Do you use custom branded cups/ packaging?

[Lovewell]

Do you use custom branded takeaway cups and packaging? How long did you wait before you started doing this? Do you use local printing companies or do you use an online company? Who do you use, why, and are you happy with the product you receive?

[Tamyra_Paunchy]

We hadn't until we started selling at the local farmer's markets. Initially I looked into printing directly onto small, 4 ounce cups that we use for samples since our bottled drinks themselves already come with a label, but then I found out it was cheaper to buy stickers to place on some of the cups. I use the local Office Max/Office Depot to print the stickers though and we're happy with those! They even cut them to size for us (ours are round) for a small fee. I got a few quotes from online printers and most were more expensive.

If you're looking for something more fancy (temperature sensitive, waterproof, laminated) to go onto actual product packaging I'd say go with an online company. Office Depot, for me, was cheaper for small jobs but not the greatest quality. For larger quantities and/or better quality you will pay a bit more but for that we use a company called Leapin' Lizard. Labels Online | Label Printing Company | Custom Sticker Labels - Leapin’ Lizard Labels (leapinlizard... Good luck! 

[mksavage]

The only branded item we've purchased so far is coffee sleeves. We really like them, but to get a reasonable price, we had to order a HUGE amount, so we've had dozens of boxes of sleeves in storage for years. That's been the barrier for us to begin ordering custom printed cups/bags -- the pricing has been high enough that the minimum order would take up too much storage space. I do think branded cups/bags look really nice and professional though, and are basically walking marketing.

I'd like to continue exploring how we could do this more, so if you find a vendor you like, please share! 😊

In the meantime (and for the past 4 years), for a lot of our items -- hot cups, donut boxes, and to go bags -- we actually have our team stamp them with our logo, using a stamp we bought from RubberStamps.com. The stamping takes some time, but its super cheap, fits with our brand, and is something that can be done during a quiet time at the cafe.

We also have ordered stickers to put on catering boxes -- I get them on a roll from StickerYou.com. They have reasonable pricing, and the stickers are heat/grease resistant, which we need. 

For all of our other printing, including tags that we tie on our custom baskets, we use a local printer that we love.

[Lovewell]

@mksavage We stamp our cups and pastry bags an sleeves as well and have been using stickers on our cold cups. It has worked out great but we have also been exploring some other printing options! I will message you if we end up finding a company we really like reasonably priced!

[mksavage]

@Lovewell Stickers on the cold cups is a good idea. I just ordered another round of the ones we use for our catering boxes -- I'm going to give them a try and see if they work well on the cups. Please do let me know if you find a printing company you like, I'd definitely love to explore that option!

[vhovar]

We have used a logo sticker for our cups since opening 17 years ago. We mainly use them on our cold cups but used them on our hot cups in the early years. We used insulated paper cups at that time but have moved to a single wall hot cup and provide sleeves if needed. We get printed kraft sleeves from a small provider that allows for smaller orders. We did get color printed sleeves from one of the major suppliers several year ago but their minimum was pretty large. We stamp our kraft coffee/tea bags ourselves with a rubber stamp.

Our logo stickers cost ~$.049 @ and our sleeves cost ~$.066. If you'd like any of the details on our supplier just let me know.

[Tamyra_Paunchy]

Yes, please! Would be grateful if you'd share supplier info! Thx. 

[vhovar]

https://upicoffeesleeves.com

429 West Jasper Street

Goodland, IN 47948

(219) 297-3154

https://selectivelabel.com

1962 U.S Route 30

Sugar Grove, IL 60554

630-466-0091

(800)500-8227

[email protected]

[mksavage]

Thank you so much for sharing this info, @vhovar!!

[ryanwanner]

@vhovar  YES. I've worked with UPI for years now. I love their products, and I really love the one case minimum order. 

[doc_choc]

We used to use customised printed vegware cups but reverted back to unbranded. We felt the impact was minimal for the additional cost. Printed cups worked better in our city locations but minimal impact in our outer town locations. 

[Jasmine_Ann]

We do use custom branded takeaway cups and packaging, and we’ve been doing it for about a year now. It’s really helped us shape our brand and improve how customers experience what we offer.

We waited a while before making the switch because we wanted to be sure we had enough regular customers to justify the cost. Now, it feels like a natural part of our business.

For printing, we chose a company with a lot of experience—over 30 years in the field. They’ve worked with some well-known brands, which gave us confidence they could deliver quality products that fit our style. You can check their website here: https://www.zidanpackaging.com/

What we appreciate most is their focus on sustainable materials and their willingness to work with us on designs that really speak to our customers. The cups and packaging have been great quality, and our customers have noticed and responded positively.

Overall, using custom packaging has helped us stand out and stay true to what our brand represents. If you’re thinking about doing something similar, I’d suggest looking for experienced local partners who care about quality and sustainability.

[tulanejeff]

We started very small and scaled as we had the budget to afford custom items.

First year, we used only stickers and rubber stamps for hot coffee sleeves. We used a standard checkerboard paper for tray liners and cut it ourselves to size.

Our first printed items were plastic cocktail cups, tray liner and deli wrap. We introduced printed grocery bags within our first year of business. Lead times were extensive in 2022-2023.

Over the last year, we've moved to fully branded for SOS grocery bags, paper tote bags, hot cups, cold cups, and paper wrapping, as the prices are cheaper than the market (webstaurant/local paper goods suppliers) at the quantity we consume now.  We use no issue and have been very pleased with their supply chain, production and pricing.

Our trusted suppliers:

Branded Merch/Cocktail Cups: inkmule

Paper/Disposables: no issue

Stickers: StickerGiant

Stamps: rubberstamps.net