The Packaging Problem Every New Brand Faces

Launching a new product is costly without mentioning packaging that is taking half your runway. Nevertheless, the initial call to a packaging manufacturer ends the same way of most first-time founders: a sales rep spouts a minimum order quantity of 10,000 units, 12-week lead time, and a set up fee that is equal to a month of office rent. The line is silent. The dream stalls.

Packaging is not an addendum to a product introduction and it can be the initial physical experience that a customer gets with a brand. Making a mistake in it or not doing it at all to save money, may sabotage even the most innovative product. What many newer brands are finding, however, is that a new type of flexible packaging which are Snap Lock Boxes is altering the economics of going to market.

The MOQ Problem: Why High Minimums Kill Startup Momentum

Conventional hard-packed packaging like glass jars, tin cans, folded cartons imposes infrastructure costs. The reason there is tooling, plate setup and factory minimums is that the manufacturers pass the fixed costs over large runs. It is an ideal fit in a firm that orders a million units. A barrier to incurring first a thousand by a brand is almost impossible.

The effects are factual and quantifiable. Startups who have pledged to a 10,000-unit order to reach an MOQ target often end up with eight months of inventory following a soft launch and capital locked up in product rather than in marketing or product development. The US Small Business Administration claims that the number one cause of startup failure in consumer goods is cash flow mismanagement rather than bad products.

This trap is eliminated by low MOQ packaging solutions. Instead of placing a volume bet prior to any individual customer having seen the product, founders can make a realistic initial run and collect actual feedback and repeat, without incurring the financial burden of unsold inventory.

Why Custom Snap Lock Boxes Work as Startup Packaging Solutions?

Mylar, a brand name of BoPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) film, was the material of choice in flexible Custom Snap Lock Boxes of small brands in an unexpected variety of industries. The motives are more than cost.

• Superior barrier protection. Mylar has excellent moisture, oxygen and UV resistance. In products whose shelf-life is dependent, such as edibles, supplements, coffee, dried herbs this is directly translated into an increase in freshness windows and returns are reduced.
• Lightweight shipping economics. Flexible pouches are far lighter compared to glass or rigid containers. To a DTC brand that eats its own shipping that difference scales very quickly.
• Premium shelf presence. The kind of high-definition digital printing on Mylar creates the type of vivid, touchable packaging that used to take a 50,000-unit print run. Modern printed pouches with matte finishes, spot gloss and window cutouts are available today in start up quantities.
• Cross-industry versatility. The identical content and framework that is effective on a cannabis pre-roll brand is also effective on a protein powder start-up or a small-scale pet treat manufacturer. Manufacturers of mylar bags generally sell one and the same product range in all of these verticals which makes it readily available.

What to Look for in a Mylar Bag Manufacturer

Not every supplier of flexible packaging works in a similar fashion. In considering a direct manufacturer Snap Lock Boxes Wholesale partner, a few factors can distinguish between a good fit and an expensive mistake.

• True low MOQ ability. Other suppliers will claim to have no minimums when they have surcharges hidden in set up fees. The cost of a unit at 500 or 1,000 units should be clear in the first place.
• Direct manufacturer: not a go-between. Brokers create a distance between the factory and brand. Direct affiliation with a manufacturer often lowers the unit cost and communication time when making changes and reorders.
• Complete customization at small volumes. They should be available in size, seal type (zip-lock, heat-seal), finish (matte, gloss, soft-touch), window shape and print coverage - even on a first run of a few hundred pieces.
• Limited sample and manufacturing schedules. Startups move fast. A producer that takes 16 weeks to bring a first sample is not one that is designed to be used in early-stage brands.

Firms such as Kwick Packaging have customized their model to this market gap to provide low MOQ custom Mylar bags at direct-manufacturer prices with quick turnaround. This enables professional packaging to be accessible to those brands yet to establish themselves.

Leading Packaging Brands Shaping the U.S. Market

Learning the bigger picture of packaging assists startups in making more intelligent sourcing choices. The following is a glimpse at three prominent brands in various tiers of the U.S. packaging marketplace enterprise-level megacorp to flexible packaging experts.

Kwick Packaging

A low MOQ flexible packaging manufacturer that specializes in custom Mylar bags and custom printed pouches to startups and upcoming brands. Direct-manufacturer pricing, quick turnaround and complete customization at small quantities known for serving cannabis, food, supplement, beauty and pet treat brands in North America.

Smurfit WestRock

Smurfit WestRock is one of the most recent companies to merge, as Smurfit Kappa and WestRock joined to form Smurfit WestRock which is currently one of the largest paper-based packaging companies in the world with a significant presence in the United States. The product line focuses on corrugated containers, folding cartons and sustainable fiber-based packaging solutions. With the majority of clientele being large-scale retail, e-commerce and industrial companies.

Berry Global

Berry global is one of the biggest plastic packages manufacturing companies in the United States, with headquarters in Evansville, Indiana and specializes in the production of rigid containers, closures, films and flexible packaging in the healthcare, personal care, food and beverage and industrial markets. The company has more than 250 manufacturing plants in various parts of the world and it caters to most of the largest brands of consumers in the world. 

Industries Using Custom Snap Lock Boxes to Launch and Scale

The Custom Snap Lock Boxes substrate has proven to be the default in a range of rapidly expanding product lines:

• Cannabis Hemp. Mylar is the standard format in states with controlled adult-use markets, featuring smell-proof barrier properties, child-resistant zipper choices and formats that are compliant. Moving brands in this area tend to use packaging as a differentiator of the brand.
• Snacks, Edibles Confections. Mylar is a natural fit with small-scale snack and edible brands due to its food-grade laminates, closures that are resealable and protection against moisture-sensitive products.
• Supplements Nutraceuticals. Powders, capsules and gummies need to be preserved against moisture and oxygen damage. Heat-seal pouches made of flexible material can increase the product lifespan profoundly over unlined bags.
• Pet Treats. There has been a boom in independent brands in the premium pet food segment. Small producers can compete with national brands on appearance with custom printed pouches at a fraction of the packaging cost.
• Coffee Tea. The off-gassing of freshly roasted coffee by use of one-way degassing valves which can be found with most Mylar bag manufacturers, means that the coffee is not exposed to external oxygen that can ruin it, preserving its flavor and shelf life.

The Accessibility Shift: Snap Lock Boxes Is No Longer a Big-Brand Privilege

A startup founder who desired to design her own high-quality custom Snap Lock Boxes five years ago had two choices: either get $30,000 dollars worth of packages with a minimum order of $30,000 or get generic stock bags with a sticker on the front. Both alternatives did not position a new brand to prosper.

This is being demonstrated each quarter by startups in cannabis, food, supplements, beauty and pet. To those who are willing to make the leap, it makes sense first to consider a low MOQ supplier of custom Mylar bags is one that keeps the cash flow intact, speeds the time to market and indicates brand seriousness right off the bat with the first unit.