---
title: "Supplement contract manufacturers, matched and managed"
description: "Supplement contract manufacturers matched to your product and managed end to end: specification, release testing, imports and freight to your warehouse."
url: https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing
updated: 2026-10-28
---
# Supplement manufacturing, managed from formula to your warehouse

https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing · Service · last reviewed 2026-10-19

## In short
(https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing#in-short)

- We develop the product, then manage its manufacture through cGMP partners matched to its format, volume and margin.
- For a TGA-listed medicine, every step is made under the TGA manufacturing licence or GMP clearance it needs, and every batch is third-party tested before release.
- The minimum run is 3,000 finished retail packs per batch, for listed medicines and foods alike.
- A production run takes 12 to 14 weeks once the specification is signed. Payment is 50% with the purchase order and 50% before dispatch.

## Managed manufacturing, not a single factory
(https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing#managed-manufacturing-not-a-single-factory)

Take Friday Off is not a contract manufacturer. We develop the product, then manage its manufacture through cGMP manufacturing partners chosen for that product: its format, its volume and the margin it has to make. One team carries the specification, the packaging and the labelling, so nothing is lost between the formula and the production line. How a manufacturer, a consultant and a development partner differ is in our guide to [choosing a development partner](https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner); we work from [Brookvale, Sydney](https://takefridayoff.com/supplement-development-sydney).

| | A contract manufacturer | Take Friday Off |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where it is made | In the manufacturer's own facility | With cGMP partners matched to your format, volume and margin |
| Formula and claims evidence | Varies by manufacturer | Designed by us, with the evidence behind every claim |
| TGA listing, label and stability | Varies by manufacturer | Part of the work: listing, label review and a stability program |
| After the production run | Varies by manufacturer | Release testing, imports, customs and freight to your warehouse or 3PL |

## What we manage
(https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing#what-we-manage)

- **The specification**: what every batch must meet, written before the first order.
- **Packaging and labelling**: from 60-count bottles and 100% recycled PET to 14-day pouches, 7-day trial packs and a brand's own pouch, with the label reviewed before print. More on [packaging and labelling](https://takefridayoff.com/packaging). On one project our label review caught two errors before print.
- **Release testing**: every TGA-listed batch is third-party tested.
- **Imports, customs and freight**: imported ingredients, air freight and interstate freight, through to your warehouse or 3PL, including a supply chain from a New Zealand maker to delivery in Australia.
- **Reorders**: BWellness has had five production batches since 2021; Arxi's preconception capsule has had three production orders since 2024.
- **Problems on the line**: a first run troubleshot with the maker, a co-packer delay worked through, and a capsule moved to a tablet mid-project when the blend wouldn't encapsulate.

## TGA licences and GMP
(https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing#tga-licences-and-gmp)

A listed medicine must be made under good manufacturing practice (GMP), and the law says who can make it:

- **In Australia**, every step, from making the active ingredients to testing, packaging, labelling and release for supply, needs a TGA manufacturing licence unless it is exempt.
- **Overseas**, a site needs a TGA GMP clearance or certification; only Australian sites can hold a TGA licence. The Australian sponsor (or an agent for it) applies, should hold evidence of GMP compliance for every overseas site, and applies to renew a clearance at least six months before it expires.
- **The standard** the TGA holds manufacturers to is the PIC/S Guide to GMP, version PE 009-17, which has applied since 1 September 2025.

So for a listed medicine, every step is made under the licence or clearance it needs; within that, we match on format, volume and margin. The routes to a clearance, the fees and why supplement factories overseas often need a TGA inspection are in our [GMP clearance guide](https://takefridayoff.com/guides/gmp-clearance). How to check a manufacturer's licence, what a GMP agreement covers and the standards each batch is tested to are in our [guide to choosing a supplement manufacturer](https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-supplement-manufacturer).

## Formats we manage
(https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing#formats-we-manage)

[Capsules, tablets and softgels](https://takefridayoff.com/formats/capsules-tablets-softgels), [gummies](https://takefridayoff.com/formats/gummies), [powders and sachets](https://takefridayoff.com/formats/powders-sachets), [liquids](https://takefridayoff.com/formats/liquids), and [creams, serums and sunscreens](https://takefridayoff.com/skincare), as [TGA-listed medicines, foods or cosmetics](https://takefridayoff.com/pathways).

## How long it takes
(https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing#how-long-it-takes)

From our records: design to production order in 32 days for a complex herbal capsule, under seven weeks for an eye-health formula, and 12 weeks for a two-a-day skin supplement. EverLeanBody's first capsule took 5.8 months from signed brief to dispatch to its 3PL. The stages, and what holds a launch up, are in [how long it takes to develop a supplement](https://takefridayoff.com/guides/supplement-development-timeline).

## How manufacturing is priced
(https://takefridayoff.com/manufacturing#how-manufacturing-is-priced)

Manufacturing is priced per unit, and the development stages before it are fixed fees for a defined outcome. You know the investment before each stage begins.

## Frequently asked questions

**Are you a supplement manufacturer?**
No. We develop the product and manage its manufacture through cGMP manufacturing partners matched to your format, volume and margin. You deal with one team from the brief to delivery; we deal with the factory.

**Do you manage reorders and ongoing supply?**
Yes. BWellness has had five production batches of its tablet since 2021, with a sixth in the pipeline. Pump Haircare has worked with us since 2021, through reorders and an upgraded formula, and Arxi's preconception capsule has had three production orders since 2024.

**Is every batch tested?**
Every TGA-listed batch is third-party tested. For The Belly Solution we managed manufacturing, release testing and delivery, and we are managing its second batch now.

**Can you take on a product we already sell?**
Yes, existing products are often where we start. A sports brand's best-known formulas were reformulated from scratch, and we managed manufacturing for all five products. A hair care brand's formula was upgraded with a full new listing package and stability testing. More in reformulating a supplement.

**Are your manufacturers TGA licensed?**
For listed medicines, unless a step is exempt: Australian sites need a TGA manufacturing licence for each step they carry out, and overseas sites, which can't hold a TGA licence, need TGA GMP clearance or certification.

**What happens if something goes wrong in production?**
We fix it with the maker. We troubleshot a first production run with the maker for Arxi, worked through a co-packer delay for a sports brand, and moved an eye-health formula from capsule to tablet mid-project when the blend was too wet to encapsulate.

**What is the minimum order quantity for supplement manufacturing?**
Our minimum is 3,000 finished retail packs per batch, for TGA-listed medicines and foods alike. The batch is made in one run, so the whole quantity is ordered and paid for together. Some pack formats also have their own minimum from the packaging supplier, such as around 150,000 for single-serve sachets.

**How long does a production run take?**
Once the specification is signed, plan for 12 to 14 weeks in manufacture, then about a week to ship and deliver. Most Australian manufacturers close over the Christmas and January period, so a launch early in the year needs its production order placed the spring before.

**How is manufacturing paid for?**
Per unit, on the accepted quote: 50% with your purchase order, before the build starts, and the 50% balance before the product is dispatched.

**Who is the sponsor of the product, you or us?**
For a listed medicine, normally the brand. The sponsor is the business that holds the ARTG entry and is legally responsible for the product, so most brands sponsor their own. We prepare the listing, the evidence and the label for the sponsor to certify.

## Case studies

- [BWellness: Nine products and a long partnership](https://takefridayoff.com/work/bwellness-practitioner-range): Five production batches from 2021 to 2025
- [The Belly Solution: From a first product to a national pharmacy rollout](https://takefridayoff.com/work/the-belly-solution-travel-gut-health-powder): About eight months from formulation to dispatch
- [Pump Haircare: A hair care brand that keeps coming back](https://takefridayoff.com/work/pump-haircare-hair-supplement): Working together since 2021
- [ATP Science: Rebuilding a sports brand's core range](https://takefridayoff.com/work/sports-brand-core-range): Five products in production from late 2023
- [Arxi: A preconception formula that keeps reordering](https://takefridayoff.com/work/arxi-preconception-supplement): Three production orders since 2024.
- [Rescuing a product that wouldn't encapsulate](https://takefridayoff.com/work/eye-health-tablet-format-rescue): The eye-health tablet shipped in 2024

## Sources

General information, checked against these sources on 19 October 2026. It isn't advice on a particular product.

- [Manufacturing therapeutic goods](https://www.tga.gov.au/products/regulations-all-products/manufacturing), Therapeutic Goods Administration
- [General guidance for listed medicines](https://www.tga.gov.au/node/289506), Therapeutic Goods Administration
- [Sponsor responsibilities related to GMP clearance and certification](https://www.tga.gov.au/sponsor-responsibilities-related-gmp-clearance-and-certification), Therapeutic Goods Administration
- [Therapeutic Goods (Manufacturing Principles) Amendment (PIC/S Guide) Determination 2025](https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2025L00990/asmade), Federal Register of Legislation