Among the quote requests coming in from the Middle East, spices packed under one kilogram appear more often than before. With them comes a set of labelling and packaging requirements that bulk goods do not have.
What the quote requests keep asking for
Three requests come back most often: pepper and cassia in 100 to 500 gram packs under the distributor's own label, display cartons that go straight onto the shelf, and a lead time short enough for the holiday season. The enquiry usually comes from a regional distributor, not a processing plant.
The difference from bulk is that they ask for a finished sample before discussing price. For bulk, a 300 gram sample is enough to check bulk density. For packed goods the sample has to be a real bag, really printed, so they can see it on the shelf.
Order size differs too. A distributor buying packed goods usually orders less than a processing plant, but reorders monthly or quarterly. For An Supply that means holding a raw material source of the same bulk density across several deliveries, because the buyer compares this month's bag with last month's right there on the shelf.
Small packs change how price is calculated
Moving from a 25 kilogram bag to a 200 gram pack, packaging and packing labour take a real share of the selling price. The container also fills by volume before it reaches its weight limit, so tonnes per shipment drop.
- Price is no longer purely per tonne, it has to be worked out per pack.
- A 40 foot container of packed goods carries considerably fewer tonnes than the same container in bags.
- Printing costs are fixed, so a small order carries a clearly higher price per pack.
Storage conditions in the region matter as well. High temperatures shorten how long ground pepper and cassia hold their aroma, so most requests are for whole peppercorns or whole sticks in packs with a moisture barrier. The shelf life printed on the pack has to reflect the buyer's real storage conditions, not laboratory conditions.
Labelling and documents by importing country
Retail packs have to carry a label that meets the importing country's rules: ingredients, net weight, production and expiry dates, importer's name. Some countries in the region also require a halal certificate and a health certificate, which bulk goods do not need.
A halal certificate belongs to the production site and to each product line, not to An Supply. Issuing one, or extending its scope to a new packed line, takes time and is done by the partner factory. How long depends on the certification body and the importing country · [to be supplied]
Changing a label after printing means reprinting all of it, so this is the part to settle first.
What to settle before printing
An Supply asks for four points to be agreed before the partner factory goes into production: the volume of each pack size, the final label artwork checked against the importing country's rules, the list of certificates to accompany the goods, and a delivery schedule that includes printing and proof approval. Printing usually adds two to three weeks to the schedule.