F&BMarketplace SellersOperations

Case Study: How a Small Batch Foodmaker Scales to Global Wholesale — Lessons for Marketplace Food Vendors

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2026-02-15

9 min read

Operational playbook from Liber & Co.: scale batch production, enforce regulatory controls, and win restaurant accounts—practical steps for marketplaces.

Hook: If your marketplace vendors can’t scale production or pass compliance checks, you lose sales—and trust

Marketplaces that host food vendors face two linked risks: vendors outgrowing their ability to deliver, and buyers losing confidence when product quality or compliance falters. This case study distills the operational playbook used by Liber & Co.—a brand that grew from a single pot on a stove in 2011 to 1,500-gallon tanks and global wholesale accounts by 2026—into a step-by-step blueprint marketplaces can use to onboard, vet, and scale food vendors.

Top-line takeaways (read first)

Standardize documentation: require COAs, third-party audits, lot-level traceability, and clear label specs before listing.
Measure production readiness: KPIs such as batch yield, on-time fill rate, and microbial pass rate predict vendor reliability.
Support scaling paths: provide templates for SOPs, packaging specs, and a playbook for moving from in-house to co-packing.
Make restaurant wins repeatable: standard sample packs, demo programs, and recipe cards accelerate wholesale adoption.
Adopt modern tech: AI forecasting, digital traceability, and 3PL integrations are now marketplace table stakes (late 2025—early 2026).

The Liber & Co. quick profile: DIY ethos, professional systems

Background: Liber & Co. began with founders experimenting on a stovetop and grew into a vertically integrated manufacturer in Georgetown, Texas, handling everything from manufacturing to international sales. Their culture is hands-on—combining food-first product expertise with practical manufacturing and commercial systems.

“It all started with a single pot on a stove.” — Chris Harrison, co‑founder, Liber & Co.

By 2026 the company scaled to 1,500‑gallon tanks and global distribution while keeping a craft sensibility. That trajectory provides a repeatable operational arc for marketplace food vendors: prototype → controlled scale → compliance & traceability → commercialization to restaurants and distributors.

Operational playbook for batch scaling (from test pot to 1,500‑gallon tanks)

Scaling food manufacturing isn’t linear. It’s a systems problem: recipe fidelity, equipment, sanitation, workforce, and quality controls must all scale together. Follow this phased playbook:

Phase 0 — Prototype stability (stove, small kettles)

Document recipes as formulas (weights, temperatures, times) not just “cups” or taste cues.
Establish baseline lab tests: pH, Brix (sugars), water activity (aw), and microbial plating.
Define target shelf life with accelerated and real-time testing.

Phase 1 — Pilot batching (50–500 gal)

Create SOPs and batch records that mimic production flows: raw material QC → mix → fill → packaging.
Introduce in-process QC checks (pH/Brix plate checks every X minutes or liters).
Track yield math: input weight vs finished liters. Target yield loss and monitor shrink.
Run line trials to test fill accuracy and packaging ergonomics; collect operator feedback.

Phase 2 — Production scale (500–1500 gal)

Invest in proper tanks, agitators, and a Clean‑In‑Place (CIP) system to maintain food safety without manual downtime.
Standardize lot numbering and traceability: each batch should link raw material lot → production run → finished goods lot.
Automate common QC validations where possible (pH probes, inline refractometers).
Model cost-per-ounce at full-scale, including labor, energy, packaging, and distribution.

Scaling tips specific to syrups and similar viscous products

Viscosity and heat transfer scale non‑linearly—validate concentration and hold times at each scale step.
Use pilot runs for dosing automation calibration; small misdosing multiplies at scale.
Design for fill accuracy: invest in positive displacement pumps or servo fillers for thick liquids.

Regulatory controls & quality systems marketplaces must require

Marketplaces must move past a “good photo + label” model. By 2026 buyers expect digital traceability and proof of safe manufacturing. Require this minimum from vendors:

Food Safety Plan: FSMA-compliant plan including HACCP/Hazard analysis and sanitation SOPs.
Third‑party audits: SQF, BRC, or equivalent for vendors selling at scale or exporting—consider conditional acceptance for smaller vendors with corrective action plans.
Certificate of Analysis (COA): lot-level COAs for microbial and chemical tests when applicable.
Specifications & labels: product spec sheet, nutrition facts, full ingredient and allergen declaration, and pack weights.
Insurance & recall plan: product liability insurance and a documented recall/stop‑sale playbook with contacts and A/R procedures.

Recent 2025–2026 regulatory trends to watch:

Increased enforcement of traceability rules and digital records—marketplaces should prefer vendors with lot-level digital logs.
Growing expectation for sustainability and supply-chain transparency—GS1 Digital Link adoption accelerated in late 2025 for provenance use cases.
AI-assisted inspections and lab analytics becoming more common; vendors leveraging these tools pass audits faster.

Quality control: specific metrics to require and monitor

Turn quality into data. Ask vendors for monthly KPI reporting and set thresholds for marketplace eligibility:

Batch pass rate: percent of batches meeting internal QC and COA specs. Target >98% for mature producers.
On-time fill rate: percent of orders shipped within the agreed lead time. Target >95%.
Complaint rate: number of product complaints per 1,000 orders. Target <2.
Recall readiness time: time to identify and remove suspect lots from sale. Target <24 hours for verified incidents.

Technology that helps: LIMS (Lab Information Management Systems), ERP with batch tracking, and QR-coded lot traceability. By 2026, marketplaces should require vendors to expose lot metadata via API or secure file transfer for faster incident response.

There are three common distribution strategies—and each has trade-offs:

1) Direct-to-account (self-fulfill)

Best for small, local accounts. Low tech cost, but scales poorly for national restaurant chains.

2) Distributor/wholesale partner

Faster route to restaurant chains. Distributors manage logistics and sales but take margin and set payment terms.

3) 3PL + marketplace integration

Use 3PLs to centralize fulfillment, enable EDI/EDI-lite integration with wholesalers, and support export consolidation.

Marketplace best practice: require vendors to publish standardized lead times, case pack specs, palletization, and minimum order quantities (MOQs). For export, ensure vendors understand FDA prior notice requirements, FSVP obligations, and local import certificates.

Winning restaurant accounts: a repeatable sales playbook

Liber & Co.’s growth into restaurants and bars came from pairing product quality with a replicable commercial process. Marketplaces should coach vendors on this sales model:

Standard sample packs: create chef-sized sample kits with clear prep instructions and ROI points (cost per cocktail, yield per bottle).
Back-of-house trials: offer short-term trial terms (e.g., 2–4 week consignment or demo pricing) and follow with a performance review.
Recipe & POS support: supply recipe cards, menu copy, and quick staff training materials to reduce adoption friction.
Volume pricing tiers: publish wholesale price breaks at realistic thresholds that cover cost-plus margins.
Distributor onboarding: work with local distributors to list SKUs and provide volume forecasts—distributors win when they sell repeatable cases.

For marketplaces: require vendors to include a “Restaurant Sales Kit” during onboarding if they target wholesale customers. That kit should include cost‑per‑use data and a short case study or testimonial.

Onboarding checklist marketplaces should use (operational & compliance)

Use this as a minimum vendor acceptance checklist:

Signed vendor agreement and insurance certificate.
Product spec sheets for each SKU (ingredient breakdown, allergens, storage, shelf life).
Current nutrition label images and packaging artwork files.
Third‑party audit report (if applicable) or self‑audit with corrective actions.
One representative COA for current production lot; ability to provide lot-level COAs on demand.
Batch records template, lot numbering scheme, and recall contact list.
Fulfillment plan: self-fulfill, distributor, or 3PL; lead times and MOQs documented.
Photos and video: product shots, usage video, and packing demonstration for buyer confidence.

Technology & 2026 trends marketplaces must leverage

Late 2025 to early 2026 accelerated several technologies that change how marketplaces vet and scale vendors:

AI demand forecasting: reduces stockouts and overproduction for variable restaurant demand.
Digital traceability: GS1 Digital Link and blockchain proof-of-origin became mainstream for export-ready brands.
Cloud LIMS and API-first ERPs: simplify COA access and lot queries during audits and recalls.
Image-based QC: automated fill/label inspection saves labor and reduces recall risk; combine with DAM workflows for media and QC traceability.

Marketplaces should require vendors to map at least one integration point (CSV, SFTP, or API) for sharing lot and COA data.

Financial & operational trade-offs: build vs. co-pack

When vendors face rapid growth, they must decide: invest in in-house capacity or partner with a co‑packer?

In-house build: higher capital expense, more control, slower ramp. Better long-term margins and IP protection.
Co-packing: faster scale, lower capex, but margin sharing and potential loss of exclusive control over processes.

Advice for marketplaces: document both paths in onboarding resources and require a transition plan if a vendor plans to co‑pack—co‑packer specs, audit history, and signed quality agreements. Also provide guidance on packaging and palletization: link vendors to packaging case studies like scaling-label playbooks that cover packaging specs and sustainable choices.

Actionable checklist — 10 things marketplaces should implement this quarter

Update vendor onboarding to require COAs and a recall contact before listing.
Create a template “Restaurant Sales Kit” vendors must submit for wholesale SKUs.
Define minimum KPIs and include them in vendor performance dashboards.
Offer an SOP template for batch records and lot numbering to accelerate vendor readiness.
Integrate a COA ingestion workflow (CSV/SFTP/API) to automate lot verification.
Publish packaging and palletization guidelines to reduce fulfillment errors.
Require insurance limits and a basic recall plan for all food vendors.
Provide guidance on co-packing and a vendor-approved co-packer list.
Run a pilot program with 3–5 vendors to test distributor partnerships and demo programs for restaurants.
Train marketplace onboarding staff on FSMA basics and export readiness checks.

Case wrap: What Liber & Co. teaches marketplaces in 2026

Liber & Co.’s rise from stovetop experimentation to global wholesale highlights a core truth for marketplaces: craft brands can scale—but only when they pair product excellence with production discipline. The brand’s DIY ethos translated into strong operational muscle because they documented processes, invested in scalable equipment, and learned to speak the language of buyers (recipe yield, cost per use, and lot traceability).

For marketplaces, the implication is clear: don’t just list products—operationalize vendor readiness. Require the right documents, measure the right KPIs, and provide onboarding templates that make scaling repeatable.

Final practical takeaways

Expect vendors to evolve: give pathways from small-batch to co-packer with clear gates.
Make traceability non-negotiable: lots, COAs, and digital records reduce business risk.
Standardize restaurant enablement: sample packs and usage economics sell faster than photos.
Leverage 2026 tech: AI forecasting and digital traceability shorten the path to reliable wholesale supply.

Call to action

If you operate a marketplace or manage vendor onboarding, start by downloading our vendor onboarding checklist and SOP templates (product spec sheet, batch record, and recall plan). Implement the 10 items in the Actionable checklist this quarter to cut vendor failure rates and scale reliable food supply for restaurants and global buyers.

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