Food industry consultant working with startups and turnarounds. Full product commercialization assistance, general food tech operations, scale-up, supply chain, cold chain, production processes, food safety, FDA and USDA labeling. Should you setup your own manufacturing or use a co-packer? I can help you answer key questions. Expertise in manufacturing under FDA/USDA/Organic guidelines multi-building complexes as large as 300K sqft. Product expertise covers Read-to-Eat, Ready-to-Cook, beverage items from juice to tea, home replacement meals, salsa, salad, fresh cut fruit, poultry, beef, pork, pasta, grains, dressing, dip, soup, and sauce. Formerly the Director of Operations and Supply Chain for the startup of FreshDish.com, offering home delivered pre-prepped meal kits. Manufacturing Operations/R&D/Continuous Improvement (certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt) for the startup of Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets, a regional small format grocery chain, vertically integrated with wholly owned manufacturing. Operations Manager for The Stuffed Bagel, a retail and wholesale bakery located in southern California.
Keywords: Ready to Eat Meals, Ready to Cook, Food Manufacturing, Food Manufacturers, USDA, FDA, Organic, Vertical Integration, Food Safety, Food Regulations, HACCP, GMPs, Fresh Cut Fruit, Beverages, Juice, Tea, Coffee, Cold Chain, Continuous Improvement, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Startups, Commercialization, Turnaround Change Agent.
Based on what I can see, it appears to be BOPP film. I have used this film in food label applications where a durable waterproof material is required. We routinely had issues with the static properties of this material. I would look at samples of this material and compare it to the material Tesla Amazing is using.
If you have no team or your team is lacking what they have it could be a great reason to reach out to them. On the other hand, if you have or can build the right team there is little to gain from partnering with starups like this. Remember that it takes a team to build a successful business and they are not the first or second to try this.
My caution would be to make sure you have someone with food safety/regulation experience on your team. This business model has safety concerns which must be addressed to make it viable. Having started, worked with and consulted for food startups, as large as $1B, I can assure you there is a significant public health risk associated with this business model.
Sorry to be the voice of reason here, but it is better to hear it from me than someone who is suing you due to a case of food poisoning or worse. As the purveyor of food - or even if acting as a conduit - you have an obligation to consider the public's health and safety. There is an assumption that the product will be safe, just as you assume your Uber will not be a 1971 Ford Pinto with bald tires and an unlicensed driver. Disrupting an industry by challenging the regulations is a great way to go, think Uber or airbnb. Even with the disruption you must still be able to service the customers in a safe way. The FDA states that there are "about 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually...these illnesses result in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths." Food industry regulations, both local and federal, have evolved as a necessity.
If you would like to talk through options which begin to address the safety concerns I would be more than happy to talk with you.
From your question it appears you want a shelf-stable (no refrigeration required) product with a long shelf life. There are a number a factors that will determine your products shelf life, to be clear, adding a seal is not the only requirement to create a shelf-stable product. The good news is that syrup has a low water activity, which means it will be easier for us to make it shelf-stable. My recommendation is to hot fill this product and use an induction seal. This process would then need to be validated with appropriate microbiological and sensory testing.
I can setup a process that will create the product you desire with a shelf life that you and your customers would be happy with. If you would like to go into detail I would be happy to schedule a call.