Question 1

How much does pre-roll co-packing cost in California?

Accepted Answer

Our published starting rates are per-unit and itemized, so you can model a SKU before you call. Rolling starts at $0.30 per unit for 0.5g and 1g cones, $0.50 for 1.5g, and $0.60 for 2g. Blunts start at $1.20 and 2g hash holes at $2.00. Kief or THCa isolate coating starts at $0.30 on a 0.5g and scales up to $1.10 on a 2g (blunts and hash holes add $1.00). Packaging is $0.20 per finished package — jar, tube, or box — regardless of how many pre-rolls are inside, and label application is $0.05 per touch. A 0.5g five-pack jar therefore lands around $1.50 per jar at a typical bundle rate. Orders of 10,000+ units usually earn about 20% off starting rates. Full matrices live on our pricing page.

Question 2

What's the difference between white label and co-packing?

Accepted Answer

Co-packing means you own the inputs. You supply the flower, oil, or edible product plus the cones, jars, tubes, or hardware, and CRC provides the labor, equipment, compliance workflow, and finished packaging. You pay per unit for production only. White label means we own the sourcing. CRC secures the flower or distillate, the hardware, and the packaging, produces the SKU to your spec, and you supply the brand — label artwork, design direction, and pricing strategy. Both programs run under CRC's Type 6 manufacturing license and can move through our distribution license. The practical difference is capital: co-packing is cheaper per unit, white label is faster to launch and requires no supply chain of your own.

Question 3

Do you pack concentrates?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We pack 1g concentrate jars and containers — glass, silicone, or your own container spec — starting at $0.40 per unit for packing and lid application. Labels are not included on concentrates: each label touch is $0.05, so a single compliance label lands at $0.45 per unit and a two-label layout at $0.50. Containers can be supplied by you or sourced by CRC and are quoted separately from the per-unit rate. Tamper-evident sealing, batch records, and METRC package creation are handled the same way as our edible and flower lines, and 10,000+ unit runs typically earn around 20% off starting rates.

Question 4

What is your minimum order (MOQ)?

Accepted Answer

Minimums are volume- and format-dependent rather than fixed, because setup time varies more than run time. Most first runs land between 1,000 and 5,000 units, which is enough to justify a line changeover and still small enough to test a SKU on shelf. We also run paid sample batches before a full production commitment so you can approve fill weight, coating, seal, and label placement on real product rather than a spec sheet. Volume pricing engages at 10,000+ units, where per-unit rates typically drop around 20%. If you're below a comfortable minimum for one format, we'll usually suggest consolidating across formats — pre-rolls plus packaging, for example — so a single run makes sense for both sides.

Question 5

What are your lead times?

Accepted Answer

We return an itemized quote within roughly 48 hours of receiving your specs and volumes. Once the quote is approved, we produce a sample for your sign-off before scaling. Full production typically runs 7 to 14 days from the point where materials are on site and compliance paperwork — METRC transfers, testing plan, label review — is in place. Those figures are typical rather than guaranteed: the real variable is almost never our line speed, it's material lead times and lab turnaround. Rush windows are sometimes possible depending on the schedule, so tell us your retail date up front and we'll tell you honestly whether it's achievable before you commit materials.

Question 6

Do I need my own license to work with CRC?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the program. For co-packing, your product has to originate from a licensed source and arrive at our facility by METRC transfer to CRC's license — so there's a licensed entity somewhere in your chain, whether that's you or your supplier. For white label, CRC can manufacture under our Type 6 license and move finished goods under our distribution license, which means an unlicensed brand can launch legally. In that structure you own the intellectual property — brand, artwork, recipe direction — and CRC is the licensee of record for manufacturing and distribution. It's the most common path for a new brand or an out-of-state brand entering California without building a facility first.

Question 7

Who handles lab testing and COAs?

Accepted Answer

CRC coordinates testing with licensed California laboratories as part of the production workflow. Batches are sampled and tested according to DCC requirements, and the certificate of analysis is delivered with each batch so you have documentation for your distributor, your retailers, and your own records. We handle scheduling, sample custody, and the paperwork that connects the COA to the METRC package. Testing cost is passed through at lab cost unless it was explicitly included in your quote — we don't mark it up. If a batch needs remediation or a retest, we'll tell you what the lab found, what the options are, and what each one costs before anything is reworked or destroyed.

Question 8

How does METRC work with a co-packer?

Accepted Answer

Your material enters our facility on an inbound transfer manifest assigned to CRC's license. From there the packages are tracked through each production step, so weight in, weight out, and waste are all accounted for against the source package. Finished goods are created as new packages and tagged, then leave on an outbound manifest — either to your distributor, to a retailer through CRC's distribution license, or back to you. The result is an unbroken chain of custody from your flower or oil to the shelf. Practically, this means we need accurate package data before material ships, and it means your reporting stays clean even though production happened on someone else's license.

Question 9

Do you sign NDAs and can you keep our formulation confidential?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We sign NDAs as a matter of course and treat formulations, strain sourcing, packaging specs, and volumes as client-confidential. Structurally, we're built not to compete: CRC does not sell CRC-branded consumer products, so we have no shelf position to protect and no incentive to reuse your work. Your recipe, your coating ratios, your hardware choices, and your cost structure stay yours. Production records are kept for compliance purposes and shared only where regulation requires it. If your program involves proprietary equipment, a custom process, or a supplier you'd rather not name, tell us during the quote stage and we'll document how it's handled.

Question 10

Can I supply my own cones, jars, tubes, and hardware?

Accepted Answer

Yes — most clients do, and it's usually the cheapest path. Send us your cones, jars, tubes, boxes, pouches, or vape hardware and we'll run against them. If you'd rather not manage a second supply chain, CRC can source materials for you; either way materials are quoted separately from the per-unit production rate so you always see what is labor and what is components. We'll also flag compliance issues before a run: child-resistant closures, tamper-evident sealing, opaque exit requirements, and label real estate for California warning and track-and-trace copy. Getting packaging reviewed before you buy 20,000 jars is the single easiest way to avoid an expensive relabel.

Question 11

Can you deliver to my retailers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CRC holds a California distribution license alongside our Type 6 manufacturing license, so finished goods can go straight from our floor to licensed retailers statewide — METRC manifests, transport, testing coordination, and delivery scheduling included. That keeps one accountable party from raw material to shelf, which usually shortens the gap between production and reorder. If you already work with a distributor you like, we'll hand off instead: finished, tagged, tested packages released on an outbound manifest to their license. Tell us which model you want at quote time, because it changes how testing and release timing get sequenced in your production schedule.

Questions brands ask before they hire a co-packer.

Pricing & terms

Compliance & process

Materials & logistics

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