JOI Labs · Co-Development Services
AI-Accelerated Food & Beverage Co-Development for QSR Operators & Manufacturers
We combine Wonka — our proprietary AI food science system — with real formulators to take you from brief to a physical, tasted sample in 5–7 days. Full co-development partner from brief to shelf, or a formulation team you bring to your existing manufacturer. Built on concentrate expertise. Capable across the full product spectrum.
See How It WorksHow We Work Together
Two Ways to Engage
Whether you need a full development-to-supply partner or a formulation team to hand off to your existing manufacturer — JOI Labs has an engagement model built for it.
From Brief to Shelf
We handle everything — formulation, compliance, sourcing, production, and ongoing supply. JOI becomes your dedicated development partner and supplier from day one.
- Recipe formulation & iteration
- Nutritional analysis & profiling
- FDA label & regulatory compliance
- Ingredient sourcing & production
- Prototype sample delivery
- Ongoing finished goods supply
Formula Developed. Handed Off.
Already have a manufacturer? We develop the formula and documentation — you take it to your existing co-packer. Full formulation expertise, no long-term supply commitment.
- Recipe formulation & iteration
- Nutritional analysis & profiling
- FDA label & regulatory compliance
- Prototype samples delivered
- Complete formula documentation
- Handoff-ready specification pack
Who We Work With
Built for These Teams
JOI works alongside the people actually responsible for getting a product right — whether or not they have a formulation team behind them.
Menu Innovation & Culinary Teams
Running a growing QSR concept and need a differentiated menu item without hiring a food scientist? We build it around your operational constraints — not a lab-only ideal.
Founders & Product Leads at Emerging CPG Brands
No in-house R&D department yet? JOI functions as your food science team — formulation, compliance, and sourcing handled, so you can focus on the brand and the launch.
Innovation & R&D Leads at Growing Manufacturers
Need overflow formulation capacity or a concentrate/clean-label specialist your internal team doesn't have bandwidth for? We plug in as an extension of your team, not a replacement.
Private Label & Retail Buyers
Sourcing a custom formula for a distributor or retail program? Every JOI formula ships with a complete, retail-ready documentation pack — no back-and-forth with your co-packer.
Full Co-Development — The JOI Method™
From Concept to Delivered Product
Every full co-development project follows The JOI Method™ — a structured six-stage process from first formula to finished goods. You stay in the loop at each milestone. We handle the complexity.
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01
Recipe Development
Custom formulations built around your menu vision, dietary targets, and operational constraints. Wonka accelerates iteration; our formulators design for what your concept actually needs to run efficiently at scale.
AI-Accelerated · Formulation Engine -
02
Nutritional Analysis
Full macro and micro profiling on every blend, aligned to your concept's health positioning and consumer-facing claims. Numbers you can put on a menu.
Nutritional Profiling -
03
Label & Regulatory Compliance
FDA-ready labeling, allergen declarations, and claim substantiation built into the process from day one — not appended at the end as an afterthought.
Compliance Dashboard -
04
Ingredient Sourcing & Production
Leveraging JOI's fully vetted supply chain partners, we handle all ingredient sourcing and production coordination — delivering your finished blend ready to deploy across your system, with no supply chain headaches on your end.
JOI-Managed Sourcing -
05
Prototype Delivery & Refinement
Physical samples delivered to your team for in-house testing. We work alongside you to refine the formulation until it's ready for system-wide deployment.
Sample Delivery -
06
Your Dedicated Supplier
The pipeline doesn't end with a sample. Once your formula is locked, JOI becomes your single-source supplier — handling all production and fulfillment of your custom blend going forward. Finished goods delivered on your schedule, your volume, your specs. No handoffs. No new vendors. One relationship from first formula to ongoing supply.
Ongoing Supply Partner
Powered by Wonka — Our Proprietary AI System
Every Stage. Every Formula. AI-Accelerated.
Wonka is the AI system behind JOI's Food Development App — it accelerates formulation, nutrition, compliance, sourcing, and supplier coordination across every project, while real food scientists verify every recommendation and every physical sample. Wonka draws on a continuously expanding library of thousands of ingredients, with new ingredients added project-by-project as your brief requires.
Formulation Engine
Wonka builds, versions, and compares recipe iterations in real time. Every change is logged with AI-assisted rationale, keeping your development history clean and traceable — and every recommendation is reviewed by a real formulator before it becomes a sample.
Nutritional Profiling
Real-time nutritional calculations as formulations evolve. Instantly see how ingredient swaps affect macros, micros, and label claims.
Compliance Dashboard
FDA labeling, allergen flags, and claim documentation tracked alongside formulation. Your regulatory record, always current and audit-ready.
Project Timeline
Clear milestones and stage gates so you always know where your product sits in the development pipeline and what's coming next.
Supply Chain Management
JOI handles all ingredient sourcing and supply chain coordination on your behalf — our vetted manufacturing partner network ensures quality, consistency, and cost efficiency in every finished blend we deliver.
Collaboration Layer
Your team and ours in one shared workspace. Comments, approvals, and sign-offs all tied to the development record — no version confusion.
The Intelligence Layer
Formulations Built on Real Intelligence
Beyond managing your project, our platform actively informs it. Every concentrate JOI develops is backed by real-time category data, IP screening, and seasonal market intelligence built into our development workflow.
Category Trend Intelligence
Your formulations are developed with real-time category demand data behind them. We track category trends, emerging ingredients, and consumption patterns internally — so every concentrate we develop is positioned ahead of the market, not catching up to it.
IP & Patent Screening
Before any formulation moves to production, it’s screened against active patents in the plant-based ingredient and application space. Your custom formula arrives IP-clean — with no conflict risk discovered after you’ve committed to production.
Seasonal Menu Planning
Your JOI team uses real-time seasonal demand patterns to help time new concentrate introductions to consumer demand windows — so you’re launching when momentum is building, not lagging behind it.
Why Concentrates
The Case Against Ready-to-Pour
RTU looks simple until you run the numbers. Concentrates give QSR operators more control at every level — from cost and complexity to shelf life and consistency.
You're paying to ship water.
RTU pricing reflects weight, refrigeration, and packaging overhead. Concentrates cut all three — and deliver more value per order.
Ship less. Waste less.
Higher concentration means less freight volume, less packaging, and less spoilage. Better for your margins and better for the planet.
Months on the shelf. Not weeks.
No cold chain. No spoilage panic. No emergency reorders. Concentrates stay stable and perform consistently across your full inventory cycle.
Exact yield. Every location. Every time.
Defined dilution ratios mean every cup is built the same way across your system — no guesswork, no inconsistency, no waste.
Your spec. Full stop.
Custom formulations built to your exact profile. No filler ingredients, no manufacturer defaults to work around, no compromises baked in.
One product. A dozen applications.
Plant milks, sauces, soft serves, smoothie bases, dressings — all powered by a single concentrate. One formula unlocks your entire better-for-you menu.
Fewer SKUs. Fewer vendors. Less complexity.
One concentrate anchors multiple menu items — consolidating your ordering, reducing supplier relationships, and simplifying BOH operations system-wide.
Concentrate Economics
See What You’re Spending to Ship Water
Estimate your annual savings switching from RTU to a JOI plant-based concentrate. Adjust the inputs to match your operation.
Your Operation
Annual Estimate
Your Estimated Annual Savings
$51,246
32% vs. RTU annually
RTU Annual Spend
$159,250
JOI Annual Cost
$108,004
45,625 RTU containers eliminated per year
From Formula to Shelf
Built for Retail, Branded Products & Beyond.
Not every product ends up on a QSR menu. Whether you’re launching a branded retail product, developing for a private label program, or building a format that doesn’t fit a standard mold — JOI Labs develops it.
Compliance built in, not bolted on.
Every formula is developed with retail shelf requirements in mind — Nutrition Facts panel, allergen declarations, and claim substantiation from the first iteration. Not added as an afterthought when you’re ready to produce.
RTD, bars, snacks, sauces, concentrates.
We develop across product formats with no lock-in to a single category. If you can spec it, we scope it — and build it to the same standard regardless of format.
Your co-packer gets everything they need on day one.
Every formula includes a complete documentation pack — spec sheets, processing parameters, ingredient sourcing notes. Clean handoff to your existing manufacturer, no translation required.
Custom formulas for distributor and retail programs.
Developing for a distributor or retail program? We develop custom formulas for private label applications at the same speed and standard as branded product development.
Start a Project
Tell Us About Your Concept
We work with growing food concepts — 300 locations or less — focused on better-for-you, plant-based ingredients.
- Discovery call within 48 hours
- Custom scope — no off-the-shelf packages
- Full transparency via the Food Development App
- Physical samples before any volume commitment
Request a Discovery Call
Takes 2 minutes. Our team responds within 48 hours to schedule a focused intro call around what you're building.
Mention “sample request” in the form message field.
What happens next
- 01 2-minute Typeform — name, brand, concept type, what you're building
- 02 We respond within 48 hours with a proposed time
- 03 30-minute intro call — no pressure, just a real conversation