Food Packaging Suppliers: One Order or Several?
Most small venues can put their whole food packaging list with one supplier if that supplier's catalogue covers the items they reorder every week, and if the order is planned around the delivery thresholds. At Packery there is no minimum order; metro delivery is $35 flat and free on orders over $750, and regional delivery is $75 flat and free over $1,000.
Key takeaways
- Start with a full list of every disposable item your venue uses, from cups to napkins to the bag the order goes home in.
- Tick off which items one catalogue covers, and note any gaps before you decide.
- Freight is charged per order, so one combined order pays it once rather than several times.
- There is no minimum order, so a small top-up order is possible, but a planned order is how you reach free delivery.
- Everything is sold by the carton, and each product page shows the carton price and price per item.
Should a small venue use one food packaging supplier or several?
Use one supplier when one catalogue covers your core list and you can plan orders around the free-delivery threshold. Use more than one only when a specific item you rely on is missing from that catalogue.
For a café, takeaway shop or food truck, the costs of splitting are easy to miss: separate freight on each order, separate invoices to reconcile and separate deliveries to receive. None of these show up in a per-item price, but they all take the owner's time. The method below turns the decision into a checklist.
How do I check whether one catalogue covers my whole list?
Write down every item you use, then search for each one and mark it as covered or not covered. Do this before looking at prices, so you know the size of the gap first.
Step one: list everything. Walk the venue and write down each disposable item, grouped the way you use them:
- Drinks: hot cups in each size, stirrers, napkins at the counter.
- Food service: containers, clamshells, bowls, small serving cups, wrapping paper.
- Take-home: cutlery, napkins, bags.
Step two: match each line to a product. Search the catalogue for each item and note the exact product, for example a specific cup size, clamshell or serving cup. The full container range sits on the takeaway containers page.
Step three: check the details, not just the name. Confirm size, material and carton quantity for each match. A clamshell that is the wrong depth for your meals is not covered, even if the catalogue has clamshells.
Step four: list the gaps. Anything left unticked is the only reason to open a second account. If the gaps are minor or you can swap to a close alternative, one supplier usually wins on time alone.
How does freight change the one-order decision?
Freight is charged per order, so splitting your list across several orders means paying freight on each one. Combining everything into one order means you pay it once, or not at all if the order passes the free-delivery threshold.
The thresholds at Packery are:
| Delivery area | Flat freight | Free delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Metro | $35 | Orders over $750 |
| Regional | $75 | Orders over $1,000 |
Delivery takes 3–5 business days to capital cities and 4–6 business days regional. To use this in your planning, add up the carton prices for your full list. If the total sits just under the threshold for your area, look at whether bringing forward a slow-moving item (napkins, bags, stirrers) takes the order over the line. Those are dry goods you will use eventually, so buying a carton earlier mostly just uses shelf space.
If the total sits well under the threshold, the flat freight still applies only once to the combined order, which is the main saving from consolidating.
What does a single-supplier packaging list look like?
Here is a sample list built from items in the catalogue, with carton and per-item prices as shown on each product page.
| Product | Size / material | Carton qty | Carton price | Price per item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print | 8oz, Paper + Aqueous Coated | 500 | $51.00 | $0.10 |
| 12oz Kraft Coffee Cups – Lined SW Print 90mm | 12oz, Paper + PLA Coated | 1000 | $159.57 | $0.16 |
| 140mm Wooden Cutlery – Coffee Stirrer | 140x6x1.3mm, Wood | 10000 | $51.29 | $0.005 |
| 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell | 229x152x75mm, Sugarcane | 200 | $34.85 | $0.17 |
| 8oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box | 8oz, Paper + PLA Coated | 1000 | $156.73 | $0.16 |
| 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached | 2oz, Sugarcane | 2000 | $128.23 | $0.06 |
| Greaseproof Paper – Yellow Gingham | 190x300mm, Paper | 200 | $13.53 | $0.07 |
| Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin | 75x190mm, Paper | 1000 | $143.72 | $0.14 |
| Kraft Napkins – Quilted Lunch GT Fold | 300x300mm, Paper | 2000 | $51.26 | $0.03 |
| Kraft Bag – Brown Twisted Handle Takeaway Medium | 305x305x175mm, Recycled Paper | 250 | $82.95 | $0.33 |
Prices include GST. Your list will differ, but the layout helps: one row per item with the carton price beside it, so the order is easy to add up against the delivery threshold.
Which one should I buy?
Pick by what your venue actually serves, then fill in the basics around it.
- Coffee-led café: 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print (Carton of 500) for small drinks, 12oz Kraft Coffee Cups – Lined SW Print 90mm (Carton of 1000) for larger ones, and 140mm Wooden Cutlery – Coffee Stirrer (Carton of 10000) at the counter.
- Takeaway shop or food truck serving meals: 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell (Carton of 200) for mains, 8oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box (Carton of 1000) for noodles and rice, and 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached (Carton of 2000) for sauces and sides.
- Burger or chip shop: Greaseproof Paper – Yellow Gingham (Carton of 200) for wrapping and lining baskets.
- Every venue doing takeaway: Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000) so cutlery and a napkin go out in one piece, Kraft Napkins – Quilted Lunch GT Fold (Carton of 2000) for the counter, and Kraft Bag – Brown Twisted Handle Takeaway Medium (Carton of 250) for carrying orders out.
If your list is mostly containers, the guide to takeaway containers in bulk goes deeper on sizes. If sauces and sides are a big part of the menu, see disposable sauce cups.
When does a second supplier make sense?
A second supplier makes sense when an item you cannot do without is not in the first catalogue, and no close alternative works. Keep that second order small and focused on the gap, and keep the core list together.
Custom printing is one area to check early. Logo printing is available on selected products (see custom print), and in the table above the cutlery pouch, napkins and 12oz cups are among the items marked as printable. If branded packaging matters to you, confirm which of your items can be printed before deciding how to split the list.
How do I place one combined order?
There is no minimum order, so you can order a single carton when you need to, and combine your full list when you want free delivery. All orders are prepaid online and prices include GST. Unopened full cartons can be returned within 14 days of delivery (the customer pays return freight), and damaged or faulty items are replaced or refunded free. To put your whole list on one order, use quick order and add each carton from your list.
Setting up or restocking your packaging?
Send us your list for a trade quote, or price it yourself in the cost calculator.
No minimum order · free delivery over $750 (metro) / $1000 (regional) · 14-day returns · Delivery details
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