Production Operations Deliverables

A complete operational layer for beverage manufacturing, powder co-packing, and CPG production runs.

01

Finished Product Specifications SOP

The master document your co-packer signs and produces against. Ingredients, allergens, pH and Brix, packaging, shelf life, QC procedures, processing parameters.

02

Co-Packer Evaluation Report

Written shortlist + scoring on capability, certs, capacity, equipment, geography, and performance.

03

Per-SKU COGS Model

Full cost analysis before any PO ships. You sign off in writing. No production proceeds without it.

04

Active Supplier Network

Ingredient and packaging sourcing at commercial scale. POs issued in your name (you're always the buyer).

05

Pre-Production Alignment

Coordination call with the co-packer team before every run. Spec walkthrough, timeline confirmation, contingency mapping.

06

On-Site Production Oversight

We're at the line for every production run, side by side with your co-packer team. JAI is the primary coordinator if anything shifts on the line.

07

Lab Control Samples

Formulation Clients get physical gold-standard reference samples sent to the co-packer ahead of the run so the line has a benchmark to match.

08

Post-Production Review + Financial Reconciliation

Written batch record summary, COGS reconciliation, variance analysis, recommendations for the next run.

When the project asks for more

Add-on services.

External Formula Onboarding

For clients who bring their own formula. We onboard existing formula docs, batch sheets, and supplier specs into the JAI production layer.

Multi-Co-Packer Coordination

When you run across more than one co-packer (different formats, geographies, or capacities), we coordinate the network. Single source of truth, single accountability layer.

Third-Party Testing and Compliance Coordination

Nutritional, microbiological, shelf life, stability, ABV, caffeine, and functional ingredient testing through our accredited lab network.

Featured case study

Production operations for a high-growth, celebrity-founded national brand.

Ben Stiller with Stillers Soda product launch

Formulation + Production Operations

Stillers Soda

Multi

SKU runs

Ongoing

Production ops

Multiple

Co-packers

Stillers Soda is Ben Stiller's entry into the fast-growing functional soda category. JAI helped the brand formulate all SKUs and continues to manage end-to-end operations for each production run across multiple co-packers.

Case study coming soon

Production operations FAQs

What types of engagement contracts do you offer?
Monthly retainer engagements ranging from 4 months to 1 year+. Most clients run longer because production is ongoing, not a one-shot launch. Contract type and length are scoped to your production cadence. First-launch founders may start at 4 months; multi-SKU operators typically engage on an annual basis.
What's included in the monthly retainer?
The full operational layer: SOP development, co-packer search and management, ingredient and packaging procurement, COGS modeling, production scheduling, pre-production coordination, post-production batch review, and financial reporting. On-site production support is billed separately depending on need.
Do I need to have used JAI for formulation first?
No. We onboard external formulas via our External Formula Onboarding process. You provide the final formula docs, batch sheets, and supplier specs, and we carry it forward into production.
Do I need to have a co-packer to start?
No. Co-packer search and selection is part of the engagement when needed. We compile a shortlist, evaluate, do due diligence, run site visits, and deliver a written evaluation report. You sign the agreement directly with the co-packer.
Can you work with my existing co-packer?
Yes. We bring our supply chain and operations layer to whatever co-packer relationship you already have.
Where is your production operations team based?
New York. We work with co-packers across the U.S. and travel to be at the line for every production run.
What is a co-packer?
A co-packer (also called a co-manufacturer or contract manufacturer) is the facility that produces your product. They own the equipment, certifications, and labor. JAI is the operations layer between you and them. We manage the relationship so you don't have to.
What is tolling in manufacturing?
Tolling is an arrangement where you provide some or all of the raw materials and the co-packer charges you only for processing.
Will JAI be on-site at the co-packer for production runs?
Yes. We're at the line for every production run, side by side with your co-packer team. JAI Formulation Clients also get physical lab control samples sent to the co-packer ahead of the run.
Do you handle beverage manufacturing AND powder manufacturing?
Yes. Both beverage co-manufacturing (canning, bottling, hot-fill, aseptic-capable co-packers) and powder, sachet, and stick-pack manufacturing. Same JAI production management method across formats.
Do you handle aseptic filling?
Aseptic filling is a co-packer capability, not a JAI service line. We help founders decide whether their product actually needs aseptic, then evaluate and manage aseptic-capable co-packers in our network.
Who's responsible if production goes sideways?
We're your primary coordinator. We flag issues, push for resolution, and document everything. The co-packer is responsible for their own quality control, equipment, and regulatory compliance. Any changes to the SOP, formula, or packaging need your written approval before we implement.
What does the post-production review tell me?
Actual vs. target yield, COGS reconciliation against the approved model, any deviations and how we resolved them, and recommendations for the next run. Plus a financial summary with variance analysis. If costs are trending over budget, we flag it before the next PO ships.
How do I choose a beverage manufacturing company?
A beverage manufacturing company, also called a co-packer or contract manufacturer, is the facility that physically makes your product. Evaluate one on capability for your format, capacity and MOQs, food-safety certifications, the right equipment, location, and a track record with brands like yours. JAI is not a manufacturer. We help you find, vet, and select the right co-packer, then run the operational layer around it: SOP development, COGS modeling, supply chain, on-site oversight, and post-run reconciliation, so the relationship actually delivers.

Let JAI run your production operations so you can focus on building your business.

A 30-minute call with Matt, our CEO, is the fastest way to scope what you're building.

Get a production-ops estimate