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Template Pack: Pitch Deck and Cost Model for Small-Batch Product Makers

UUnknown

2026-02-11

11 min read

A practical template pack—pitch deck, unit economics sheet, wholesale pricing—modeled on Liber & Co. to help students scale small-batch food and craft products.

From Stove-Top Test Batch to Investor-Ready Pitch: A Template Pack for Small-Batch Makers

Hook: You make amazing small-batch food or craft products, but investors and wholesale buyers ask for numbers, scale plans, and unit economics you don’t yet have. This template pack—built for students and early founders—gives you a ready-to-use pitch deck, a modeled unit economics spreadsheet, and a practical wholesale pricing framework inspired by how Liber & Co. scaled from a single pot to 1,500-gallon tanks and global accounts.

Why this pack matters in 2026

In late 2025 and early 2026 the food and craft-product startup landscape sharpened: investors expect clearer pathways to profitability, retailers demand reliable case packs and consistent gross margins, and conscious consumers favor traceability and premium small-batch brands. If you’re a student pitching a syrup, jam, snack, or handmade condiment, you must show more than a tasting sample—you need an investor-grade narrative plus defensible numbers.

What changed recently (quick trends)

Premiumization continues: Consumers pay for craft origins and real ingredients, making higher ASPs viable for well-branded products.
Supply-chain scrutiny: Retailers require stable lead times and clear MOQ/case details; small-batch makers must model production scalability.
Investor focus in 2026: Unit economics and repeatability—subscription or wholesale reliability—beat raw growth metrics alone.
Co-packing adoption: Startups increasingly use regional co-packers to move from kitchen runs to 1,000+ gallon batches without huge CapEx. See how small-batch producers scale in practice in From Stove to Barrel: How Small-Batch Olive Producers Scale Like Craft Cocktail Syrup Makers.

How Liber & Co. informs this pack

Chris Harrison and his co-founders of Liber & Co. began with a stove-top batch in Austin and learned manufacturing, warehousing, and wholesale by doing. By keeping operations in-house early and learning every part of the value chain, they scaled to large batch production while maintaining product integrity. Use that DIY + metrics mindset: show investors both your craft story and the exact math that makes scaling profitable.

"It all started with a single pot on a stove." — Chris Harrison, co-founder of Liber & Co. (Practical Ecommerce)

What’s in this Template Pack

The pack has three core parts, each built for fast customization by students and makers:

Investor Pitch Deck Template — 10 slides with speaker notes tuned for food/craft products.
Unit Economics Spreadsheet Template — an editable model for per-unit cost, contribution margin, CAC payback, and breakeven.
Wholesale Pricing & Case Pack Guide — formulas, markup rules, MSRP strategy, MAP, and a sample price table for retailers.

Part 1 — Pitch Deck Template (slide-by-slide)

Use this as your baseline deck; keep it visual, 8–12 slides during investor meetings, 10–15 for accelerator demo days. Each slide includes what to show and what to say.

Slide 1: Opening & Hook (10 seconds)

One-sentence value prop: who you serve, what you sell, and why it matters.
Show product photo and a one-line traction datapoint (e.g., pre-orders, pilot stores, farmers market revenue).

Slide 2: Problem (15–30 seconds)

Show buyer painpoints: lack of high-quality craft syrups/condiments on shelves, inconsistent supply, limited local sourcing.
Quantify with accessible figures (size of local market, number of independent bars/restaurants in target region).

Slide 3: Solution & Product

High-res product images, ingredients, shelf life, certifications (organic, gluten-free, etc.).
Explain small-batch process and how you maintain consistency when scaling (test batches, QC checks).

Slide 4: Business Model (key for investors)

List revenue streams: wholesale, DTC, subscriptions, private-label, co-packing.
Show ASP, typical order size, and gross margin targets (from your unit economics sheet).

Slide 5: Traction & Milestones

Show measurable traction: pilot retailers, recurring subscription customers, month-over-month revenue growth, or a successful farmers market run.
Include a timeline of milestones (product development, first co-packer run, 6-month reorder rate).

Slide 6: Unit Economics Snapshot

Present a simple table: COGS / Unit, Wholesale Price, MSRP, Gross Margin, Contribution Margin. Pull these from your spreadsheet (slide should match the model exactly).

Slide 7: Go-to-Market

Channels and early customer acquisition strategy: regional distributors, direct-to-consumer ads, bar/restaurant sampling programs.
Partnership plan (e.g., local beverage distributors, hospitality groups).

Slide 8: Operations & Scaling Plan

Show current production capability and the next steps (in-house expansion vs. co-packer). Example: moving from 10-gallon batches to 1,000-gallon runs with an estimated equipment or co-packing cost.
Highlight lead times, shelf life, and inventory days on hand.

Slide 9: Team

Show founder skills and key hires needed to scale (COO for operations, CPG sales lead, QA manager).

Slide 10: Ask & Use of Funds

Clear funding ask and 12–18 month milestones tied to that capital (e.g., hire sales rep, cover first co-packing run, marketing for wholesales).

Part 2 — Unit Economics Spreadsheet Template

Below is a compact spreadsheet blueprint you can replicate in Google Sheets or Excel. Replace example numbers with your own.

Key sections and variables

Inputs: Batch size, yield, ingredient costs, packaging cost, labor per batch, overhead allocation, spoilage %, fill speed, and shipping per unit.
Per-Batch Calculations: Total ingredient cost, total packaging cost, labor, and overhead -> Total Batch Cost.
Per-Unit COGS: = Total Batch Cost / (Batch Size * Yield * (1 - Spoilage)).
Pricing & Margins: Wholesale price, MSRP, gross margin, contribution margin after variable fulfillment and marketing costs.
Unit Economics Outputs: CAC, LTV (if subscription), Payback period, Break-even units.

Sample formulas (copy into sheet)

Total Ingredient Cost = SUM(Ingredient Unit Cost * Qty per Batch)
Total Packaging Cost = Bottle Cost + Label Cost + Cap Cost + Case Cost allocated per unit
Labor Cost per Batch = Hourly Rate * Hours per Batch
Total Batch Cost = Ingredients + Packaging + Labor + Utilities + Overhead Allocation
Units Produced = Batch Size * Yield * (1 - Spoilage)
COGS per Unit = Total Batch Cost / Units Produced
Gross Margin = (Selling Price - COGS) / Selling Price
Contribution Margin per Unit = Selling Price - (COGS + Variable Fulfillment Cost)
Break-even Units = Fixed Costs / Contribution Margin per Unit

Example (rounded, illustrative)

Assume a 5-gallon batch of syrup yields 40 x 16 oz bottles (student-run kitchen):

Total Batch Cost = $120 (ingredients: $50; packaging: $40; labor: $20; utilities/overhead: $10)
Units Produced = 40 bottles
COGS per Unit = $120 / 40 = $3.00
Wholesale Price (target) = $9.00 (3x COGS)
MSRP = $18.00 (keystone retail markup)
Gross Margin (wholesale) = ($9 - $3) / $9 = 66.7%

These numbers are illustrative, not prescriptive. Replace with your actual ingredient list and time studies.

Part 3 — Wholesale Pricing & Case Pack Guide

Retailers and distributors evaluate margin and logistics first. Use these principles to propose wholesale pricing that’s competitive and defensible.

Pricing rules of thumb

Start with COGS + desired margin: Target a 50–60% gross margin on wholesale for perishable craft products if you’re handling fulfillment. If you sell to a distributor who takes 20–30%, target 60–70% wholesale margin before distributor fees.
Keystone to MSRP: Most retailers apply 2x to 2.5x markup to your wholesale price for MSRP placement. That determines category fit.
Minimum Advertised Price (MAP): If your brand positioning is premium, set a MAP to protect retail pricing and prevent channel conflict.
Case pack matters more than unit price: Offer simple case pack sizes (6, 12, 24) that work with typical shelf facing and inventory units. Retail buyers prefer predictable replenishment.

Sample wholesale table (per 16 oz bottle)

COGS per unit: $3.00
Wholesale price (1–11 cases): $9.00
Wholesale price (12+ cases / volume discount): $8.00
Suggested MSRP: $18.00
MAP: $15.99
Case pack: 12 bottles / case — Case cost and palletization details required for distributor quotes.

Negotiation tips with buyers

Bring a one-sheet showing COGS run-rate, MOQ, lead time, and shelf life (beyond “handmade”).
Offer a short-term introductory discount for the first reorder instead of permanent lower pricing.
Ask for a pilot program with reorder targets and co-marketing (in-store demos or social shoutouts).

Operational considerations for scale

Investors and buyers look for repeatability. Use these operational checkpoints to reduce risk in your pitch.

Yield tracking: Record output per batch for 10+ runs to refine your COGS model.
Quality control: Document your QC steps and shelf-life testing; include a plan to move to GMP-compliant co-packers. Research vendor and co-packer capabilities and equipment in vendor reviews like Vendor Tech Review: Portable POS, Heated Displays, and Sampling Kits.
Inventory days: Forecast SKU-level days of inventory (DOH) and cash tied up—important for working-capital asks.
Logistics: Show freight assumptions for 3PL or direct-to-retail shipping and how case packs affect freight cost per unit. Practical tools for markets and pop-up selling—like Weekend Stall Kit guides—help you plan packaging and setup for farmer's market pilots.

Investor pitch: What they’ll ask (and how to answer)

Focus your answers on defendable assumptions and measurable experiments.

How do you get repeat customers? Present reorder rates from pilots or DTC cohorts; if you don’t have them, show experiments you’ll run (samples in restaurants, subscription trial).
What happens when demand doubles? Show the co-packer pathway or capital plan to add shifts; include cost and lead time of the first co-packer run. Regional co-packer networks and small-batch minimums are increasingly available—see examples in industry scaling write-ups like From Stove to Barrel.
Why now? Link to 2025–26 trends: premium craft demand, interest in traceability, or shifts in hospitality reopening—back your narrative with local market signals.
How will you use funds? Tie each dollar to a KPI: units produced, distribution channels, CAC target, or inventory coverage.

Realistic student scenario (example)

Illustrative case: a student team called "Hill & Orchard" makes artisanal shrub syrups at university. They used this pack to: build a 10-slide investor deck for a campus pitch competition, model a unit economics spreadsheet showing a $6 contribution margin per bottle at scale, and close pilots with three local bars using a 12-bottle case at $8.50 wholesale. Their pilot data—average reorder interval of 4 weeks from bars—helped them win a small seed grant to cover first co-packing run costs. For market and pilot logistics consider portable checkout and fulfillment tools profiled in reviews like Field Review: Portable Checkout & Fulfillment Tools and point-of-sale hardware and sampling kits covered in vendor tech roundups (Vendor Tech Review).

Advanced strategies & 2026 predictions

Plan beyond your first expansion with these advanced tactics tailored to the 2026 funding and retail landscape.

Regional co-packer networks: By 2026, more regional co-packers offer small-batch minimums and flexible runs; compare per-unit cost plus freight to in-house CapEx, and model sensitivity in your spreadsheet.
Subscription-first launch: Investors favor models that lock LTV early. Offer small-batch subscription boxes or mix-and-match flavors to generate recurring revenue and predictability—see ideas on micro-subscriptions and cash resilience in Micro-Subscriptions & Cash Resilience.
Data-driven wholesale expansions: Use POS integrations (Square, Lightspeed) to pull sell-through rates and inform reorder cadences—show this data in follow-up investor updates. Portable POS and market tech reviews help you select the right hardware.
Sustainability premium: If you can quantify ingredient sourcing or reduced packaging waste, show the cost to produce a sustainable SKU and the incremental price consumers are willing to pay. Guidance on sustainable packaging options can help you model those costs (Sustainable Packaging Options).

Actionable checklist (next 30–90 days)

Customize the pitch deck with your product photos and a one-line traction metric.
Build the unit economics spreadsheet with 10 real production runs or best-available estimates.
Decide on two case-pack options and test pricing with one local buyer.
Run a low-cost subscriber pilot (50 customers) to measure CAC and 30/90-day retention.
Identify one regional co-packer and request a test run quote; model the quote in your sheet.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Over-optimistic yields: Track real yields for 10+ batches—don’t rely on lab recipes alone.
Underestimating packaging: Include label artwork, compliance printing, and rework costs—these add up fast. Also research bottle design choices; packaging affects freshness and replacement costs—see Which Olive Oil Bottle Designs Keep Oil Fresher?.
Ignoring freight: A cheap per-unit cost becomes expensive with poor case pack design; always model freight per case and per unit.
Price-driven channel conflicts: Set a MAP and communicate it to resellers—protect your brand positioning.

Resources and next steps

We recommend you keep two parallel workstreams: product & production validation (batch runs, QC, shelf-life) and commercial validation (pilot retail accounts, subscription tests). Use the spreadsheets to iterate rapidly—update assumptions after every batch. For neighborhood and micro-market strategies, see the Neighborhood Micro‑Market Playbook for ideas on edge-first discovery and pop-ups.

Closing — Your pitch-ready deliverable

In 2026, small-batch makers succeed when they combine craft authenticity with repeatable economics. This template pack gives you the slides, formulas, and wholesale playbook to speak an investor’s language while keeping your product story front-and-center. Inspired by Liber & Co.'s DIY scaling, it’s designed for hands-on students and makers who learn by doing—and must prove the math to grow.

Ready to get started? Download the editable pitch deck and spreadsheet, run your first 5 batches using the unit economics template, then book a mentor session to review your deck before pitching. Investors respond to clear numbers and clear plans—this pack helps you deliver both.

Note: The Liber & Co. origin story—"a single pot on a stove"—is cited from Practical Ecommerce and used here as inspiration for bootstrapped scaling strategies.

Call to action

Grab the Template Pack, customize the models with your real batch data, and schedule a 30-minute pitch review with an experienced food-product mentor to refine pricing, tighten unit economics, and practice your investor narrative. Let’s turn your small-batch passion into a scalable business.

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