Compare the oil packaging sizes used food service and wholesale distribution.
If you are a food service distributor or ingredient wholesaler, you need packaging that your customers enjoy using.
Sometimes this will be a packaging size that they're familiar with and have used for years. Sometimes, your customers may want to see new packaging styles or learn about ways they can save money by storing and dispensing their oils differently.
Use this video to:
Video by: Hannah Broaddus Centra Foods
Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us today. We’re going to be discussing the different packaging options for distributors-- this is for ingredient distributors, food service suppliers, and wholesale distributors, anything in between.
My name is Hannah, I work with Centra Foods, and I’ll be going over all of these options with you today. Keep in mind, you can find us on Twitter, our handle is @CentraFoods, and you can also find us on Facebook. We’d love to meet with you.
I’m going to start with our largest sizes used by distributors. The most common size for that is actually going to be the 35 Lb. Containers. Those are sometimes known as a jug-in-a-box (there’s also bag-in-a-box versions as well coming soon). But we call them 35 Lb. Containers. That’s because they hold 35 Lbs. of oil. It’s actually 4.6 gallons. And those are about a foot and a half by a foot dimension; a large cardboard outer box with a jug inside that holds the oil. They have a screw on top, and you can actually get an attachment that is a spigot instead if you have customers that would love to put this oil up on a shelf, store it there and pour out of it using that little spout into smaller bottles. We’ve got a couple different versions of spouts for you. That’s a great option for a lot of restaurants or even small food manufacturers that you may be distributing to.
Now I will make a small note, we actually have one larger size that used by some ingredient distributors which is the 55 gallon drums. This is pretty standard, I won’t go into it too far, but if you are an ingredient distributor we do carry that size as well.
The next smaller size than the 35 Lb. Containers is the 1 Gallon Jugs. Now these are plastic jugs and they come six in a case. We do also have some other case options. Another common size is four to a case, so we can do that as well. Now these are all individually labeled, and the actual pour spout is at the top of the jug. They’re typically used in kitchens and very small manufacturing locations where, if you’re going to be doing a lot of manual pouring throughout the day, they’re helpful for that.
The pricing is going to be higher than for the 35 Lb. Containers, because there’s more packaging involved. For most food service suppliers, this is going to be one of your primary sizes.
The next size down is the 3 Liter Bag in a Box container. Now this bag in a box container is something that is pretty unique to Centra Foods. We have not seen it anywhere else, but we have seen some other versions. Our bag in a box is a very similar format to the 3 Liter Tins that all of your chefs are going to be familiar with and comfortable with. This bag in a box container has a spout at the top. It’s actually an EasyPour spout, and I love it in comparison to the tins. It’s what I use in my home because it works so easily and it pours so smoothly. When you pour it into a bottle, oil doesn’t go everywhere, so I love it for that reason.
The other thing is, it’s a cardboard outer recyclable box and an inner BPA free bag. And that bag collapses around the oil as it’s used which helps preserve the shelf life. So that’s another great thing about this bag in a box. Typically again, there’s six to a case but we can do cases of four.
The next size down is going to be the 3 Liter Tins (so it’s not really the next size down, it’s just the next size). That’s the traditional size, that’s what people have been using for many many years. Most chefs, most food service distributors, you’re going to be already carrying this.
We do carry the 3 Liter Tins as well, so you can see we’ve got a full range of packaging for all of your different needs. We can do full food service lines with all of the different packaging options.
You’ll notice that I did not mention any labeling on this. Just so you know, Centra Foods does have a genetic brand-- it’s known as Bella Vina. We’ve got lots of that are distributors carrying that.
You know, if you do want to do your own private label, that’s something that we do as well and it’s very popular. The reason that distributors may want to do that private label is because a) it helps market your company and helps build brand credibility with your customers. B) it helps protect you a little bit. They can’t go get your oil (what they know as your brand of oil) elsewhere, with a different distributor.
Private labeling is definitely something that we can do. The minimums for that are going to vary depending on pack size. If you are using a packaging size like the 35 Lb. Containers or the 1 Gallon Plastic Jugs, those both come with (typically our standard is) a 5”x5” label right on the front. And so, that’s actually a very simple private label program to start up.
Now if you’re going with something like the Bag in a Box containers or the Tins, those have to be fully manufactured so we do have a one container minimum for each type of artwork that you’re going to be doing. So those are larger private label endeavors, but definitely worthwhile.
If you’re looking for a full broad-spectrum program we can do olive oils-- we’ve many different grades. You’re probably going to be interested in the Organic, the Extra Virgin, the Pure, the Pomace and also the blends-- very common in food service. We can do blends with any type of Canola, Soybean, anything like that with different types of olive oil as well. So you can choose whatever grades you’re looking for best.
In addition, we also carry Canola Oils, Safflower Oils, Sunflower Oils and lots of different specialty and non-GMO oils. So if you’re also using those as well, we can also private label those edible oils too.
If you have any questions about this, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to discuss what you’re looking for, some of the challenges that you’re up against and help you come up with a solution. Have a great day.
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