Coffee and tea packaging

Roasted coffee is one of the hardest products in food packaging: it off-gasses CO₂ for days after roasting, loses aroma to oxygen within weeks, and picks up moisture and light damage in between. We build the pouch around those three problems.

What a coffee bag actually has to do

Freshly roasted beans release carbon dioxide for up to two weeks. Seal them in a bag with no escape route and the bag inflates or bursts; vent them to open air and oxygen destroys the aroma compounds you paid to develop. A one-way degassing valve resolves both: CO₂ leaves, air does not come back in.

Ground coffee is worse. The larger surface area means staling runs several times faster, so ground product needs a tighter oxygen barrier than whole bean even though it off-gasses less. Tea is the mirror image — very little gas evolution, but leaf tea is fragile, hygroscopic and readily absorbs odours from a poorly chosen sealant film.

In practice the specification comes down to four numbers: oxygen transmission rate, water vapour transmission rate, light transmission, and seal integrity after the bag has been filled and handled. Get those right and shelf life follows.

Formats we produce

Format is a merchandising decision as much as a technical one, but the two interact — a flat-bottom pouch has more seal length than a three-side-seal bag, so seal quality matters more.

Flat-bottom (box) pouch — five panels, stands unsupported, two printable side gussets. The default for 250 g–1 kg specialty coffee.
Side-gusset bag — the traditional coffee format, efficient on film, works with tin ties or valves.
Stand-up zipper pouch — resealable, good for tea and ground coffee sold in smaller weights.
Three-side-seal flat bag — lowest cost per unit for samples, single-serve and subscription inserts.
Kraft window pouch — paper look with a clear panel so the buyer can see the roast.

Material structures and barrier

We run 2–5 layer co-extrusion blown film with gauge control from 0.015 mm to 0.3 mm, and laminate to paper or metallised substrates in-house. The structures we quote most often for coffee and tea:

Kraft / PET / AL / PE — full aluminium foil layer, the highest barrier we offer, for long-haul export and 12-month shelf life.
PET / VMPET / PE — metallised polyester, near-foil barrier at lower cost and better flex-crack resistance.
Matte PET / PE — clear or matte finish where shelf appearance outranks maximum barrier.
Mono-PE recyclable — a single polymer family so the pouch enters the PE recycling stream, with barrier restored by coating rather than by a foreign layer.

Resin compounding is done within our group, which means mill-direct pricing and full material traceability on every batch rather than a certificate from a trader.

Valves, closures and finishing

One-way degassing valves are fitted in line. We also apply press-to-close zippers, tin ties, tear notches, hang holes, laser scoring and round-corner die cuts. Matte and gloss lamination, soft-touch varnish, spot UV and foil stamping are all available on the same pass.

Printing is up to 10-colour gravure with registration accuracy within 0.2 mm, which is what lets small type, origin maps and roast-date panels stay legible at 250 g pouch scale. Digital and flexo are available for shorter runs and seasonal SKUs.

Compliance for coffee and tea buyers

Coffee and tea are food-contact applications, so the paperwork matters as much as the film. Our packaging is produced under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, with BRC Global Standard and ISO 22000 for food safety, US FDA food-contact compliance, EN 13432 for compostable structures and GRS for recycled content.

Finished goods are inspected to AQL 1.5 with complete batch documentation, so a retailer audit can be answered with records rather than assurances.

Sustainable routes that survive a barrier test

Three routes are realistic for coffee and tea, and they are not interchangeable. Mono-PE keeps the pouch recyclable in existing streams and is the safest answer to EU recyclability rules. PCR content lowers virgin plastic and helps against recycled-content taxes, but has a practical ceiling before optics and seal strength drift. Compostable PLA/PBAT films look best on shelf messaging but have the weakest oxygen barrier of the three — workable for tea, harder for ground coffee with a 12-month claim.

Products for this sector

Custom Tea Lid Film Printing Logo 90 - 95 mm PP PET PE PS Bubble Boba Milk Tea Easy Peel Lidding Top Cup Cover Seal Roll Film — Clean Three-Side Seal: The three-side seal bag is sealed on three sides for a simple, economical flat package.
EU Standard Sustainable Mono Material Coffee Snack Sugar Organic Food Packaging Bag 100% PE Recyclable for Stand Zipper — Resealable Zipper Closure: The stand-up pouch combines a heat-seal opening with a zipper top for convenient repeated use after ope
Food Grade Center Sealed Pouch izable Size & Logo Bags for Food Snacks Coffee Tea Sugar Salad Packaging — Crystal-Clear OPP Film: The OPP bag offers high clarity to showcase the packed item.
Custom Printed logo Matt Black Coffee Beans Yam Flour Cassava Flakes Aluminum Foil Flat Bottom Stand up Bag — Bottom Gusset Expansion: The bottom gusset bag features a bottom gusset that expands to hold bulky contents while standing upright
Matte Eight Side Seal Zipper Clear Plastic Octagon Food Stand Pouch for Sugar Coffee Bag Flat Square Bottom Standing Packaging — Resealable Zipper Closure: The stand-up pouch combines a heat-seal opening with a zipper top for convenient repeated use after ope
Custom Printed Aluminum Foil Stand up Bottom Zipper Food Packaging Bags Coffee Beans Valve the Plastic Coffee Bag — Flat Bottom Stability: The square bottom bag forms a flat, square bottom that stands upright on the shelf for a premium look.
Customized Gravure Printed Food Grade Flat Bottom Stand Side Gusset Coffee Zipper Pouch Resealable Plastic Packaging — Flat Bottom Stability: The square bottom bag forms a flat, square bottom that stands upright on the shelf for a premium look.
Plastic Metallic Flat Bottom Resealable Pouches with Valve Zipper Moisture Proof for Coffee Bean Packaging Stand Bags — Flat Bottom Stability: The square bottom bag forms a flat, square bottom that stands upright on the shelf for a premium look.
Custom Clear Square Bottom Stand up Bags with Handle Zipper PE Waterproof Food Packaging for Nut Candy Tea — Resealable Zipper Closure: The stand-up pouch combines a heat-seal opening with a zipper top for convenient repeated use after ope
Matt Black Aluminum Foil Custom Printed Reusable Side Zipper Valve Square Stand Up Pouch Coffee Bean Bags Coffee Packaging Bag — Flat Bottom Stability: The square bottom bag forms a flat, square bottom that stands upright on the shelf for a premium look.

Not listed? Every item is made to order, so tell us the format, film structure, size and volume and we will quote against your specification. Send us a specification.

Frequently asked questions

Do you fit one-way degassing valves?

Yes. Valves are applied in line during pouch conversion, on flat-bottom, side-gusset and stand-up formats.

Can I get a recyclable coffee pouch that still holds barrier?

Mono-PE structures keep the pouch in a single polymer family so it can enter PE recycling, with barrier restored by coating. Whether it matches a foil laminate depends on your target shelf life — we quote the measured OTR and WVTR so you can judge.

What print process do you use for coffee packaging?

Up to 10-colour gravure with registration accuracy within 0.2 mm. Digital and flexo are available for shorter runs.

How fast can I see a sample?

Custom samples are ready in 5–7 working days.

Are your coffee pouches food-contact compliant?

Yes — US FDA food-contact compliant, produced under BRC Global Standard and ISO 22000, with batch traceability and AQL 1.5 inspection.

Where to go next

We answer every enquiry within 12 hours and issue a detailed quotation within 24 hours. Send us a specification.