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jars and labels -practical questions
Hello all, I am small home producer in North Devon. I have recently launched ‘cultured club’ after having to change what I do due to a recent hand inury which meant that I can no longer manage cooking in commercial volumes. My aim is to keep a small fermentation business going and build a subsciption, plus an occasional farmers market etc. I semi-retired and keen to keep boundaries around my working time.
Due to the fact this is a business that I only wish to grow to a limited amount, I wanted to ask about jars. I called my supplier last week who told me about the (newish?) tax that is now on glass. I cant afford to buy in the bulk required to bring the price down to 50-70p ish so they are working out now at nearly £1 each with postage.. I will ask about glass returns but I’m not sure if many retailers will agree to my jars hanging about. I see some companies are using stand up pouches, does anyone have information about these? I am thinking that they are plastic so some customers may not appreciate that, I feel like they are a cheaper option. Does anyone use these?
Lastly, I have never had much luck in making my home produced labels look professional. Does anyone have any good value contacts please? Or ideas?
Thanks for letting me ramble !
Bright blessings, Karen
admin2 Comments-
Hi Karen
I found that my local suppliers were really keen on the glass return scheme so it’s definitely worth exploring. I gave a 25p refund for each jar returned. The only down side is that not everyone will clean them first (or have different ideas about ‘clean’) but I agreed with my EHO that I would do a ‘clean’ cycle with jars in the dish washer and a separate cycle for sterilisation. I also bought new lids.In terms of bulk ordering it might be worth having a chat with other people who make big orders or jars to see if you can order together – I think Pete’s Perfect Pickles is your way, but there are sure to be some others that would be up for joining forces and getting cheaper jars.
I know a few fermenters use the pouches for postal orders but I’m not sure how they work for long term storage in the fridge (ie leaching plastic into the ferment). It might be worth reaching out to someone like Savvy Ferments, The Ferm London or The Korean Pantry.
I used blank AA Labels with a template and a digital printer because I changed my recipes all the time depending on what was in season, otherwise I would have had them professionally printed. It took many attempts to find the right paper for the labels (that didn’t run in condensation). I used Gloss White Polyester – Permanent A4 Dry Edge Sheet Labels but there are greener options available if you have them printed in bulk.
@r-waugh and @celine-lecomte do you have any thoughts?
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Hi! I am based in the Netherlands so not everything will be applicable to you. My production is very limited and I want to keep it this way – I sell at markets to “show my face” and promote my workshops. Therefore I have accepted the high costs of the jars. As you can see on the pic, I sell in Fido-type jars, these are the original pots in which I ferment. I could buy them in bulk for 1€ / piece, luckily. I do not sell jars via other companies, only at the market. I do my own jar-return system, so I tell my buyers if they return the empty jar they get 1€ back. 95% do not return the jar (I have only one regular once-a-month market, the other markets are one-of events).
Regarding the labels, see my pic attached. I print them myself – gives me much more flexibility. I buy HERMA labels via Amazon, i make the design of the label in Canva.com, which i then use as an input in the HERMA label maker software (free). I use their “Silphie paper” type (code 10753) : I like the artisanal look. But they are not great at all with condensation, they can wrinkle a little and if there is a drop of rain or brine dropping on them, then the text sorts of disappear.
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