PartnerSlate is an “online platform that helps food and beverage brands find the right strategic partnerships to get their product to market. Brands can discover, connect and build relationships with contract manufacturers and other food industry partners across North America”. Partnerslate is open to manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, brand owners (who are searching) and industry consultants offering up their services in the space.
There are several payment plans available through Partnerslate. The cheapest version (free) allows manufacturers, suppliers, consultants and brand owners to plug in their information and be “found”. This free version really is reliant upon the user doing their diligence and plugging in the key information needed to be “found”. It would be beneficial if PartnerSlate gave concise direction to those that are taking on the free version to ensure that there is value in what they are plugging in.
With the paid version of the platform, I was able to explore the different aspects that make PartnerSlate appealing to manufacturers suppliers, consultants and brand owners. PartnerSlate is a central hub for any and all the co-mans, consultants, ingredient suppliers and private label manufacturers that you might be looking for to bring your product to market. The website also works for manufacturers who are looking for brands to provide their services to, allowing them to reach out and essentially advertise their services. PartnerSlate works like a matchmaking site where you can view the information of each company and see the specifications and requirements of each to determine if they are a good fit for your company. This reduces the amount of time and headache put into looking for partners. The paid version allows you to discover, connect, promote, inquire, communicate, and build a relationship with thousands of companies in the Food & Beverage industry. As well as provide tips on launching a consumer packaged goods (CPG) company.
There is a third “premium” paid version that offers extra hands on help with sourcing, higher ranking in searches and appearances in the newsletter. This results in a somewhat biased result for the “searcher” who will see premium accounts first, however this is a benefit for those who want to be found quickly and increase their buyers/clients.
One benefit that would be nice to see would be a way to search for vendors and co packers by proximity to my location. There is a geography search option but if someone wanted to find the co packers closest to them, that would be a useful feature—which does not exist at this moment.
Overall, PartnerSlate is a great way for Food and Beverage industry professionals to connect and make strategic partnerships. These are only a few of the features that PartnerSlate has to offer if you would like to experience it for yourself and learn more about the program, check out their website at www.partnerslate.com.
This unbiased review was written by Jamie Rae Saranghilo Lee, a food enthusiast, chef and blogger (and soon to be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)). For more of her writings and recipes check out her website https://jamiesgoodeats.weebly.com/
