Packaging brief
Design the pack around the route to market.
Format, barrier, fill weight, label language, case pack and minimum print run interact. Fix them before asking for one all-in price.
Updated:
Format matrix
One brief, five layers.
The entries below are procurement decisions, not a blanket capacity claim. Available machinery, materials, certification scope, minimums and lead time must be tied to the named production party in the quote.
| Layer | Decision fields | Approval evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk | Sack or carton; liner; net and gross weight; dimensions; seal; lot code | Pack sample or material specification |
| Retail loose leaf | Pouch, tin or carton; fill weight; barrier; zipper or heat seal; label area | Dieline, material declaration and golden pack |
| Tea bags | Bag construction; filter material; string and tag; envelope; dose; box count | Component specification and line trial |
| Artwork | Languages; ingredients; net quantity; origin; importer; barcode; date and lot coding | Signed artwork proof and responsibility record |
| Logistics | Case pack; carton size; gross weight; pallet; mixed-SKU rule; container assumption | Packing list model and loading plan |
Private-label gate
From brief to production release.
- 01Commercial brief
Destination, channel, tea, pack, quantity and target landing date.
- 02Tea and component quote
Tea cost, packing conversion, printed materials, testing, documents and freight shown separately.
- 03Samples
Tea sample and, where available, an unprinted or digitally mocked pack.
- 04Artwork approval
Dieline, mandatory content, barcode, lot/date coding and legal responsibility signed off.
- 05Golden pack
Physical appearance, fill, seal, coding and case pack approved before the run.
- 06Release and shipment
Lot acceptance, packing record, document pack and loading responsibility confirmed.
Questions buyers ask
Does the website list a fixed private-label MOQ?
No. The economic minimum depends on tea, pack format, printed-material minimums, number of SKUs and destination. The quotation should separate the tea minimum from the packaging minimum.
What should be approved before a packing run?
Tea sample, fill weight, primary material, dieline and artwork, label content, date and lot coding, case pack, pallet or floor-load plan, golden pack and the destination document list.
Can a buyer bring existing artwork?
Yes as an enquiry input. The production party, print method, dimensions, mandatory label content and responsibility for legal approval must still be confirmed in the quotation.
Are tea bags biodegradable?
Not all of them. Many paper tea bags are heat-sealed with a small share of plastic fibre such as polypropylene, and mesh bags are usually nylon or PLA, which composts only in industrial composting. A biodegradable or compostable claim should come with the material specification and a certificate to a named standard — EN 13432 for industrial composting in Europe — rather than a word on the box.
Does loose-leaf tea expire?
It does not spoil quickly while it stays dry, but it goes stale: the aroma fades and the cup flattens, faster for green and lightly oxidised teas than for black tea. The date on a pack is a best-before date set by the packer for that tea, barrier and storage condition; there is no single shelf life for all teas.
Loose-leaf tea or tea bags?
Loose leaf gives whole leaves room to open and usually brews more than once; bags give a measured dose and speed, usually with smaller broken or CTC particles that infuse quickly. For a programme, the choice sets the tea grade, the filter material, the packing line and the box count, so decide it before asking for a price.
Where packing fits in an order
Next step
Send the pack brief before the artwork.
Destination, channel, format, fill weight, SKU count and expected quantity are enough to expose the real cost drivers.