Joe Savino
I fix food & beverage problems.
And identify products worth building next.
My expertise is in product innovation, manufacturing, equipment, and the economics to make it work.
2,000+
Locations
Built Numilk from zero.
$20M+
Co-packing
Serving national brands.
20 Years
In food & beverage
Building & innovating.
02 / How I Help
I work with early-stage, fully funded, and PE-backed companies.
From first production runs to $40M+.
Projected output doesn’t match reality.
Manufacturing & Operations
It’s just not working and you’re not sure why. I’ve worked on enough different lines and products to see what others miss. I think through the whole process first, design and flow, then troubleshoot from there.
Your product works, but you can’t get it to scale.
Product Development & Scale-Up
I look for the edge in both the product and how it’s made, the kind of moat competitors can’t cross (costs they can’t hit and quality they can’t match). From there I formulate it for real production runs and stay within a healthy COGS.
You’re so busy fighting fires you can’t see the big picture.
Fractional Operator
Many founders hit a wall where every mistake is expensive. I’ve made those mistakes and learned the hard way. I embed with your team so you avoid them, or at least pay a lot less for them. I only take on four companies at a time, so you get my full attention.
03 / References
From people who've worked with me.
Joe helped build Numilk from the ground up, literally. From the original kiosk to our countertop machines and pouches, he designed and executed everything we brought to market. If you need a product taken from concept to manufactured reality, Joe can help you.
Ari Tolwin
Cofounder & CEO, Numilk
I’ve known Joe 15 years, and he knows I take my business very seriously. We didn’t bring Numilk into Birch right away. We were looking for a product that stood far above the rest. Joe took our feedback and went back to the bench again and again until the formula was perfect. Then it went into every shop. And honestly, he’s just a stand-up guy.
Jeremy Lyman
Cofounder, Birch Coffee
Working with Joe Savino was a fantastic experience. He brings real depth in both the science and the manufacturing side of food production, and his equipment decisions are thoughtful and well-researched. It was a pleasure working with someone so knowledgeable, professional, and committed to the highest standards.
Joseph Gorman
Managing Director, Probat Ltd.
Joe is, simply put, a genius. In my 30 years of manufacturing experience, I have never worked with someone who can solve any problem in a very short time, and be incredibly resourceful to implement the solutions immediately.
Juan Carlos Torres Rodriguez
Manufacturing Excellence Leader, Danone
Joe helped build Numilk from the ground up, literally. From the original kiosk to our countertop machines and pouches, he designed and executed everything we brought to market. If you need a product taken from concept to manufactured reality, Joe can help you.
Ari Tolwin
Cofounder & CEO, Numilk
I’ve known Joe 15 years, and he knows I take my business very seriously. We didn’t bring Numilk into Birch right away. We were looking for a product that stood far above the rest. Joe took our feedback and went back to the bench again and again until the formula was perfect. Then it went into every shop. And honestly, he’s just a stand-up guy.
Jeremy Lyman
Cofounder, Birch Coffee
Working with Joe Savino was a fantastic experience. He brings real depth in both the science and the manufacturing side of food production, and his equipment decisions are thoughtful and well-researched. It was a pleasure working with someone so knowledgeable, professional, and committed to the highest standards.
Joseph Gorman
Managing Director, Probat Ltd.
Joe is, simply put, a genius. In my 30 years of manufacturing experience, I have never worked with someone who can solve any problem in a very short time, and be incredibly resourceful to implement the solutions immediately.
Juan Carlos Torres Rodriguez
Manufacturing Excellence Leader, Danone
Joe helped build Numilk from the ground up, literally. From the original kiosk to our countertop machines and pouches, he designed and executed everything we brought to market. If you need a product taken from concept to manufactured reality, Joe can help you.
Ari Tolwin
Cofounder & CEO, Numilk
I’ve known Joe 15 years, and he knows I take my business very seriously. We didn’t bring Numilk into Birch right away. We were looking for a product that stood far above the rest. Joe took our feedback and went back to the bench again and again until the formula was perfect. Then it went into every shop. And honestly, he’s just a stand-up guy.
Jeremy Lyman
Cofounder, Birch Coffee
“
Joe is, simply put, a genius. In my 30 years of manufacturing experience, I have never worked with someone who can solve any problem in a very short time, and be incredibly resourceful to implement the solutions immediately.
Juan Carlos Torres Rodriguez
Manufacturing Excellence Leader, Danone
04 / For Investors & Lenders
I check the plant against the projections before you close the deal.
For investors and lenders evaluating food and beverage deals. I cofounded and grew a co-packing operation through the good years and the hard ones, and helped raise institutional capital as a founder. I know what a plant hides on a walkthrough and what a pitch deck leaves out.
Many deals look good on paper, but a lot of problems are invisible unless you've spent years on the floor. If they're there, I'll find them.
PE Funds / Family Offices / Lenders / Strategic Acquirers
Scope of Work
COGS reality check
Models often leave out line items or get scale wrong. I rebuild costs from the bottom up so the gap shows up before you close.
Co-packer pressure test
Capacity, contract terms, quality systems, and scale risks.
Equipment and capex review
Condition, remaining life, and expected cost to scale up.
Red flags report
Findings, risks, and recommendations.
Standard NDA. Fully confidential.
05 / Equipment Sourcing
The wrong machine is the most expensive one.
Equipment is where a lot of companies lose the most money, usually by buying the wrong thing. I've specced, sourced, and commissioned processing and packaging equipment across bottled beverages, plant-based dairy, and HPP. I've also designed machines from scratch when nothing on the market could do the job.
Line design and specs matched to your product and your volume
Build vs. buy, new vs. used, domestic vs. overseas
Vendor selection, quote review, and negotiation
Factory acceptance testing, install, and commissioning
Retrofits and custom builds when off-the-shelf won’t work
Fees are scoped per project.
Case Study / Direct Overseas Sourcing
Direct from the factory.
When it makes sense, I source direct from overseas manufacturers I've worked with for years, often 40–60% below US pricing. I manage the spec, factory QC, and commissioning, and coordinate shipping and import with a licensed customs broker. You buy direct from the factory and see every cost. I don't mark up the machine. My fee is tied to what I save you against your US quote.
Rotary filler, sourced factory-direct.
06 / Start with a Diagnostic
Not sure if I'm the right fit?
Book a 30-minute exploratory call. We walk through your operation and identify your highest-leverage problems. If I'm a fit, we can begin with an Operational Diagnostic. I spend 2–3 days on your floor, dig into your process and your numbers, and hand you a prioritized roadmap of what's broken, what it's costing, and how to fix it.
Operational Diagnostic
Fixed-fee proposal. No scope creep.
2–3 days on your floor.
I dig in on your process and numbers.
Roadmap: what’s broken, what it’s costing, how to fix it.
Delivered within two weeks.
I've worked in food science, process engineering, equipment, and operations. I see things a specialist can't and find the root cause instead of chasing symptoms.
07 / About
I'm Joe.
I've spent 20 years building in food and beverage. I started in inflight catering, where we grew from a 2,000 sq ft kitchen to a 40,000 sq ft facility. I cofounded a cold-pressed juice company and grew it into a $20M+ co-packing operation serving supermarkets, fast casual chains, and national brands.
Then came Numilk. We took it from a sketch to 2,000+ locations, with a pivot from grocery kiosks to countertops along the way. I owned a lot of the hard problems in the journey, from the formula to the machines. I taught myself coding, design software, fabrication, and food science. Not because I wanted to do everything, but because I refused to let the things we couldn't afford be the reason we failed.
I don't look like a typical consultant. I don't talk like one either. What I am is someone who has stood on the production floor, built the website, designed the label, and figured out why the machine wasn't working.
The first Numilk kiosk, Whole Foods, 2018.
I designed it, and retooled it after hours in the store when it broke.
If you're building something in food and beverage and need someone who's actually done it, that's me.