Private label agreement (OEM) and NDA template for olive oil
You are launching your own brand of olive oil and having it produced by a supplier: this is the principle of the private label (OEM). Two documents frame this project: an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to protect your upstream exchanges, and a private label agreement that sets out the specifications, brand ownership, exclusivity and quality. This page explains both, their essential clauses, the common mistakes, and offers templates to download.
Free PDF pack: NDA + private label (OEM) agreement, annotated clause by clause. Get it by email »
Important notice: educational templates to be validated by a lawyer before signing. They do not constitute legal advice. Intellectual property, product liability and food law vary from country to country.
In brief
- The private label (OEM): a supplier produces the oil; you market it under your brand.
- The NDA protects your exchanges before the agreement (recipes, prices, projects, customer data).
- The private label agreement sets out: quality specifications, brand ownership, exclusivity, volumes, liability, termination.
- Critical point: the brand and the recipes must remain your property, never the supplier's.
- Assemble it all with the contract kit.
What are the NDA and the private label agreement for?
A private label project unfolds in two stages, with a document for each:
1. The NDA (non-disclosure agreement) — signed before sharing anything at all. When you talk to a supplier, you exchange sensitive information: specifications, price targets, brand project, possible customers. The NDA prohibits its disclosure and misuse. It is the prerequisite for any serious negotiation.
2. The private label agreement (OEM) — signed when the project takes shape. It defines what the supplier produces for you, under your brand, according to your specifications: oil category, quality specifications, packaging, labelling, volumes, prices, exclusivity, intellectual property and responsibilities.
The common thread of both: protecting your brand and your know-how vis-à-vis the supplier.
Essential clauses
NDA (non-disclosure agreement)
- Parties and subject matter (the contemplated private label project).
- Definition of confidential information: recipes, specifications, prices, customer data, brand project.
- Obligations: non-disclosure, non-use outside the project, return/destruction of documents.
- Term of confidentiality (often beyond the end of the discussions).
- Exclusions: information already public.
- Penalties and applicable law / disputes.
Private label agreement (OEM)
- Parties: supplier (contract manufacturer) and principal (you).
- Product specifications: category (extra virgin, organic, etc.), quality markers, COA per batch, origin, crop year.
- Packaging and labelling: format, design, regulatory details, your brand.
- Intellectual property: the brand, the visuals and the recipes belong to you; prohibition for the supplier to use or register them.
- Exclusivity: the supplier does not manufacture your product for a third party (as agreed).
- Volumes, prices, deadlines and order terms.
- Quality and control: re-analyses, tolerances, non-conformity.
- Product liability and insurance.
- Confidentiality, term, termination, applicable law.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sharing before signing the NDA: once the information is disclosed without protection, it is too late.
- Leaving it unclear who owns the brand: the brand, the visuals and the recipes must explicitly remain yours.
- Forgetting to prohibit misuse by the supplier (manufacturing the same product for a competitor).
- Imprecise quality specifications: without markers or a COA per batch, the private label loses its guarantee of consistency.
- Labelling non-compliant with the destination market (mandatory details, claims): blockage at import.
- Product liability not allocated: in the event of a defect, who answers? To be settled in the agreement.
- NDA without a term or penalty: a symbolic NDA protects nothing.
Standard structure
| Document | Main blocks |
|---|---|
| NDA | Parties · Subject matter · Confidential information · Non-disclosure & non-use · Term · Exclusions · Penalties · Law & disputes |
| Private label agreement (OEM) | Parties · Quality specifications (COA) · Packaging & labelling · Brand ownership · Exclusivity · Volumes/prices/deadlines · Quality control · Product liability · Confidentiality · Term · Termination · Law & disputes |
NDA + private label agreement pack to download (free)
Get by email the PDF pack "NDA + Olive oil private label (OEM) agreement": both templates annotated, with the points to watch (confidentiality, brand ownership, specifications, exclusivity). Simple sign-up (double opt-in), no spam.
To build your entire private label file, use the contract kit.
Educational templates, to be validated by a lawyer before signing. No legal advice.
FAQ — Private label agreement & NDA
What is a private label agreement (OEM)?
It is the contract by which a supplier produces olive oil under your brand, according to your specifications. You market it; they manufacture it. The brand remains yours.
What is an NDA and why sign it first?
The NDA (non-disclosure agreement) protects the sensitive information exchanged before the agreement (recipes, prices, brand project). It is signed before sharing anything strategic.
Does the brand belong to me under private label?
It must belong to you, and the contract must say so explicitly: brand, visuals and recipes remain your property, with a prohibition for the supplier to use or register them.
Can the supplier sell my product to a competitor?
Only if the contract allows it. Provide for an exclusivity clause prohibiting the supplier from producing your exact product for a third party.
How do I guarantee quality under private label?
Through precise specifications: category, markers (acidity, peroxide, etc.), COA per batch, tolerances and re-analyses. This is what ensures the consistency of your brand.
Who is liable in the event of a product defect?
To be defined in the agreement. Product liability and insurance must be clearly allocated between the supplier and the principal.
Does the NDA have a limited term?
Confidentiality applies during the discussions and often beyond (several years). An NDA without a term or penalty does not protect effectively.
Is labelling covered by the agreement?
Yes: packaging, design and the destination market's regulatory details must be framed. Non-compliant labelling blocks import.
Are private label and OEM the same thing?
The terms are close: producing under a third party's brand. In practice, we speak of private label / OEM on the supplier side and of own brand / private label on the distributor side.
Do I need an NDA even for a simple sample request?
As soon as you share specific specifications or price targets, yes. For a simple standard sample, it is not always necessary — to be assessed with a lawyer.
Do these documents replace a sales contract?
No. The private label agreement frames the relationship; each order remains governed by the sales documents (pro forma invoice, invoice, sales contract).
Where can I find reliable templates?
Download the free PDF pack above and assemble your file with the contract kit. Have each document validated by a lawyer.
Take action
Protect your brand from the very first conversation with a supplier.
Contract kit » — NDA, OEM agreement and related documents.
Request a free quote » — dated quotation + private label support.
Data as of July 2026, indicative and to be re-checked before any commitment. Templates to be validated by a lawyer; no legal advice. Sources: OEM/private label contractual practices, intellectual property law (varies by country).
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