For makers and farms

Co-packers, shared kitchens and food business help in New Jersey

Q: Shared kitchen or co-packer: which do I need?

If you still make the product yourself, rent time in a licensed shared or commissary kitchen. When orders outgrow your own hands, a co-packer takes over production.

28 businesses and programs in New Jersey that help small food makers and farms make, store and move product: 8 co-packers, 13 shared kitchens, 2 programs and official lists, and 5 cold storage companies, distributors, processors and suppliers.

8Co-packers
13Shared kitchens
2Programs and lists
28Listings in all

Get listed New Jersey cottage food law Shops that carry small makers in New Jersey

Programs and official lists in New Jersey

2 listed. Start here. State and university programs that help food businesses with recipes, safety plans and licensing, and the public lists they keep.

NJ Farm to School Local Food Vendor Resource Listproduce
NJ · nj.gov
State list of local food distributors serving schools and institutions
Rutgers Food Innovation Center
Bridgeton, NJ · foodinnovation.rutgers.edu
Food business incubator with pilot plant, bottling line and safety training

Co-packers in New Jersey

8 listed. Contract manufacturers that make and pack your recipe in a licensed plant. Co-packers in New Jersey has its own page.

The Organic Food Incubatorbeveragessaucescoffee teaorganic certified
Bloomfield, NJ · organicfoodincubator.com · source
Beverages, sauces and powders; startup runs from 25 gallons
DK Pastrybaked goodsgluten free
Cherry Hill, NJ · dkpastry.com
Wholesale bakery and co-packer, gluten free and conventional
Farmer's Choice Food Brandssaucesjams preservessmall batch
Closter, NJ · farmerschoicefoods.com · source
Small batch sauces, dressings, jams and jellies
MetaBrandbeverages
Edison, NJ · metabrandcorp.com
Beverage formulation, manufacturing and co-packing
Aunt Gussie's Cookies & Crackersbaked goods
Garfield, NJ · auntgussies.com
Cookie and cracker bakery that offers co-packing
Allied Old Englishsauces
Port Reading, NJ · alliedoldenglish.com
Private label bottler of sauces and other bottled foods
Telmark Packagingdry mixes spicesbeveragessaucesoils vinegars
Red Bank, NJ · telmarkpkg.com · source
Contract packaging for mixes, spices, sauces, oils and drinks
Patriot Picklepickles ferments
Wayne, NJ · patriotpickle.com
Pickle maker offering contract manufacturing and private label

Shared and commissary kitchens in New Jersey

13 listed. Licensed kitchens you rent by the hour or month, often with storage and business help. Shared and commissary kitchens in New Jersey has its own page.

Asbury Park Food Collective
Asbury Park, NJ · asburyparkfoodcollective.com · source
Shared commercial kitchen for local food businesses
Audacity Kitchen
Bloomfield, NJ · source
Small commissary offering compact kitchen pods
Foodie Hall
Cherry Hill, NJ · source
4,000+ sq ft kitchen split into five large stations
Le Gourmet Factory
Englewood, NJ · legourmetfactory.com
Food business incubator renting licensed commercial kitchens
Haddon Kitchen Incubator
Haddon Township, NJ · haddonkitchen.com · source
Kitchen incubator with shared and exclusive-use rentals
Hudson Kitchen
Kearny, NJ · thehudsonkitchen.com · source
8,000 sq ft shared kitchen with storage and business bootcamp
Central Jersey Commercial Kitchenbaked goods
Linden, NJ · source
24/7 kitchen for caterers, bakers and market vendors
Red Barn Kitchen Incubator
Long Valley, NJ · source
Hourly rental kitchen in a converted barn
Garden State Kitchenbaked goods
Orange, NJ · gardenstatekitchen.com · source
Kitchen incubator with six prep, baking and catering spaces
Salt Road Food Hubgluten free
Paterson, NJ · saltroadfoodhub.com
Gluten free, meat free shared kitchen that also co-packs
South Amboy Kitchenpickles fermentsbaked goods
South Amboy, NJ · southamboykitchen.com · source
4,700 sq ft kitchen and incubator; acidified and low-acid canning
Cherry Street Kitchen
Trenton, NJ · cherrystreetkitchen.com
Multi-tenant commercial kitchen with storage on Trenton and Ewing border
Bellamy Kitchen
Union City, NJ · bellamykitchen.com · source
Three rentable kitchen spaces, about 3,000 sq ft total

Cold storage and fulfillment in New Jersey

2 listed. Refrigerated and frozen warehousing, and companies that pick, pack and ship orders for food brands. Ask about minimums, since some mostly serve larger brands.

FreezPak Logisticsfrozen
Carteret, NJ · freezpak.com · source
Frozen and refrigerated warehousing and logistics
TruFresh Logisticsproduce
Vineland, NJ · trufreshlogistics.com
Cold storage 3PL with repacking, packaging and distribution

Distributors and food hubs in New Jersey

3 listed. Specialty, natural and local food distributors, and food hubs that aggregate from small producers.

Fairgrown Farmproduce
Pennington, NJ · fairgrownfarm.com · source
Grower and distributor aggregating produce from partner farms
Zone 7produce
Ringoes, NJ · freshfromzone7.com · source
Local farm food distributor with wholesale and home delivery
J. Ambrogi Foodsproducedairy cheese
Thorofare, NJ · ambrogifoods.com · source
Produce distributor with local, specialty and fresh-cut items

Suppliers that ship to New Jersey

Packaging, fulfillment and distribution are mostly national. See insulated boxes, gel packs and dry ice, jars, labels and boxes, cold storage and fulfillment and specialty food distributors. For the how-to, read how to start cold shipping and shipping supplies for food makers.

Get listed, or fix a listing

Co-packer, shared kitchen, packaging supplier, cold storage or distributor that works with small food makers and farms? Send the details and we will add you. Listings are free. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Software and setup for makers

Madeline's sets up the back office for small food makers and farms: inventory and lot tracking, shipping and cold chain, wholesale ordering, recipe costing and labels and more. See Artisanal Solutions, or sell on the Madeline's marketplace.

Questions

What is a co-packer?

A co-packer (contract packer) is a licensed food plant that makes and packs your product to your recipe. You own the brand and the recipe. They own the equipment, the inspections and the labor. Most ask for a minimum run, so call several and compare minimums, price per unit and what they will source for you.

Shared kitchen or co-packer: which do I need?

If you are still making it yourself, rent time in a shared or commissary kitchen. It is licensed, so you can sell beyond cottage food limits. When orders outgrow your own hands, a co-packer takes over production. Many makers use a kitchen for a year or two first.

Where does this list come from?

From public lists kept by state agriculture departments, university extension and food innovation centers, and from each business's own site. Listings that came from a public list link to that source. A listing is not an endorsement, so check licensing, insurance and minimums yourself.

How do I get listed or fix a listing?

Use the form on this page. Listings are free.

Sources: public lists from state agriculture departments, university extension and food innovation centers, and each business's own site. Listings are independent businesses and are not affiliated with Madeline's. A listing is not an endorsement.