How to Prepare a Candy Product Brief for Your Manufacturer

A clear candy product brief helps a manufacturer understand what you actually want to develop. Instead of going back and forth over basic requirements, you can give the manufacturer a clear starting point for formulation, sampling, packaging, and quotation.

You do not need to define every technical detail yourself. Your brief should mainly explain the commercial target and desired product, while the manufacturer’s R&D team can advise on how to make it manufacturable.

Follow LeChao, a professional soft candy manufacturer, to find out how to prepare a product brief!

Define Your Target Market

Start with where and how you plan to sell the candy.

Include:

• Target country or region
• Target consumers
• Sales channels
• Product positioning
• Expected price level

Por ejemplo:

Target market: Southeast Asia
Consumers: Children and teenagers
Sales channel: Convenience stores and supermarkets
Positioning: Affordable, colorful gummy candy

This information matters because consumer preferences, regulations, packaging requirements, and acceptable price points can vary between markets.

It also gives the manufacturer context for making recommendations instead of treating your product as a generic candy project.

Describe the Desired Taste and Texture

Be specific about flavor and mouthfeel.

Your brief can include:

• Sabor
• Sweetness
• Sourness
• Chewiness
• Softness or firmness
• Filling or coating
• Desired aftertaste

For example, “strawberry gummy” is a starting point, but “soft strawberry gummy with moderate sweetness and a light sour finish” gives the manufacturer much more useful information.

If you want to match an existing product, provide a reference sample, product link, or photograph whenever possible.

If you are unsure which formulation can achieve the desired texture, leave the technical formulation to the manufacturer and describe the consumer experience you want.

Specify the Color

Color should be included in the brief, particularly for branded or visually distinctive candy.

Specify:

• Color
• Number of colors
• Natural or artificial colors
• Single-color or multi-color design
• Reference color or Pantone number, if available

Por ejemplo:

Three-layer gummy: red, orange, and yellow.

You can also explain the reason behind the requirement, such as matching your brand identity or creating a specific visual effect.

The appropriate color system may also depend on your target market and formulation. LeChao states that it can provide natural or artificial color options for customized candy according to customer requirements and target markets.

Define the Candy Shape

Tell the manufacturer exactly what you want the candy to look like.

Include:

• Forma
• Approximate dimensions
• Existing or custom mold
• Reference images
• Logo, character, or other design elements

If an existing shape is acceptable, say so. This may give the manufacturer more flexibility during development.

If the shape is central to your brand, explain that you need a custom candy mold rather than simply requesting a similar shape.

LeChao currently lists more than 500 moldes de caramelo existentes and also provides customized mold development for unique product shapes.

Set the Weight

Weight per piece is easy to overlook, but it affects the product’s cost, packaging, portion size, and overall appearance.

Your brief should ideally state:

• Weight per piece
• Pieces per package
• Net weight per package
• Approximate candy dimensions

Por ejemplo:

5 g per piece × 20 pieces = 100 g per bag.

If you have not decided on the exact weight, provide your target retail price and package size instead. The manufacturer can then recommend a practical combination.

For some products, the weight can also be part of the brand experience. A small individually packed candy and a larger novelty gummy may require very different product structures even if they use the same flavor.

Define the Packaging

Packaging requirements should be included before sampling is finalized, because the product and packaging need to work together.

Specify:

• Formato del envase
• Package weight
• Packaging material, if known
• Individual or bulk packaging
• Artwork
• Logo
• Label language
• Barcode
• Retail or wholesale packaging

Por ejemplo:

100 g stand-up pouch, full-color printing, English labeling, resealable opening.

If you do not know which packaging format is appropriate, simply explain your sales channel and target price.

LeChao’s published custom candy service includes packaging design and brand labeling, alongside customization of flavor, color, shape, coating, and other product elements.

Set Your Budget and Order Requirements

Your manufacturer also needs to understand the project’s commercial boundaries.

Include:

• Target purchase price
• Initial order quantity
• Expected annual volume
• Number of SKUs
• Target retail price, if available
• Packaging budget, if relevant

Your target price does not have to be exact.

Its purpose is to help the manufacturer determine whether the requested flavor, weight, ingredients, shape, packaging, and production volume can work together commercially.

For example, a highly customized 3D gummy with a new mold and premium packaging will have a different cost structure from a standard gummy using an existing mold.

LeChao provides OEM/ODM services covering product development, formula customization, shape, flavor, color, and packaging, while MOQ varies according to the product and customization level. (Caramelos Lechao)

Define Your Sample and Approval Standards

This is one of the most important parts of the brief.

Before receiving a sample, define what you will use to judge whether it is acceptable.

Your approval criteria can cover:

Item	What to Confirm
Pruebe	Flavor intensity, sweetness, sourness
Textura	Softness, firmness, chewiness
Color	Shade and consistency
Forma	Dimensions and visual accuracy
Weight	Target weight per piece
Embalaje	Size, appearance, artwork and labeling

You should also clarify whether all requirements are mandatory or whether some can be adjusted.

Por ejemplo:

Texture must match the reference sample; color can be adjusted within the brand’s approved range.

This prevents a common problem: approving a sample based on taste, then requesting major changes to shape, weight, or packaging after production preparation has already started.

LeChao’s published customization process follows demand communication, solution design, sampling, mass production, and quality control/testing, allowing product requirements to be confirmed before mass production.

A Simple Candy Product Brief Template

You can send your manufacturer a brief using this structure:

Requisito	Information to Provide
Target Market	Country, consumers, sales channel
Taste & Texture	Flavor, sweetness, sourness, chewiness
Color	Color, number of colors, natural/artificial
Forma	Shape, dimensions, custom mold
Weight	Weight per piece, pieces/package
Embalaje	Format, material, artwork, labeling
Budget	Target price, quantity, expected volume
Approval Standard	Taste, texture, color, shape, weight, packaging

Attach reference photos, competitor products, drawings, packaging artwork, or physical samples whenever possible.

From Product Brief to Candy Development

A product brief does not need to contain every technical answer. Its main purpose is to give the manufacturer enough information to understand what you are trying to achieve.

For a customized candy project, LeChao can use these requirements to develop a suitable product solution and move toward sampling and production. The company has provided OEM/ODM candy manufacturing since 1991 and currently supports customization across formulas, flavors, colors, shapes, coatings, and packaging.

The more clearly you define your target market, taste, color, shape, weight, packaging, budget, and approval standards, the easier it is for both sides to evaluate the same product concept and move efficiently from idea to finished candy.