Films for tea packaging

IN 2013, global tea production was valued at about $15.4 billion. Consumption remains high for green, black and herbal teas, being healthier alternatives to other caffeinated beverages. Demand is also driven by development of a wide array of speciality teas. To stand out in retail shelves, these teas require attractive packaging that not only helps sell the brand, but more importantly maintain the flavour and freshness of the tea.

Whilst wide and narrow-web presses have their own benefits, narrow web is also fine for printing labels on small packages and are cheaper to use for short runs.  Narrow-web label converters can provide tea suppliers with exquisite packaging with the use of short-run, quick turnaround non-adhesive paper and films, such as those from the Avery Dennison Rapid-Roll portfolio. These, which offer alternative solutions to larger wide-web production, may be used in tea envelopes for single-serve.

“We are seeing an increasing demand for lower quantities and faster deliveries of tea products, and this is an arena where narrow-web converters perform best,” said Ralph Olthoff, the company’s segment leader Rapid-Roll. “Our Rapid-Roll portfolio is designed to give converters quick access to the minimum order quantities they need, without having to maintain high stock levels, and it includes the entire range of barrier properties needed for different flexible packaging applications as well as offering exceptional print qualities.”

Individual tea bags may come in paper, paper with aluminium layer, metalised PET or metalised PP, and these are printable via rotogravure, letterpress, UV Flexo, UV Offset and digital.