Bullseye Packaging Services, founded by Stephen Peters 15 years ago in Chilliwack, British Columbia, began with the intent to fill a gap in secondary co-packing services for the food and beverage industry in Western Canada, later opening a second location in Calgary, Alberta, in 2013.
Stephen Peters, president and founder of Bullseye Packaging Services.
Bullseye works on hundreds of orders per month and several million finished cases in various sizes each year with clients who have been coming to them for over 15 years as well as new clients.
This Canadian co-packer has sought to better serve customer demand and consumer trends by seamlessly combining specialization with versatility and flexibility, and claims it owes its success to these attributes.
Flexibility in variety packs
Rather than turning to automated systems, Bullseye relies on a dedicated and well-trained workforce.
Bullseye works with a range of pack sizes in a variety of carton types, which can have any mix of drink flavors under a single SKU. Variety beverage packs can also include non-edible objects, such as a beanbag toss game incorporated into a beer carton, packs of socks and gloves, and more. The co-packer also works with many variety pack beverage products that are placed into trays and require bundle wrapping.
Eira Braun-Labossiere, customer care leader at Bullseye Packaging Services.
E-commerce and services to emerging brands
Other flexible services Bullseye has incorporated are order fulfillment, storage and e-commerce. Bullseye keeps an inventory of hundreds of SKUs of technology products specifically for e-commerce and provides pick and pack fulfilment. The client allows Bullseye access to its e-commerce software and the co-packer gets them ready for UPS pickup.
The co-packer’s Recurve Solutions division specifically caters to Bullseye’s smaller clients as a support system for lacking staff and warehouse space. This service is designed to help the customers grow their brand with Bullseye as their support. Recurve holds all the same licensing and is run by the same management team at Bullseye, only it has no minimum order quantity requirement.
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An emphasis on quality
Braun-Labossiere emphasizes the importance of being realistic and transparent with clients about any problems that may arise in order to find a timely resolution. Timelines must also be communicated to avoid compromises to the quality of the product and its packaging. Such communication can build a true partnership with customers, one that takes on a holistic approach of give and take and growth, looking at the “long game” rather than each contract as it comes.
“It's in everyone's best interest if we just take a clear and honest look at what can be possible. Our team is not willing to compromise and rush through things, as it can create issues,” says Braun-Labossiere.
Bullseye checks in with its customers throughout a project to make sure they are happy with the progress and look of packaging as well as to give them the opportunity to participate and feel in control. This also gives the co-packer the opportunity to point out flaws in the printing or structure so the customer can connect with its suppliers for a solution.
Braun-Labossiere counsels against shortcuts and price gouging to undercut competition. Rather, a co-packer should differentiate itself by charging a fair, sustainable price that will allow it to fulfill orders and pay employees and which makes sense for client budgets. Price gouging will inevitably lead to cutting corners to stay afloat and thus a decrease in quality, she says.
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