Buying wholesale
White label vs private label: what's the difference?
White label means putting your own brand on a product that already exists in a supplier's range — the recipe, blend and pack format stay exactly as they are for every buyer who orders it. Private label means the product itself is made or adjusted to a buyer's own specification, whether that's a particular spice ratio, a particular jar size, or packaging built around one brand. Most wholesale relationships sit somewhere on that spectrum rather than falling cleanly into one camp or the other.
For a Levantine pantry range, the distinction matters most for spice blends, oils and jarred goods, where the underlying product can be adjusted without changing where it's made. Levant Direct works with eight supplier houses across Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Türkiye and Egypt, and how much room there is to adjust a formulation — or simply rebrand an existing one — depends on which producer makes the product in question. Either way, the starting point is the same: send an inquiry describing what you have in mind, and the specifics — feasibility, formulation, minimums — are confirmed from there.
White label: the same product, your branding
White labelling is the lower-friction route. A product already produced and packed in volume — a spice blend, a bottled sauce, a bar of soap — is simply supplied under a label that carries your business name instead of, or alongside, the producer's own. The formulation and format don't change buyer to buyer, which is exactly why it's faster to arrange and easier to test at a smaller scale.
It suits a buyer who wants a branded product on their shelf without redesigning the product itself — a café putting its name on a packaged spice mix from the spices category, for instance, or a retailer branding a jar of preserves as its own house line.
Categories where white labelling tends to come up most often include spice blends, bottled sauces and soap bars — products that are already made to a fixed, tested formulation and simply need a different label applied before they ship.
Private label: the product is built to your spec
Private labelling goes a step further: the product itself, not just the label, is shaped around the buyer's request. That might mean a custom blend ratio for a spice mix, a specific jar or pouch size, or packaging designed to fit an existing product line rather than a supplier's standard format.
Because it involves more coordination between the buyer's brief and the producer's process, private label work generally takes more lead time and more back-and-forth to lock down than white label does, and typically starts to make sense only once volume can support a distinct formulation — a threshold discussed further in what minimums are typical for private label.
It's worth being specific early. A buyer who can describe the target formulation — close to a particular existing blend, a specific weight per unit, a preferred jar or pouch — gets a faster answer on feasibility than one who asks generally about 'private label options.'
How to start either conversation
- Describe the goal, not just the product — a rebranded existing item (white label) or a custom formulation (private label) point suppliers to very different answers.
- Send it as an inquiry through the normal inquiry list process, with as much detail on formulation, packaging or branding intent as you have.
- Expect a conversation, not an instant quote — private label in particular is confirmed case by case, since formulation and packaging both affect what's possible.
- Browse first if you're not sure which direction fits — looking through the existing catalogue often clarifies whether an existing product already does the job.
- Ask about timeline separately from feasibility — even once a private label formulation is confirmed as possible, the schedule for a first production run is a separate conversation from the initial pricing.
Related questions
Which option is simpler to start with?
White label, generally — it uses a product that already exists, so there's no formulation work involved, only branding and packaging. Private label takes more coordination because the product itself is being shaped to a spec.
Can a buyer move from white label to private label later?
Yes. It's common to start with an existing product under your own branding and move to a custom formulation once volume and demand justify it. Raise it in a new inquiry when you're ready.
Does either option change lead time?
It can — private label work generally involves more coordination than ordering an existing product. Timing for either is confirmed on your quotation once the specifics are known.
Is private label only for larger orders?
Generally, yes — because a distinct formulation or pack run needs enough volume to make sense for the producer, private label tends to suit buyers who can commit past trial-order quantities. Exact thresholds are quoted per project.