How to evaluate turnkey manufacturers at the expo
Use a consistent brief, questions and written documents to turn booth conversations into comparable follow-up proposals.
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Before the show: the directory is a lead, not a proposal
FD1’s project assessment is to prioritize a lead contractor able to coordinate development, sourcing, samples, manufacturing, testing, packaging and finished-goods delivery, adding specialist ingredients or services only as needed. Initial conversations can include Vitaquest, Arizona Nutritional Supplements, Factory6 and Arizona Custom Blends, with other manufacturers retained for comparison. This is a research shortlist, not a confirmed supplier selection.
Exhibitors and booths can change. The official directory checked on October 27, 2026 listed October 28–30, 2026 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. Treat this as a dated snapshot and reconfirm the directory, level, hours and booth before travel and on site. An exhibitor listing does not mean FD1 has an appointment, agreement or quote.
Bring back four comparable records from a meeting
Use the same project brief and response template for each supplier.
- Scope
Mark in-house, outsourced and unavailable work.
- Development plan
Separate stock, limited-change and custom options.
- Commercial terms
Fees, MOQ, staged timing and delivery point.
- Quality and rights
Specifications, records, responsibilities, formula and transfer terms.
A team workflow recommendation; oral answers need written confirmation.
First question: which steps are in-house and which are outsourced?
The project team can start each conversation with the same two-minute brief: target population, powder drink format, intended US manufacturing, undecided early volume and an exploratory China cross-border direction. Ask the company to mark formulation, samples, sourcing, production, testing, packaging and delivery as in-house, outsourced or unavailable.
Record the manufacturing and packaging sites, partners and coordinator. Ask about a concrete delivery scenario: if an outside lab is delayed or a sample fails, who coordinates, who responds and what happens next? This turns promotional language into operational information.
Second question: can the supplier provide a comparable proposal?
Ask separately about stock formulas, limited modification and custom development. For each, request development fees, sample rounds, pilot and commercial minimums, ingredients and packaging, testing, payment milestones, stage-specific lead times and delivery location. Mark missing numbers as “quote pending.”
For candidates such as PHGG, CP2305 and Magtein, ask about supply, identity, permission and research records. Record availability separately from fit for the final formula, and published reference prices separately from formal quotations.
Section sources: [3]
Third question: what documentation and rights can be agreed in writing?
Ask how the supplier handles ingredient identity testing, finished-product specifications and testing, batch records, stability, change control and quality incidents. FDA’s cGMP guide describes applicable quality requirements in contract relationships, while actual allocation depends on each party’s role and written agreement.
Also clarify rights to a custom formula, approval of ingredient substitutions, sample data, confidentiality and transfer to another factory. Turn “we can do it” into verifiable scope, deliverables and a next-step date; trademark and formula rights remain to be negotiated.
Section sources: [3]
After the meeting: make two or three proposals comparable
FD1’s proposed process is to place each response in the same comparison table: scope, development and samples, MOQ, full cost, timeline, quality documentation, subcontracting, intellectual property and unanswered questions. Separate oral statements, written proposals and independently verified facts; an expo conversation is not a passed supplier audit.
Delivering finished goods does not automatically include China cross-border classification, platform listing, customs declarations, a domestic agent or consumer fulfillment. Review the China pathway for each SKU separately. The team has made no purchasing decision and has not assumed that any manufacturer owns these steps.
Review the key points
- A consistent brief and questions make supplier responses comparable.
- Record in-house and outsourced work, costs, responsibilities and open questions.
- The exhibitor list is a research lead; appointments, capacity, prices and China services remain unconfirmed.