Functional beverages, bone broth, botanical drinks, and shelf-stable bottled products are one of the trickiest categories to co-pack — the process, equipment, and compliance requirements all shift depending on the product. Here's what to understand about hot-fill beverage production before you approach a Miami co-packer.
What "hot-fill" actually means
Hot-fill is a shelf-stability process where the beverage is heated to a specific temperature, filled into its bottle while still hot, capped immediately, and then cooled — the heat and immediate seal work together to reduce microbial risk and extend shelf life without refrigeration or preservatives. It's the standard process for many functional drinks, teas, juices, and bone broths sold at room temperature on a retail shelf.
Why not every co-packer can run every beverage
Hot-fill equipment has to handle the product's specific viscosity and ingredients — a thin tea and a thick bone broth behave very differently on a filling line. Beyond equipment, the regulatory path differs too: a non-alcoholic functional beverage falls under standard FDA food safety rules, while anything alcohol-based requires TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) licensing on top of that — a separate approval most co-packers don't hold at all.
Questions to ask a beverage co-packer
- Can your equipment handle my product's viscosity? Bone broth, smoothies, and thick functional drinks need different equipment than thin teas or juices.
- What's your MOQ for a first run? Beverage production often has higher minimums than powders or capsules due to equipment changeover costs — ask early so it doesn't derail your budget.
- What's your typical lead time? Between ingredient sourcing, production scheduling, and bottling, beverage lead times commonly run several weeks — plan launch timelines accordingly.
- Are you TTB-licensed, if my product contains alcohol? This is a hard requirement, not a nice-to-have — an unlicensed facility legally cannot produce it.
- What packaging formats do you support? Glass bottles, plastic bottles, and pouches all require different filling setups.
Starting small with a beverage line
Because beverage production tends to have higher minimums than other categories, it's worth asking specifically about pilot-run options before committing to a full production batch. A smaller first run — even if the per-unit cost is higher — lets you validate taste, shelf stability, and market response before scaling.
Oria Lab handles hot-fill beverage production in Miami, FL, including functional drinks and bone broth, and is TTB-licensed for alcohol-based formulations — one of very few co-packers in South Florida approved for that combination.
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