Early-stage beverage founder - worth paying $8k+ for formulation labs or start with consultant?
Hi all! I’m in the early stages of developing a functional sparkling beverage (clean ingredients, soda alternative, exploring using premium ingredients).
I’ve started getting proposals from beverage labs like Drink Labs, Jungle Beverages, Bebida Labs, etc., but the upfront cost is pretty high (around $8k–$10k+ per SKU). I've also heard back from independent consultants, which would be about half the cost. I'd prefer to work in person to finalize the flavors (I'm based in LA).
I’ve been doing some early at-home testing to understand flavor direction, but I’m not really looking to fully DIY this, I’d prefer to work with professionals to get to a high-quality, scalable product.
Right now I’m trying to figure out the best approach:
- Is it worth going straight to a full-service lab at this stage?
- Or better to work with an independent consultant first to refine formulations, then go to a lab later for scaling/pilot production?
My concern is spending a lot upfront before I’ve fully nailed the taste, but I also don’t want to over-index on DIY and slow things down.
Would love to hear from anyone who’s gone through this, what path did you take and what would you do differently?
Thanks in advance!