How we choose a packaging partner

We choose packaging partners on six points, in this order: technical specification, food-contact documentation, samples run on a real machine, lead time, price seen as part of total cost, and the way they communicate day to day. Packaging is the first thing a shopper touches, and it is what keeps a cracker crisp between the factory and the shelf. So choosing a film or carton supplier is not a purchasing job alone. The whole product team is involved.

What packaging decides

For a dry snack, the pack does four jobs. It keeps moisture and oxygen out so the cracker stays crisp and the nuts stay fresh. It has to be safe in direct contact with food. It carries the colours and words of the brand, so print has to be accurate. And it has to run on the packing machines at our partner facilities, because a beautiful roll of film that tracks badly through the machine is worthless.

These four jobs pull on each other. A stronger barrier usually means a thicker film, a thicker film needs a different sealing temperature, and a different temperature means the machine has to be adjusted. So when we talk to a supplier, we ask about the whole package rather than one property at a time.

Six things we ask a supplier

• Specification. A spec sheet that states the film structure layer by layer, total thickness, water vapour and oxygen transmission rates, seal strength and the sealing temperature range. For cartons, the flute type, paper grammage and compression strength.
• Food-contact documents. A declaration of compliance for food-contact materials, migration test results (how much of the packaging can pass into the food) and a COA (certificate of analysis) for every lot delivered.
• Samples for a machine run. Real samples of the exact structure we would buy, in a quantity that can go through the packing machine rather than just be handled at a desk.
• Lead time and minimum order. How long from artwork approval to goods in our warehouse, whether a reprint is faster, and how long an opened roll keeps.
• Price within total cost. The price per metre of film or per carton is the visible part. Waste on the line, product going soft before its date and cartons crushed in a container are the expensive part.
• Communication. Is there a technical person who can answer technical questions, are emails answered within a working day, and when something goes wrong do they tell us first or let us find out.

The sixth point sounds the softest and often matters most. Packaging rarely fails all at once. It fails a little at a time, and a partner who speaks up early lets us fix things while they are still cheap.

An example: film for a nut bar

Our Natural & Healthy bars, one of the four Color of Vietnam brands, are built on Vietnamese cashews. Nuts carry oil, and oil exposed to oxygen for long enough smells stale. So for this product the first question to a film supplier is not price but oxygen barrier.

Our method is plain. We ask for samples of two or three film structures, send them to our partner facilities to run on the packing machine and inspect the seals. Then we keep the packed bars under ordinary conditions for a few weeks, and the team tastes them against a fresh sample. The structure that keeps the cashew flavour clean, shows no stale oil note, seals tight and runs smoothly moves on to the price and lead time conversation. Without that second tasting, every number on the spec sheet is only a promise.

What makes us stop

A few signs make us say thank you and walk away, even when the price is good:

• No COA or food-contact documents, or documents that belong to a different product.
• Samples that differ from what would be delivered, such as a sample cut from a higher grade of film.
• The answer to every request is yes, including requests that contradict each other.
• Specifications changed without notice.

By contrast, a supplier who tells us plainly that one structure has a weaker oxygen barrier than another, or that lead times stretch in peak season, is usually the one we want to work with for years. Speaking honestly is one of our four values, and we look for it in partners the way we look for it in colleagues.

If you make laminated film, jars, labels or cartons for the food trade and would like to work with a small team that asks detailed questions, get in touch. A spec sheet and a real sample are the best way to start.