We are the customers or potential customers and he is the manufacturer. There is no need for emotional bonding, just like you don't bond with Tim Cook when you buy an iPad.
Capitalism is based on sharing the workload. If you produce faster and with higher quality, you can earn more money, of course, speed and quality alone are not enough. You need to market your product. For donation-related products, the best way to do this is to share your product so you stay in the spotlight and acquire new customers in the long run. With the production and marketing of the product the manufacturer makes the relevant decisions, so you cannot hold the customers or potential customers responsible for the disruptions in production and sales.
I can produce a tiny smart phone with a lot of effort, but no one will buy that phone just because I work hard, so in the end what truly matters is what the people thinks, it determines the value of your business. Therefore, the manufacturer should be open to constructive criticisms.
Don't worship the manufacturers for being a manufacturer, if you do they will eventually exploit your goodwill.
PS: I know we're not talking about a large-scale company here, but the same logic can be applied to any production mechanism for objective analysis. It is hypocrisy to pretend you are not part of the system while using the system's tools to your advantage.