How to switch cone suppliers without a stockout

Short answer: sample, line-test, overlap one order, then switch. The stockouts happen when a buyer cuts the old supplier before the new supplier's first production order has actually landed.

Step 1 — Sample with intent

Get samples in your exact size and paper, blank or branded as you'll run them. Fill them with production flower on production equipment. A sample that looks fine on a desk tells you nothing.

Step 2 — Line-test

Full tray, production grind, production operators. Measure rejects. Weigh empties. Burn ten. If the supplier won't support this, that is your answer.

Step 3 — Lock the spec in writing

Size, paper, print, packing, acceptance criteria. Put it in the PO. Agree what happens if a lot drifts.

Step 4 — Overlap, don't cut over

Place the first production order with the new supplier while you still have a cushion from the old one. Production plus ocean freight is roughly a quarter — order the switch three to four months before you need it, not three weeks. This is the step people skip, and it is the one that causes the stockout.

Step 5 — Set the reorder cadence

Before the first order lands, agree the reorder trigger with the new supplier: at what weeks-of-stock do you place the next PO? Use the reorder planner to find your number.

Step 6 — Review after the first full cycle

Reject rate, burn complaints, on-time delivery, responsiveness. If it's all good, consolidate. If not, you still have the old supplier's number.

Ready to start step 1? Request a sample kit. Blank or branded, your size.