Considerations for Hiring a Dairy Food Co-Packer

Jun 09, 2025

Are you interested in starting a value-added dairy foods business but reluctant to invest in equipment and facilities for manufacturing, or do you lack the time, technical expertise, and labor you need to make a product? A co-packer might be the solution. Navigating a co-packing relationship can be a complex process. First, what exactly is a co-packer? A co-packer is a food processor with additional manufacturing capacity and offers services such as manufacturing, packaging, and labeling for a fee.

Why Consider Hiring a Co-Packer?

Reasons for working with a co-packer may differ according to the management and mission of the dairy farm and personal situations. A Dairy Foods survey of users of co-packing services uncovered that the top four reasons for hiring a co-packer were a lack of in-house expertise with a product(s) (34%), testing the market for a new product (34%), inability to keep up with production demands (33%), and exiting product manufacturing to focus on brand marketing (10%) (Canning, 2017). Let's explore these and other reasons for using a co-packer.

Source : psu.edu

Video: CEOs of the Industry, A Conversation with Daniel Rivest, President & CEO, Olymel

Swine Web’s CEOs of the Industry series welcomes Daniel Rivest, President & CEO of Olymel, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, the future of Canadian pork, and the opportunities ahead for one of North America’s largest pork and poultry processors.

Rivest discusses his journey to the CEO role, his leadership philosophy, and his early priorities at Olymel. The conversation explores the company’s strategic direction, its relationships with producers, and how Olymel is positioning itself for long-term growth and competitiveness.

The discussion also tackles some of the biggest issues facing Canadian pork production today, including labor availability, global competition, animal health, trade and export markets, automation, and the growing potential of artificial intelligence throughout the food production system.

Topics include:

• Daniel Rivest’s path to becoming President & CEO of Olymel

• Olymel’s current position and strategic direction

• The outlook for Canadian pork production

• Building stronger relationships with producers

• Global trade and key export markets

• Automation, innovation and artificial intelligence

• Leadership lessons and opportunities for the next generation

The conversation concludes with a Fast Five, giving viewers a more personal look at Rivest’s leadership approach and his vision for Olymel’s future.