Private label tea co-packing under your own brand

Technical detail for this category.

Packaging for this category

Loose-leaf tea has two properties that settle the choice of packaging. It is hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture from the air, and it absorbs odours from its surroundings. A leaf stored next to soap will smell of soap, and nothing undoes that. So we work with sealed, odour-barrier packaging: a doypack with a resealable zip, or a sachet. The second factor is volume. Whole leaf takes up far more space than the same weight of spice, so 50 g of loose-leaf tea needs a pack that would hold 200 g of ground product. It is worth doing that arithmetic before choosing a fill weight, or the pack ends up half empty or too tight. A cardboard tube looks good in gift sets and suits tea that the customer will get through quickly.

How an order runs

1. We establish whether we are working with a ready tea or with your own blend. A ready recipe shortens the road to a first batch; a bespoke blend needs proportions agreed and a check on how leaf and additions behave together.
2. We take in the goods and check them on delivery. With tea we pay attention to moisture and to whether the batch has picked up a foreign smell in transit.
3. For blends we weigh the components and mix the batch. Dried fruit and flower petals have a different density from leaf, so we mix in a way that stops the additions settling at the bottom during filling.
4. We weigh the portions and pack. Whole leaf is dosed more gently than milled material, because it breaks under pressure, and broken leaf brews differently from what the pack description promises.
5. We apply the label and mark the batch. Finished goods wait for collection in dry storage, kept apart from strongly scented raw materials.

What the label must carry

Here the first decision is about naming and it has legal consequences. The name tea belongs to products made from the leaf of Camellia sinensis. A blend of mint, chamomile or fruit that contains none of that leaf is not tea, and on the label it must be called a herbal or fruit infusion. Getting this wrong misleads the consumer; it is not a matter of style. Beyond the name, Regulation 1169/2011 requires an ingredient list in descending order by weight, allergens emphasised, net quantity, a date of minimum durability, storage conditions and the details of the operator whose brand the product is sold under. Tea and herbal infusions are exempt from the mandatory nutrition declaration. Responsibility for the label content sits with the brand owner; we prepare it from your data and mark the batch.

What we do not do

• We will not call a herbal infusion tea, even if you ask. If there is no Camellia sinensis leaf in the blend, the label will say herbal infusion.
• We do not pack products that need refrigeration or a controlled temperature regime. We work with dry goods that are microbiologically stable at room temperature.
• We do not pack food supplements or herbs presented as a medicinal product. Those are separately regulated categories and sit outside our offer.
• We do not choose the blend for you. We can work from a ready recipe or from yours, but the proportions and the flavour profile stay your decision.

Who this is for

Own-brand tea tends to suit lifestyle brands and local projects that sell a product together with a story, and cafes or tea rooms that want their own shelf alongside what they serve. Gift shops choose it too, because tea travels well in a set. A minimum of 300 units lets you release one variant and find out whether customers come back for a second.

Common questions

Do you offer private label tea with a low minimum order?

Yes. The minimum is 300 units per variant. Three different flavours count as three runs, because each needs its own weighing, its own label and its own batch marking. Below that we only produce a test batch.

Are you a private label tea manufacturer, or a co packer?

We are a co packer. We weigh, blend and pack tea under your brand, but we do not grow or process the leaf. If you already have a supplier, we work with their product; if you do not, we can work from a ready recipe.

Can you pack tea to my own blend?

Yes. We weigh the components to your proportions and mix the batch before packing. If you do not have a blend yet we can work from a ready recipe, but choosing the flavour profile remains your decision.

Can I call my herbal blend a tea on the label?

No. The name tea belongs to products made from Camellia sinensis leaf. A blend of mint, chamomile or fruit without that leaf must be called a herbal or fruit infusion, otherwise the label misleads the consumer.

What fill weight makes sense for a first tea run?

Usually 50 g, because it fits a typical end-customer budget and gives a dozen or so brews. Remember that whole leaf is bulky, so 50 g needs a larger pack than intuition suggests. We pack from 5 g to 1 kg.

Do you pack loose-leaf tea or only milled material?

Both. Whole leaf is dosed more gently because it breaks under pressure, and broken leaf brews faster and stronger than the pack description promises. With whole leaf it is worth reflecting that in the brewing instructions.

We also pack

• Co-packing: spices
• Co-packing: superfoods
• Co-packing: coffee