From the kitchen to the real thing.
October 12, 2010 7:23 PM   Subscribe

How much does it cost to bring a new (non-alcoholic) beverage to market?

So, let's say I have an interesting new idea for a drink. There's nothing else like it in the market. I want to start bottling it and selling it commercially.

So, I understand that I'll need a flavorist and nutritional testing and shelf stability testing and design and trademark and a copacker and a distributor. That's a lot.

Has anyone gone through this process? How much, ultimately, would it cost for me to go from having something I can concoct for myself at home to having the smallest, cheapest run of a bottled and canned version? Everything I've looked at looks ridiculously prohibitive -- $250k out the door kinds of figures -- and I want to see if that's really the case.
posted by eschatfische to Food & Drink (4 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I can't give you a specific dollar amount. A lot of it will depend on where the drink is distributed: convenience stores, grocery stores, bars, restaurants, health food stores, etc. Will you create original packaging or use a stock 16 or 20 oz bottle?

Beverage Digest is a good resource. You should study the histories of VitaminWater, Honest Tea, Odwalla and Sweet Leaf Tea. These were all start-ups that began with the founders doing the manufacturing in their homes and distribution in their personal vehicles.

You can probably do it for less than $250K, but you'll have to wear many hats until you get everything together.
posted by Andy's Gross Wart at 7:43 PM on October 12, 2010


Probably a lot less in the right small local market. Get the kitchen vetted for the minimal caterer license, get a manual bottler and do a small run, sell it out of your house, back of the station wagon. If it's incredible start mail order, there's a surprising amount of mail order root beer. It's food, there are lot's of boutique foods. Now getting shelf space at all the Safeways and Star Markets or (queue music) Walmart, is probably an unreal investment. I'm curious.
posted by sammyo at 8:01 PM on October 12, 2010


These guys started a food company with only $5K. I would have thought it would possible be within an order of magnitude to start a drinks company.
posted by turkeyphant at 4:00 AM on October 13, 2010


some colleges will have an extension program that can help you with such things. call up the nearest school with a food science department and see if they have insight into it. i used to work for the extension at kansas state when i was an undergrad and we helped people with the shelf life testing, flavoring, ect. they might also have information and help with the business side of the operation. if you plan to have a co-packer produce it you will probably save yourself a lot of money (those beverage filling machines at the industrial level can cost hundreds of thousands and if you need a pasteurizer and stainless tanks it goes up very quickly). the extension office might have information on local companies that would be interested in co-packing for you as well. i think you live in california... this might be a good place to start.
posted by catseatcheese at 6:03 PM on October 13, 2010


« Older Driving through Maine   |   Musical Mind Grapes Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.