Guide
How to Choose a Private Label Deli Supplier: Questions to Ask
Your private label supplier makes the products that carry your store's name, so choose them the way you would choose a partner. Here are the questions to ask, what good answers sound like, and a scorecard to compare suppliers side by side.
Why the choice matters more than the price sheet
With a national brand, the brand owner stands behind the product. With a private label, your store does. Every slice of turkey and every tub of potato salad carries your name, so the supplier who makes it is effectively part of your business.
That is why the cheapest quote is rarely the right way to choose. The right supplier makes products your customers come back for, keeps them safe, and is easy to work with when something needs to change. Price matters, but it matters most once those are settled.
1. Can they cover your whole deli case?
Start by laying out what you want under your label now and what you might add later. Then ask each supplier what they can make.
- Meats: poultry, hams, roast beefs, corned beef and pastrami, salami and prosciutto.
- Cheeses: the core slicing cheeses, and organic if your shoppers want it.
- Salads and spreads: potato, macaroni, cole slaw, egg, tuna, chicken, cream cheeses.
One supplier for the whole line means one set of specs, one label system and one relationship. It also makes it easier for your line to look and taste like it belongs together. Several suppliers can work too, but expect more coordination.
2. How much can they customize?
Private label means the product is made to your specification. Ask how far that goes:
- Can they customize a single product, or only offer a fixed catalog with your label on it?
- Can you choose style and flavor, such as no-pump turkey, a lower-sodium ham or a sharper provolone?
- Can they match piece sizes and formats to your slicers and your case?
- Can they build a good, better and best ladder so your line covers value and premium shoppers?
A good supplier asks you as many questions as you ask them, about your customers, your sales and what you want the line to do.
3. How are the products kept safe?
This is the question that protects your name. You don't need to be a food scientist to ask it well.
HACCP
HACCP, short for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, is a system for identifying food-safety hazards and controlling them at specific points in production. It is built on seven principles, from conducting a hazard analysis to keeping records. Federally inspected meat and poultry establishments are required to have HACCP plans for their products. Ask how the supplier's products are covered, and what records they keep. Our guide on what HACCP means for deli buyers explains it in plain terms.
Listeria control for ready-to-eat products
Sliced deli meats are ready-to-eat products. Federal rules require establishments that make ready-to-eat products exposed to the environment after cooking to control Listeria monocytogenes, using one of three approaches set out in the regulations, which combine post-cooking treatments, growth inhibitors and sanitation programs. Ask which approach the supplier uses and how they test. A confident supplier answers this easily.
Traceability and recalls
Ask how products are coded, how fast they can trace a lot, and how they would contact you if a product had to be pulled. You hope you never need the answer; you want to know it anyway.
4. Will they help you get the label right?
Meat and poultry labels have required information and approval rules. Many labels that carry only the required information fall under generic approval, while labels with special claims need to be submitted for approval before use. Labels are tied to the federally inspected establishment that produces the product.
Ask the supplier what they need from you, who checks the artwork against the rules, and which claims would need extra review. Our guide to deli meat label requirements covers the basics. Confirm requirements for your products with your supplier and regulators; this guide isn't legal advice.
5. Samples, specs and consistency
- Ask for samples of each item you plan to carry, and taste them next to what you sell now.
- Slice them on your own machines. Yield and slicing quality are part of the product.
- Get a written spec for every item: name, style, piece size, packaging and label.
- Ask how they keep it consistent from one delivery to the next, and what happens if a delivery doesn't match the spec.
6. Do they work with stores like yours?
A supplier built only for very large chains may not be a fit for a two-store market, and the reverse is also true. Ask what kinds of retailers they work with and how they size programs. You want a supplier who takes your program seriously at your size and can grow with you.
7. Minimums, timing and pricing
Every program is different, so expect these to be discussed rather than printed on a sheet. What you want is clarity: what the minimums are for your items, how long it takes from approved samples to first delivery, how ordering works week to week, and how pricing is set and reviewed. A supplier who explains all of this plainly at the start is usually easy to work with later.
8. Who will you actually talk to?
Ask who your contact is, how they prefer to communicate and how quickly they respond. A private label line needs adjustments now and then: a new item, a holiday order, a label change. A real person who knows your program makes those easy.
Red flags to watch for
- Vague food-safety answers. If a supplier can't explain how products are kept safe, keep looking.
- No samples. You should taste and slice before you commit your name.
- A price that seems too good. Check the yield and the spec before you believe it.
A supplier scorecard
| Question | What a good answer sounds like | Supplier A | Supplier B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range | Covers meats, cheeses and salads you need now and later | ||
| Customization | One product or a full line, made to your spec | ||
| Food safety | Clear HACCP coverage, Listeria approach and recall plan | ||
| Label support | Explains approvals and checks artwork | ||
| Samples and specs | Samples provided; written spec for every item | ||
| Fit | Works with stores your size | ||
| Terms | Minimums, timing and pricing explained plainly | ||
| Service | A named contact who responds quickly |
How Longview answers these questions
Longview Trading was founded more than 25 years ago by Victor Girgenti and builds custom private label programs for deli meats, cheeses and salads. Clients range from high-end retailers with as few as two locations to some of the nation's largest chains. Products are produced in HACCP-certified processing facilities, and we can customize any product or a full line. See how a program works, or ask for a quote and tell us about your store. We will confirm minimums, timing and pricing for your program when we talk.
Common questions
What is the most important thing to look for in a private label deli supplier?
Products you are proud to put your name on, made under a food-safety system you understand. Taste side by side, ask how the products are made and kept safe, and ask who you will work with day to day.
What food-safety questions should I ask?
Ask whether products are made under a HACCP plan in a federally inspected establishment, how they control Listeria for ready-to-eat products, and how recalls and traceability are handled. A good supplier answers plainly and in writing.
Should a small store work with a private label supplier at all?
Yes, if the supplier works with stores your size. Longview builds programs for retailers ranging from high-end markets with as few as two locations to some of the nation's largest chains, so the program fits the store.
Who handles the label approvals?
For meat and poultry, labels are tied to the federally inspected establishment that makes the product. Your supplier should explain what they need from you and which label claims need extra review. Confirm requirements for your products with your supplier and regulators.