Most food and drink innovation doesn’t fail because of the idea. It fails during commercialisation.
The concept is validated. The product has been developed. Stakeholders are aligned and the launch is approved. Then the manufacturing reality arrives.
Suppliers that looked viable on paper cannot deliver the specification exactly as required. Production costs come back higher than the business case assumed. Capacity falls short of forecast demand. Lead times don’t fit retailer launch windows. Quality standards vary between facilities. What began as a strong innovation opportunity starts losing value, momentum and commercial viability as operational constraints emerge. The challenge is often structural. Many businesses treat supplier selection as a procurement exercise rather than a critical part of the innovation process. Manufacturing partners are evaluated against technical specifications and commercial terms, but not against the broader context of what the innovation is trying to achieve. The result is a supplier that appears to work on paper but struggles to support the product’s commercial ambitions in practice.
By the time these issues become visible, development work is complete, launch plans are committed, and changes are costly. Delays increase, compromises are made, and opportunities are missed. Our Supply Chain & Manufacturing Solutions service is designed to prevent this from happening. We start by understanding both the innovation and the operational challenge. Through a structured diagnostic, we review the current supply chain, manufacturing requirements and commercial objectives to identify the capabilities needed for successful delivery. We then conduct a targeted market scan to identify potential manufacturing partners, evaluate them against agreed criteria such as capability, capacity, quality standards, scalability and cost, and create a focused shortlist of the strongest candidates. From there, we undertake deeper due diligence, including reference checks and site visits where appropriate, to validate suitability before any final selection is made. The outcome is not simply a list of suppliers, but a manufacturing solution that is aligned with the product, the business strategy and the realities of commercial scale. The service is particularly valuable for businesses launching new products, entering new categories, scaling production or navigating complex manufacturing decisions where supplier capability will directly influence commercial success. It is less relevant for organisations focused primarily on building in-house manufacturing operations, addressing broader logistics and distribution challenges, or managing low-volume sourcing projects where strategic supplier selection is not a significant risk factor.
Food and drink is all we do
We are not a generalist procurement consultancy that takes the occasional food and drink brief or a supply chain advisor with selective sector experience. Food and drink is the only sector we work in, and our team knows the UK and European food and drink manufacturing network specifically: which 3PMs specialise in which categories, what the realistic commercial terms look like, where the operational capability is genuinely deep versus marketed as deep. Generic consultancies can run procurement processes; sector specialists can match the right 3PM to the specific innovation brief because the manufacturing network knowledge is sector-specific rather than transferable.
That focus is why we work with 11 of the UK’s top 40 food and drink brands.
Other ways to launch and scale innovation successfully
3PM Manufacturing Solutions is one tool in the broader Launch & Scale Innovation Successfully toolkit. Depending on the brief, one of these might be a better fit, or a stronger partner alongside the manufacturing work.
-
Product Concept-to-Launch Programmes
Specialist integrated programme management for food and drink brands running major innovation launches from concept stage through to commercial launch and scale.
-
Volumetrics
Specialist volume forecasting for food and drink brands launching new products, ranges or menus.
-
R&D Sprints
A compressed R&D methodology designed for food and drink innovation work where speed matters as much as quality.
-
Retailer Pitch Support
Specialist pitch support for food and drink brands presenting to retailers, foodservice operators and trade buyers.
View our case studies
-
Mars
Mars needed a true research partner to decode consumer meal behaviour across three markets. FIS Group delivered a bespoke Meal Moments programme combining in-the-moment diary capture, qualitative exploration and strategic workshop facilitation – turning occasion-level data into immediate commercial direction.
-
Oscar Mayer
Oscar Mayer needed category understanding in convenience and discount channels that could drive retailer conversations. FIS Group delivered a multi-phase programme combining quantitative, qualitative and innovation expertise, turning research into a commercial asset at the negotiating table.
-
Valeo Foods
Valeo Foods needed to unlock new category opportunities through genuine retailer collaboration rather than conventional supplier presentations. FIS Group facilitated co-creation workshops with Sainsbury's, M&S and Tesco, generating a pipeline of sweet and snacking concepts built inside Valeo's development framework and ready for prototype presentation within months.
FAQs
Sector specialism and innovation integration. Generic procurement and supply chain consultancies handle 3PM work as procurement methodology applied across sectors, with category-specific knowledge dependent on the consultancy’s specific experience (often limited for food and drink). Our 3PM Manufacturing Solutions is sector-specific: senior team works in food and drink continuously, the 3PM network knowledge is built around food and drink manufacturing specifically, the specification translation and commercial negotiation are scoped against food and drink category realities. The two are not interchangeable for substantive food and drink manufacturing briefs where sector specialism affects the commercial outcome.
Yes, across the UK and European food and drink manufacturing network: chilled, frozen, ambient, dairy, bakery, beverages, snacks, ready meals, foodservice manufacturing and other major category contexts. Specific relationship depth varies by category and by manufacturer; we will tell you at scoping which 3PMs we have direct relationships with for your specific category brief versus which would require fresh outreach. The established relationships matter because they shape the realistic commercial conversations and the speed of credible 3PM evaluation.
Yes. Food and drink manufacturing varies materially by category in ways that affect 3PM evaluation: chilled manufacturing requires different capability and commercial structure than ambient; bakery has different commercial economics than dairy; foodservice manufacturing has different operational reality than retail FMCG. Senior food and drink specialists run the category-specific interpretation throughout, which is the layer that separates useful 3PM work from generic procurement methodology applied to food briefs. We will scope the category specialism honestly at the start based on the specific manufacturing brief.
Multiple integration models depending on the brief. Some 3PM Manufacturing Solutions runs entirely externally with our cross-functional team, with the qualified 3PM relationships handed over to the client procurement function for ongoing management. Some runs as integrated work with the internal procurement team embedded in the sourcing process, which preserves internal capability while gaining the specialist sector input. Some runs for capacity-augmentation when internal procurement is committed elsewhere and external specialist capability is the bridge. We design the integration model at scoping.
Yes, across the UK and European food and drink manufacturing network primarily. Multi-market 3PM sourcing has higher operational complexity than single-market work because the manufacturing reality (capability, commercial structure, regulatory context, logistics integration) varies between markets in ways that affect the sourcing methodology. We run UK-led multi-market briefs through our established European relationships; full multi-market sourcing across global markets requires partnership with local specialists in specific regions and we will be honest at scoping about the operational reality.
Built into the methodology rather than added as a separate workstream. Quality and operational standards (specification documentation, quality control protocols, audit programmes, performance management frameworks) are scoped from the start of the engagement, with the standards work integrated through the sourcing, negotiation and setup phases rather than added after the 3PM relationship is in place. Critical for own-label work and for any brief where retailer-imposed standards add operational complexity to the 3PM relationship.
Depends on the format and the brief. Focused 3PM sourcing typically delivers: qualified 3PM relationship ready for commercial production, commercial agreement framework, specification documentation, quality and operational standards setup, handover documentation for ongoing relationship management. Manufacturing capability programmes deliver ongoing engagement work across the programme duration. Strategic manufacturing partnerships deliver sustained operational support across the engagement period. Format agreed at the start so the work feeds the next phase of commercial activity rather than reading as a procurement report.
Eight to fourteen weeks for focused 3PM sourcing from scoping to qualified relationship ready for production. Manufacturing capability programmes run three to nine months as ongoing engagements. Strategic manufacturing partnerships run twelve months or longer as sustained relationships. Compressed timelines are possible for focused briefs where the 3PM landscape is well-mapped and the specification is clear; more complex briefs (multi-market, multi-3PM, novel category, scale-up brand without internal procurement) typically run longer. Realistic timelines at proposal stage.
Yes, with careful scoping. UK and European 3PM Manufacturing Solutions runs through our established sector relationships. Selective US and UAE work for specific briefs. International 3PM work is operationally more complex than single-market because the manufacturing reality varies materially between markets. We will scope international capability honestly at the scoping call based on the specific markets and the manufacturing brief.
Project-based, scoped against the format (focused sourcing, capability programme, strategic partnership), the manufacturing brief complexity, the number of 3PMs in scope, the depth of specification translation and commercial negotiation work, the geographic scope and the ongoing relationship management requirement. Focused single-3PM UK sourcing is the lowest entry point; strategic multi-market portfolio partnerships are the highest. We give a clear, all-in quote at proposal stage with no hidden extras.
Got innovation work that needs to translate into manufactured product through 3PM partners?
Tell us the manufacturing brief, the broader innovation context, the existing 3PM context if any, the integration with your internal procurement and supply chain team, and the timeline. We will tell you whether 3PM Manufacturing Solutions is the right tool, what format makes sense, what cross-functional team composition the brief requires and what it will cost. Where generic procurement, Product Concept-to-Launch Programmes or another service would be better, we will recommend the right alternative honestly.