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Five Questions Brands Should Ask Before Choosing a Manufacturer
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By Jeremy Amos
Published: Friday, Dec 19, 2025
Most brands choose manufacturers based on price, lead time, and whether they can hit the specifications.
Those things matter. But they don't tell you the most important thing: What happens when something goes wrong.
When a batch tests borderline. When a timeline gets squeezed. When quality and convenience conflict. That's when you find out who you're actually working with. And the only way to know that upfront is to ask the right questions.
Not questions about capability—you can verify that through certifications and facility tours.
Questions about character. About values. About what happens when nobody's watching.
Here are five questions that will tell you everything you need to know about a manufacturer. Not what they say in marketing materials. What they actually do when nobody's watching.
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1. "Do You Test Every Batch, or Do You Test Selectively?"
Not "representative testing." Not "we test frequently." Not "we test when there's reason to be concerned."
Every batch. Full stop.
Here's why this matters:
Selective testing sounds reasonable. If you've tested the last fifty batches from a supplier and they're all clean, why test batch fifty-one?
Because batch fifty-one might be from a different field. Different harvest date. Different environmental conditions. Some variable shifted that you won't catch unless you check.
The batch you skip testing is always the batch that needed it.
Manufacturers who test selectively are making judgment calls: "This probably doesn't need testing because..."
Manufacturers who test every batch are following systems: "This gets tested because that's what we do."
Systems beat judgment. Every time.
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2. "What Happens When a Batch Fails Testing?"
This question reveals integrity.
Because every manufacturer has batches that fail. The question is what they do about it.
The right answer is: "We reject it. Document why. Investigate root cause. Sometimes it costs us, but that's the standard."
The wrong answers sound like:
- "That rarely happens to us" (deflection)
- "We work with the supplier to resolve it" (vague)
- "Depends on what failed and by how much" (situational ethics)
Here's what you're actually asking: When quality and convenience conflict, which wins?
A manufacturer who quickly rejects failed batches has already decided that quality wins. It's not a debate. It's policy.
A manufacturer who hedges, who talks about "working with" suppliers or "evaluating case by case"—they're telling you that sometimes convenience wins.
You want a manufacturer who's already made the hard decision so they don't have to make it when it's your product on the line.
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3. "Can I See Your Rejected Batch Log?"
This is the boldest question. Most brands won't ask it. But it's one of the most revealing.
A manufacturer who confidently says "yes" is a manufacturer with nothing to hide. They reject batches. They document it. They're comfortable showing you.
A manufacturer who hesitates, who says "that's proprietary" or "we'd need to redact supplier information" - they're telling you something.
Maybe they don't reject batches often enough to have a meaningful log. Maybe they reject batches but don't document it systematically. Maybe they're uncomfortable showing you how often they have quality issues.
Any of those answers is a red flag.
The best manufacturers we know will walk you through their rejected batch log. Show you what failed. Explain why. Detail the root cause analysis. Demonstrate that they take rejection seriously.
Because rejection is part of quality. If you're never rejecting batches, you're not maintaining standards—you're just accepting everything.
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4. "How Do You Handle Timeline Pressure?"
This question reveals what happens when the manufacturer is squeezed.
Because everyone can maintain quality when things are going smoothly. The question is what happens when a customer needs product faster than the standard timeline allows.
The right answer is: "We communicate clearly about what's realistic. If hitting your timeline would require shortcuts we won't take, we tell you upfront. We don't promise what we can't deliver without compromising."
The wrong answer sounds like: "We're flexible. We can usually work something out." "Flexible" is code for "we'll cut corners if the pressure is high enough."
Here's the reality: Quality takes time. Testing takes time. Proper documentation takes time. You can't compress that timeline without compressing the quality.
A good manufacturer knows this and says so. They'll tell you what's possible. They'll tell you what's not. They won't promise to be fast and thorough simultaneously.
You want a manufacturer who will disappoint you about timelines now rather than disappoint you about quality later.
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5. "What's a Project You've Turned Down Recently, and Why?"
This is the question that reveals values.
Because the projects a manufacturer turns down tell you more about who they are than the projects they accept.
The right answer includes specifics: "A brand wanted us to [specific request]. We said no because [specific reason that ties to quality or integrity]."
For us, it sounds like:
- "A brand wanted a formulation that wouldn't achieve what they thought it would. We told them upfront it wouldn't work. They wanted us to do it anyway. We declined."
- "A brand needed a timeline that would require skipping stability testing. We explained why that's not negotiable. They found another manufacturer."
- "A brand wanted us to source the cheapest possible hemp regardless of quality. That's not how we operate. Not a fit."
The wrong answer is: "We try to work with everyone. We're pretty flexible."
If a manufacturer hasn't turned down projects, they don't have standards. They have quotas.
You want a manufacturer who's selective. Who's willing to lose business to maintain integrity. Who's turned down revenue because a project didn't align with their values.
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Why These Questions Matter
Notice what these questions reveal:
- Question 1 reveals their systems.
- Question 2 reveals their integrity under pressure.
- Question 3 reveals their transparency.
- Question 4 reveals their priorities when squeezed.
- Question 5 reveals their values.
These aren't questions about capability. You can verify capability through certifications, facility tours, reference calls.
These are questions about character.
And character is what matters when things go wrong. When a batch is borderline. When a timeline is tight. When pressure is high.
Capability gets you products that work when everything's easy. Character gets you products that work when everything's hard.
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The Manufacturer's Response
Here's the other thing these questions reveal: how the manufacturer responds to being questioned.
A good manufacturer welcomes these questions. They're proud of their answers. They want you to know how they operate. They understand that these questions indicate you're serious about quality.
A defensive manufacturer—one who seems annoyed by the questions, who deflects, who says "don't you trust us?"—is telling you something.
They're telling you they're not used to working with brands who care this much about quality.
And if they're not used to it, that means most of their customers don't ask these questions. Which means they're probably not set up to deliver the level of quality you're expecting.
You want a manufacturer who's relieved that you're asking hard questions. Because it means you care about the same things they do.
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What We Hope You Ask Us
These are the questions we hope brands ask us.
Not because we have perfect answers. We don't. We've made mistakes. We've had batches fail. We've had to tell customers no about timelines or projects.
But we can tell you about all of it. We can show you our rejected batch log. We can explain how we handle pressure. We can tell you about projects we've turned down and why.
We can be transparent because we have systems we trust and values we won't compromise.
That's what these questions reveal. Not perfection. But clarity about who we are and how we operate.
If you're evaluating manufacturers, ask these questions. All five. To everyone you're considering. The answers will tell you everything you need to know.
Not about their capability. About their character.
And when you're trusting someone with your brand's reputation, character matters more than capability.
Evaluating manufacturers? These five questions will tell you what marketing materials can't. Save this list. Use it. Your brand's reputation depends on asking the right questions upfront.
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