Two questions come up in almost every first manufacturer conversation: how many do I have to order, and how long will it take? The honest answer is format-specific — and it's often different from the numbers founders find online or assume from other industries.
This article gives format-by-format MOQs, indicative lead times by scenario, and a plain account of what first-run economics look like at realistic batch sizes.
Minimum order quantities by format
MOQs at MHS are set by format and production line, not by a general company policy. They reflect the minimum batch size at which a production run is economically viable — below these quantities, setup costs dominate unit economics.
| Format | MOQ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Powder (jars) | 70 units | Per SKU per run; single flavour |
| Gummies | 10,000 gummies | Approximately 250 units of 40-count pouches |
| Liquids | 1,000 units | Per SKU per run; bottle format |
| Sachets | 50,000 units | Driven by stick-pack machine minimum run |
Gummy MOQs are stated in total gummies rather than units because gummy count per pouch varies (20, 40, 60 gummies). A 10,000-gummy MOQ at 40 gummies per pouch is 250 units; at 60 gummies per pouch it's 167 units. Count-per-unit is part of the packaging specification and is set before production is priced.
For formats not listed — capsules, tablets, soft-gels — MHS can advise whether in-house production or a subcontract arrangement applies for your specification. These are quoted individually.
Lead times by scenario
Lead time means the time from purchase order to product dispatched from the manufacturing facility. It does not include shipping to a 3PL or fulfilment warehouse, which adds 2–5 business days domestically.
The two largest variables are ingredient sourcing (local vs imported) and whether this is a first run or a repeat run with ingredients already qualified and on hand.
| Scenario | Indicative lead time |
|---|---|
| First order, locally sourced ingredients | ~2 months |
| First order, imported ingredients | ~3–4 months |
| Replenishment, locally sourced | ~2–3 weeks |
| Replenishment, imported ingredients | ~2–3 months |
First-order lead times are longer because ingredient onboarding, QA qualification, and documentation setup all happen for the first time. Replenishment runs are faster because ingredients are pre-qualified, batch records exist, and the production schedule is familiar.
These are indicative figures — your actual lead time depends on production scheduling at the time of order and on whether your packaging components are ready. Packaging component readiness (labels, containers, lids) is the most common cause of production delays that are not ingredient-related.
First-run economics
First-run economics at low batch sizes look different from replenishment economics. Setup costs (formulation documentation, batch record creation, QA, line setup) are fixed per run — they don't scale proportionally with batch size. At 70 units, those fixed costs have a much larger per-unit impact than at 500 units.
The indicative figures below are for illustration only. Actual margins depend on formulation cost, ingredient cost, packaging cost, and retail price. Use these to frame planning conversations — not for financial modelling.
| Batch size (powder, indicative) | Indicative margin per unit at $65 RRP |
|---|---|
| 250 units | ~$10 |
| 350 units | ~$12 |
| 500 units | ~$16 |
| 1,000 units | ~$19 |
Margin increases materially between 250 and 1,000 units for a fixed RRP because fixed costs are spread across more units. The question is whether the demand certainty justifies the upfront inventory commitment. This is a commercial question, not a manufacturing question — but it's worth modelling before committing to a batch size.
Production backlog and scheduling
MHS operates a production schedule with a standing backlog of 4–8 weeks for new orders. During peak periods (pre-Christmas, financial year-end for B2B customers), that window extends. The practical implication: production start is not immediate after purchase order.
If you have a hard launch date — a trade show, a pre-order campaign, a seasonal window — plan backwards from that date and add 4–6 weeks of buffer to the indicative lead time. Communicate the launch date requirement at enquiry stage, not at purchase order stage.
How to size your first run
The standard founder trap is under-ordering on the first run to limit risk, then running out before the replenishment run completes. For locally sourced products, a replenishment run takes 2–3 weeks — that's manageable. For imported-ingredient products, a replenishment run takes 2–3 months — a stockout that long at launch is a material commercial problem.
The rule of thumb: order enough to cover 3–4 months of expected demand at your initial sales velocity, accounting for the replenishment lead time specific to your ingredient sourcing. If you have imported ingredients and are planning a product launch, the minimum viable first run is typically larger than founders initially expect.
MHS can assist with this calculation as part of the production planning conversation.
Frequently asked questions
A sample run — typically used to confirm formula taste, texture, or packaging fit before committing to a full production run — is subject to a minimum charge of approximately $600 + GST. The sample run produces a small quantity for evaluation, not for commercial sale. It is available for projects where a formulation is complete and the production documentation exists.
The MOQ is the minimum commercial production run — it's not a floor that can be negotiated down for first-time customers. Below the MOQ, per-unit costs become commercially impractical. For founders who want to validate demand before committing to the full MOQ, MHS can discuss whether a sample run meets the validation need. A sample run produces a small number of units for founder/customer evaluation — it is not a commercial batch and cannot be sold commercially.
The first-order lead time is driven by the longest lead time ingredient. If one ingredient is imported and takes 10–12 weeks to procure, the whole production run waits for that ingredient regardless of whether the others are locally sourced. On first order, mixed sourcing typically results in a lead time closer to the imported scenario than the local scenario. MHS's ingredient sourcing team can advise whether a locally available substitute exists for any imported ingredient.