#101: Meg Ligot - Supplement Manufacturing 101 with Lief Labs

Jul 9, 2023

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https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/lief-labs-supplement-manufacturing-101

Over the years, PricePlow has continually become more interested in supplement manufacturing, as it is the cornerstone basis of the entire industry. Good manufacturing quality and testing leads to safe, high-quality products for end consumer.

In Episode #068, we interviewed Matt Karich of Soul Performance Nutrition, who took us through his exhaustive process of finding a high-quality manufacturer that produce supplements that would pass rigorous tests and become BSCG Certified. It turns out, the manufacturer he ended up with was none other than Lief Labs.

So we began to talk more frequently with Lief Labs (and their sister subsidiary ingredient development business, Lief Raws), learning how they differentiate themselves from the rest of the supplement manufacturers out there. We’ve continually emphasized that dietary supplements are regulated (see Episode #100 with Dan Fabricant of the Natural Products Assocation), but what manufacturer takes these laws with the utmost seriousness? What manufacturer can provide additional services to help inexperienced operators make high-quality products?

Manufacturing 101 with Meg Ligot of Lief Labs

An answer to both of those questions is Lief. So we brought Meg Ligot, Senior Product Development Manager at Lief Labs, to bring us through Supplement Manufacturing 101. It’s an informative and fun episode, and does a great job showcasing how Lief does things right. We also talk a bit about Lief Raws, flashing back to their unique Biozomal Caffeine product that we covered in the past.

It’s all covered below, and you can watch on YouTube or listen through Spotify or any RSS-capable podcast app:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtVQnv_uUY4

Detailed Show Notes: Manufacturing 101 at Lief Labs with Meg Ligot

(0:00) – Introduction
(3:30) – How Lief Works With Their Customers
(6:00) – Example of the process with Lief as a new brand owner
(8:15) – NSF Certification and Continuing the Formulation Process
(12:00) – How the costs break down
(15:40) – Prop 65 Warning and Legal Requirements
(19:40) – Product minimums and what they can do
(21:30) – Flavoring and sampling
(26:00) – Masking ingredient tastes that may not be pleasant
(28:40) – Natural vs. artificial flavors
(30:15) – Flavor is picked, what’s next?
(35:00) – Meg’s background
(43:00) – Next steps for product
(50:15) – Finally, manufacturing!
(58:00) – The manufacturing process
(1:01:30) – What if something goes wrong?
(1:03:30) – Are common ingredients always in stock?
(1:05:40) – Ensuring the product contains what it says it does
(1:11:15) – Testing is complete, the product is ready to be shipped!
(1:13:45) – Now we know Lief Labs, but what is Lief Raws?
(1:18:39) – Lief Raws makes function based ingredients too
(1:21:00) – Tablet manufacturing at Lief Labs
(1:24:50) – How Lief brings ingredients in

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