Prospectors LLC

Prospectors is a Michigan-based beverage co-manufacturer and private-label producer specializing in cold brew coffee, nitro coffee, and a broad range of hot-fill and cold-fill beverages for national, regional, and local brands. Founded in 2014 in Grand Rapids by childhood friends David Wentworth and Eric Pearson, the company grew out of Wentworth's personal search — as a Type-1 diabetic — for a refreshing, caffeinated beverage without high amounts of added sugar or artificial sweeteners. After experimenting with home cold brewing and discovering the West Coast's emerging cold-brew trend through samples shipped by Pearson, the two friends built a company centered on all-natural, locally sourced, hand-crafted cold coffee. Today Prospectors' branded cold brew coffees are distributed across retailers in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions, and the company has expanded into full-scale contract manufacturing and private-label production for other beverage brands. The company's core cold brew process steeps Arabica coffee beans in triple-filtered water for 16 hours, paired with a proprietary four-part filtration method designed to eliminate acidity and bitterness while drawing out the beans' natural richness. This results in a smooth, low-acid coffee with a bright, refreshing finish, and the company applies the same craft-driven, health-conscious approach to the broader beverage lines it produces on behalf of clients. As a co-manufacturer, Prospectors positions itself as a full-service partner for beverage brands that need private label and co-packing production, citing more than 15 years of combined experience in private label, co-manufacturing, and co-packing work. The company emphasizes that it understands the importance of protecting a client's brand through consistent quality, traceability, and cost control, and states it is trusted by premier national, regional, and local beverage companies for that reason. Production capabilities span both hot-fill and cold-fill processes, along with retort packaging, giving the company flexibility across categories including cold brew and nitro coffee, acidified teas, juices, and sports drinks. Its low-acid retort line focuses on canned cold brew and nitro coffee in 12-ounce sleek cans, offered with sleeved or pressure-sensitive labels and available at low minimum order quantities for emerging brands. Its hot-fill line supports acidified teas, juices, sports drinks, and similar beverages packaged in 10-ounce glass, 32-ounce Boston Round, 16-ounce Powerflex, and both 32-ounce and 64-ounce bulk formats, with custom bottle options available at higher volumes. Additional stated capabilities include hot-fill and cold-fill processing in select sizes; nitrogen-dosed and carbonated canning; bag-in-box packaging in 3-gallon formats; 5-gallon one-way kegs; bulk tote packaging for beverage ingredients; full contract packaging services; logistics support; and roasting and ingredient sourcing, allowing the company to manage a beverage program from raw ingredient sourcing through finished, retail-ready packaging. The company states that strict food safety standards guide its production process, aiming to deliver safe, healthy, and high-quality products, and that it maintains certifications and trade-association affiliations intended to keep it current with food and beverage industry regulations and emerging consumer trends. Overall, Prospectors serves as both a consumer-facing cold brew coffee brand and a business-to-business beverage manufacturing partner, combining its own product line's craft positioning with contract manufacturing services aimed at helping other beverage brands bring hot-fill, cold-fill, canned, bottled, kegged, and bag-in-box products to market.