Flour Packaging

Flour isn't something people think much about (unless and until they bake).  As a result, few know how many types of flour there really are.  Which is why it is so difficult to build your flour brand, to have the shopper look for your products to meet their baking needs.

How many types of wheat flour are there?  Let's see.  all-purpose, bread , high gluten, whole wheat, self-rising, cake,  pastry and vital wheat gluten.  And there are non-wheat types as well, made from rye, oats, and soybeans.

With all these types and with all the various companies selling flour, it requires something special to set your brand apart.  A great way to do this is by rethinking your packaging.  Instead of using the traditional paper bags or boxes, consider using stand up bags.

Also called stand bags, custom printed stand bags, and Mylar™ print bags, stand up pouches are a great way to have the customer associate innovative packaging with your brand.  Made from laminating together multiple layers of barrier film, these bags are durable and puncture resistant, keeping the flour clean, dry, free from odor and pests.  And, with available zip seal closures, stand up bags lock in vital nutrients, especially important when it comes to whole wheat flour which turns rancid quickly because of the high fat content contained in the wheat germ.

While your brand becomes associated with the unique qualities of stand bags, the design of the pouches enables you to reach out to the consumer in another way.  Because the bags have wide front and back panels, labels can be easily affixed.  Even more effective from a branding standpoint, you can custom print the bags in up to 10 colors.  Product data, nutritional facts, company information and even advertising your other product lines are all possible (and highly effective) due to the innovative stand up bag design.

Stand up bags have a stable base so they stand up on the shelf and, therefore, stand out from the competition.  In addition, available hang holes (round or sombrero-style) provide another display option for the retailer.

The 'green' consumer will come to identify your brand with environmental responsibility.  Stand up bags are not only recyclable but take up very little room in a landfill, allowing your customers to actually reduce their waste.

Stand up bag packaging:  A great way to effectively brand your flour.  Want to learn more?

Flour packaging.  Not something anyone really thinks about.  Until it fails to do what it's supposed to do. To convey the flour from mill to market to kitchen, to neatly contain and store it. 

Stand up bags are the ideal flour packaging.  Created by laminating together multiple layers of scientifically designed barrier film, this packaging form is sturdy, durable and puncture resistant.   Also known as stand up pouches and custom stand bags, these bags will protect the flour from odor, vapor, oxygen, insects and moisture.  Of course, keeping the flour dry is critical.  Who wants a bag of clumpy or crusty batter?

Stand up bags are the perfect flour packaging for the kitchen.  Available with tear notches, these bags can be easily opened without creating a mess.  The zip seal closures that are also available protect against spoilage and spillage, preventing flour from gathering in that annoying ever-growing pile on the cupboard shelf. 

Stand up bags provide the ideal canvass for marketing your flour.  Specifically, construction of the bag results in wide front and back panels, both of which provide ample room for company-designed labels or for custom printing up to 10 colors.  Either way, the bags make for great presentation. 

Speaking of presentation, stand up bags do exactly what the name implies:  They stand up on the shelf and, therefore, stand out from the competition. 

More and more consumers are taking 'green' into account when making their buying decisions.  Stand bag flour packaging accommodates any sensitivity to environmental impact because it takes up very little room in a landfill.  When empty, each bag is no bigger than an 8x10 shipping envelope.  Even more to the point, this packaging is recyclable. 

Puncture resistant and durable, you can count on the bags to make it to the shopper's kitchen intact.  Built to stand up, they stand out from the competition.  Customizable, they are sure to satisfy the needs of the marketing department.  And because they prevent spoilage and spillage and open and close conveniently, they are consumer friendly.  Stand up bag flour packaging:  A sure way to bake up greater sales success.  Want to learn more?

Stand up bags, also known as stand bags or stand up pouches, are used extensively to package any number of products, from dry food items like flour and grains to liquids and juices using spouted stand up bags.  While the "big boys" in these industries are well aware of the ease and efficiency of a stand up bag, many others are extremely interested to not only package their product but help them build their brand and shelf presence, which ultimately increases their business.  More often than not companies have no idea where to start, what materials to use, how to create their artwork, and all other facets of a custom stand up bag. So, we've broken down each of the main steps, five of them in all, and here is Step One -- What Are You Packaging?



It all starts with what are you packaging.  This in turn helps us understand what types of barrier properties you need, the strength required of your stand up bag, the thickness, etc.  It all starts with this first step.  See for yourself!  Want to learn more about using stand up pouches for your product?

We've been chatting about different types of dry food packaging.  Over the past 3 days we've looked at an example of flour packaged using folding cartons, corrugated boxes, heavy duty plastic bags, and finally paper sacks.  More specifically we looked at the costs associated with each of these types/styles of dry food packaging.  Today, we will look at the #1 style available and why.

Stand up pouches, also known as stand bags or stand up bags, are made from multiple layers of heavy duty barrier film laminated together.  It's these layers of barrier film that provide protection for the contents from moisture, vapor, odor, and even sunlight.  Further, laminated film is incredibly strong to protect from puncture or even falls from store shelves.  More importantly, the laminated film along with the design allow stand up pouches to stand erect and effectively on a store shelf.

The best part is these are an all-in-one solution.  There is no need for additional packaging or an inner liner, the stand bag is strong enough to stand and provide barrier protection as well.  Further, as an added bonus, this type of packaging has a natural wide face and back for custom printing that features bold and dynamic colors of a logo and plenty of additional room to tell the company story and why the product is so great, awesome, better than all the others, yummy, etc.  Estimated cost?  $.15 cents...and this includes the custom printing, a heavy duty ziplock for open and close, and deep tear notches as well.

From a pure cost stand point, dry food packaging using stand up bags is flat out less expensive than all the others.  From a convenience factor and a consumer appeal standpoint, without question using stand bags for dry food packaging is a smart choice.

Interested in building your brand using stand up pouches?

Yesterday we discussed dry food packaging using folding cartons and corrugated cartons.  Both offer little or no barrier protection for our product, in this case flour and need an inner liner in order to attempt to keep the flour fresh.  Today we turn to two more types of dry food packaging...

Heavy duty plastic bags, here we are talking the large ziplock style flat pouch made from either single layer or co-extruded types of plastic.  Contrary to what others may think, single layer film or even co-extruded film isn't barrier film, so the contents are not necessarily protected from moisture, vapor, or even outside odors.  While dry food packaging such as this is cheap, rarely will you see just a flat bag on a store shelf holding flour.  Most likely if someone was serious about selling their flour they'll put this heavy duty ziplock bag into an outer carton, so we have a bag inside a box concept once again.  Estimated price is $.25 cents total for both bag + carton.

Paper Sacks or paper pouches look nice an inviting as they have the natural-ness of the paper, but once again, paper does not offer barrier protection for the flour example (or any other dry food for that matter).  Paper sacks like those you would see at bakeries or even coffee style bags need either another layer laminated to it to provide barrier protection or just like the other dry food packaging discussed earlier, will require an inner liner, like a bag to contain the flour and provide some level of barrier protection.  Estimated cost $.20 cents + $.02 cents for a tin tie if desired...$.22 cents.

Tomorrow, we'll discuss dry food packaging that really works for flour or any other type of dry food.  Stand Up Pouches!

Dry food packaging is a broad stroke of the packaging industry that includes everything from cereal and trail mix to granola and flour and everything in between.  The point of this post is to explain in a little detail how using stand up pouches can save money over other types of packaging. 

Let's assume we are dealing with dry food packaging for flour.  Some options to package flour include

• Folding Cartons
• Corrugated Boxes
• Heavy Duty Plastic Bags
• Paper Sacks
• Stand Up Pouches

Folding cartons are made from paperboard (either recycled or virgin grade).  Dry food products packaged using this type of container are limited to the amount of weight, most likely less than 1.5 pounds and folding cartons offer little or no barrier protection, meaning in order to protect the flour another type of packaging is required, most likely a plastic bag.  In a nutshell, dry food packaging using folding cartons would need not only the carton but an inner barrier bag as well.  Estimated cost for a custom printed folding carton that would hold 1 pound of flour $.25 cents + $.02 cents for an inner liner.  $.27 cents

Corrugated cartons are another style using paper but this dry food packaging is much more durable than folding cartons...and in many instances...cheaper too.  Same as folding cartons, corrugated cartons offer no barrier protection for the flour, so an inner liner, most likely a plastic bag, will be needed to not only contain the flour but offer some barrier protection.  This style of dry food packaging will cost $.20 cents + $.02 for an inner liner.  $.22 cents

Tomorrow...in Part Two, we'll discuss other types of dry food packaging.