Food, beverage and kitchen product development services
What does food and beverage product development cover?
CPG product development for food and beverage brands: the containers, dispensers, kitchen tools and food-contact equipment around the product, engineered for food-safe materials, retail shelves and real production volumes.
Food and beverage product development, on the hardware side, is the design and engineering of everything that touches, holds, dispenses, prepares or presents the food: bottles and closures, kitchen and serving tools, food-contact machinery, and the retail packaging the product ships in.
We are not a food scientist and we do not formulate recipes. We build the physical product around the formula - and for most CPG brands that hardware is where the margin, the shelf presence and the manufacturing risk actually live.
The distinction matters because the two disciplines constrain each other. A viscosity decision changes a dispenser. A hot-fill process rules out a resin. A shelf-life claim decides whether a closure needs a liner.
Recent food & beverage work
Projects we designed, prototyped and took to production in this category.
- 2,267 pounds of waste eliminated
![]()
![]()
DESIGNING FOR A CLEANER PLANET
EVERA BOTTLE is a testament to eco-friendly innovation, designed to combat plastic waste while offering convenient hydration solutions.
View project - $300K+ raised
![]()
![]()
BARS Automated Pizza Cooking Machine
LA NPDT and BARS Inc. collaborated to create an automated pizza cooking machine, blending culinary art with technology. This project showcases our proficiency in automated systems design and large-scale rapid prototyping, leading to a successful $300,000 funding round and media recognition.
View project 
![]()
![]()
Smart Water Bottle Designed and Developed by LA New Product Development Company
We decided to create an original smart water bottle for the whole team to keep the hydration spirit up.
View project
Certified B Corp
Independently verified standards of social and environmental performance.
FDA-registered facility
Registered for device work, with the process discipline that comes with it.
- years developing physical products
- 20+years developing physical products
- projects taken from idea to build
- 1,000+projects taken from idea to build
- design, prototyping and short-run production
- In-housedesign, prototyping and short-run production
Food-contact hardware, from a lunchbox to a pizza robot
Our food and beverage work runs the full range. The Evera Bottle is an award-winning sustainable beverage container that eliminated 2,267 pounds of waste. The BARS automated pizza machine is a full food-contact production machine we designed and built. We have developed a can strainer for a tuna press, lunchbox and food-storage products, kitchen tools, retail food packaging and food brand identity work.
As a CPG product development partner we work the way food brands need: fast physical iterations you can put in a buyer's hands, honest per-unit cost modelling, and a manufacturing plan that survives a first purchase order rather than a pilot batch.
Food-contact compliance is designed in from the first material shortlist - FDA 21 CFR food-contact status, NSF where the equipment demands it, and cleanability that a real kitchen or plant can actually execute.
What makes food and beverage hardware different
Every constraint in this category comes back to two things: what the food does to the material, and what the cleaning does to both.
- Food-contact materials are a short list
FDA 21 CFR compliant resins, food-grade silicones and specific stainless grades are the palette. Colorants, additives and adhesives all have to clear the same bar.
- Cleanability is a geometry problem
Crevices, blind pockets and captured fasteners become bacteria traps and warranty claims. Dishwasher, washdown or CIP cleaning each impose different draft, radius and sealing rules.
- Thermal cycling breaks the wrong plastics
Hot fill, freezing, microwave and dishwasher exposure all attack polymers differently. The use case has to be defined before the resin is picked.
- Shelf presence competes at arm's length
Retail food is chosen in seconds. Structural packaging, closure feel and how the product photographs are commercial decisions, not decoration.
- Sustainability claims must survive scrutiny
Recyclable, refillable and reduced-material claims have to hold up in a real waste stream, not just in a deck. We size the claim to what the design actually does.
- Unit cost is measured in cents
At CPG volumes a two-cent part change is a real annual number. Cavitation, wall thickness and closure choice get modelled while the design is still soft.
Food and beverage capabilities in-house
| Capability | What it covers | Typical output |
|---|---|---|
| Container and closure design | Bottles, jars, caps, liners, dispensing and pour behavior | Design CAD, functional samples |
| Kitchen and housewares tools | Grip, mechanism, materials, dishwasher and thermal validation | Working prototypes and DFM package |
| Food-contact equipment | Food-safe machines, washdown design, NSF-aware detailing | Machine design, build and commissioning |
| Retail and structural packaging | Shelf impact, dielines, protection, unboxing | Print-ready packaging and physical mockups |
| Sustainable material strategy | Material reduction, mono-material design, refill systems | Options with cost and waste modelling |
| Prototyping and pilot runs | Appearance models, functional samples, first production | Buyer-ready samples, pilot quantities |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
How a food or beverage hardware program runs
Fast physical iterations first, because in this category a sample in hand is worth more than a rendering.
01 · Product and shelf definition+
Where it sits, who buys it, what it competes with, what it can cost.
- Category and shelf audit
- Target landed cost per unit
- Use-case and cleaning requirements
- Compliance scope defined
02 · Concept and material shortlist+
Concepts developed against food-contact material reality from day one.
- Concept directions and sketch models
- Food-contact material shortlist
- Process route options: injection, blow mold, thermoform
- Early cost per unit
03 · Functional prototyping+
Real samples: pour, seal, grip, clean, freeze, heat.
- Functional prototypes in candidate materials
- Pour, seal and leak testing
- Dishwasher and thermal cycling
- Buyer and focus sample builds
04 · Engineering and tooling prep+
The design is made manufacturable and the tool strategy locked.
- Production CAD with draft and DFM
- Tool layout and cavitation plan
- Supplier quoting and selection
- Packaging and label integration
05 · Pilot and launch+
First runs, retail packaging, and the fixes a first run always reveals
- Pilot production run
- Retail packaging and shipper testing
- Line-side issue resolution
- Cost-down for volume ramp
Why the hardware decides the margin
In food and beverage the formula gets the attention and the container quietly sets the economics. Resin choice, closure supplier, cavitation and shipper efficiency together typically move landed cost more than any ingredient decision available to you.
They also decide whether a retail buyer says yes. A closure that leaks in a shipper, a bottle that does not stand on a shelf, or a pack that costs an extra cent per unit to fill are the reasons good products stall after the first order.
Food brands lose money on geometry they never questioned. We question it while it is still cheap to change.
Frequently asked questions about food and beverage product development
Do you formulate food or beverages?+
No. We develop the physical product and packaging around your formula - containers, closures, tools, dispensing and food-contact equipment - and work alongside your food scientist or co-packer.
How do you handle food-safe material selection?+
We shortlist FDA 21 CFR compliant resins, food-grade silicones and appropriate stainless grades against your thermal, cleaning and shelf-life requirements, and confirm compliance documentation with the supplier before tooling.
Can you design equipment for a commercial kitchen or plant?+
Yes. We design and build food-contact machines and equipment with washdown, sanitation and NSF-aware detailing, including the controls.
What does a bottle or closure program cost?+
Design and engineering through functional samples commonly runs in the tens of thousands; injection or blow-mold tooling is a separate capital item that depends on cavitation and volume. We model both before you commit.
Can you do sustainable packaging that is actually recyclable?+
We design toward mono-material construction, material reduction and refill where the category allows it, and we will tell you when a claim will not survive the real waste stream.
Can you produce first runs for a retail launch?+
Yes. Our short-run manufacturing handles pilot quantities and bridge production while volume tooling comes online.
Bring us the product your formula needs to live in
Send us the use case, the target retail price and your volume expectation. We will come back with concepts and a per-unit cost you can plan against.
Selected food & beverage work
Projects we designed, prototyped and took to production in this category.
- 2,267 pounds of waste eliminated
![]()
![]()
DESIGNING FOR A CLEANER PLANET
EVERA BOTTLE is a testament to eco-friendly innovation, designed to combat plastic waste while offering convenient hydration solutions.
View project - $300K+ raised
![]()
![]()
BARS Automated Pizza Cooking Machine
LA NPDT and BARS Inc. collaborated to create an automated pizza cooking machine, blending culinary art with technology. This project showcases our proficiency in automated systems design and large-scale rapid prototyping, leading to a successful $300,000 funding round and media recognition.
View project ![]()
![]()
Smart Water Bottle Designed and Developed by LA New Product Development Company
We decided to create an original smart water bottle for the whole team to keep the hydration spirit up.
View project
![]()
Food Product Development | Can Strainer for Tuna Press | LA NPDT
A tool to improve the convenience and the speed of the process of tuna water drainage through food product development.
View project
![]()
Design a Lunchbox | CAD and Rendering by LA NPDT
Their concept aimed at providing supplemental services swiftly and efficiently to communities in crisis.
View project
Standards and regulations we work to
Other industries we build for
Personal Care
Beauty, grooming and personal hygiene products, from formula-adjacent hardware to packaging.
Pet Products
Pet care, feeding, comfort and interactive toy products developed end to end.
Sports & Fitness
Training aids, outdoor gear, wearables and equipment built for real use in the field.
Product Packaging
Retail-ready structural and graphic packaging that protects the product and sells it.
IoT & Consumer
Connected consumer devices: electronics, enclosures, firmware and the app that drives them.
Medical Devices
Class I and Class II devices, diagnostics and patient-safety hardware developed to the pathway.
Industrial Equipment
Custom machines, automation and commercial equipment engineered and built in-house.
Toys & Games
Play patterns, mechanisms and pitch-ready prototypes for toy and game inventors.
Home & Housewares
Cleaning tools, storage, organization and home hardware engineered to a shelf price.
Baby & Juvenile
Feeding, sleep, travel and nursery products designed around juvenile safety standards.
Outdoor & Hunting
Hunting, camping, marine and recreation gear built for weather, abuse and field use.
Funded Startups & SBIR
SBIR Phase I and II prototypes and investor-ready hardware for funded teams.
What founders say after working with us
“This company is awesome. I run a medical device company and we required a number of accessories to be designed and built for our medical device. They delivered a polished design and printed the accessories on time using high-quality materials. I continue to work with them for all of our material needs.”
Matteo ZiffFounder, Virtual Vision“I highly recommend the LA New Product Development Team for any of your new product development needs. From the development of my concept to the actual prototype, the process was seamless. I especially loved the quick responsiveness, and I received regular updates during every stage, so I was never left wondering how things were going. The steps were clearly outlined, along with estimated costs.”
Dr. Sharada DamarajuFounder, Dignity & Empowerment“Partnering with LA NPDT to bring LEIA to life was a game-changer. Their blend of market analysis, design expertise, prototyping, and manufacturing streamlined my vision into a tangible solution. For medical professionals with a product idea, there's no team I'd recommend more.”
Dr. Elena DolganFounder, LEIA CupThree reasons why our clients love working with us:
- 1
We solve problems. Coming up with creative solutions focused on achieving your goals is our everyday routine.
- 2
Get it all done at one place. We are a "one-stop shop" for developing, prototyping, manufacturing, and marketing new products.
- 3
You always know what to expect. No hourly charges. We are paid for the results.
If you ever thought of developing a new product, don’t wait any longer. Talk with one of our experts today.
Related insights
Selecting the Best Material for Your Prototype: Key Considerations
Launching a new brand in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry is a complex challenge that requires strategic planning, market awareness, and effective execution. Companies entering this competitive space must analyze trends, define a unique selling proposition (USP), and create marketing strategies that resonate with their target audience.
Before you prototype your AI generated invention, read this
Before you prototype yourAI generated invention, read this Before you prototype an AI generated invention, run
The Transition From Prototype to Pilot Production: What Breaks and Why
“Creating a successful prototype is a major milestone…” – but it’s only one step in the broader product development journey. A prototype that performs flawlessly in a l
Tell us about your product
Send us the idea, the drawing or the problem. We reply within one business day with the next practical step.
Prefer a scoped estimate? Request a quote