Custom Kraft Stand-Up Pouches for Natural Food Brands

Sizing a Kraft Stand-Up Pouch by Weight and Volume

Pouches are usually described by fill weight, but volume is what really decides the size. A hundred grams of loose tea fills far more space than a hundred grams of rice, and whole coffee beans take up more room than ground coffee. The safest approach is to fill a sample pouch or a measuring jug with your product and tell us the volume, or let us send a plain pouch for a test fill.

Leave headroom above the product so the zip can close without trapping crumbs, and so the top seal has a clean strip of film to grip. A pouch that is filled right to the zip will not stand neatly and often splits along the seal under pressure. The base gusset also matters: a deeper gusset gives a wider footprint and a more stable pouch on a sloping shelf. The fill-and-measure routine is the one in our guide to measuring for packaging.

Printing on Brown Paper

Kraft paper is not white, so inks behave differently. Dark colours such as black, navy, forest green and deep red print boldly and look natural. Light colours and fine pastels sink into the brown and appear muted, which can be a lovely effect for a rustic brand but disappointing if you expected bright yellow.

When you need a bright colour or a clean photo, we can lay down a white ink underneath that area so the colour sits on white rather than brown. Many brands use this selectively: the logo and product name pop on a white base while the rest of the pouch shows the raw kraft. A matt finish keeps the papery feel; spot gloss on the logo adds contrast without losing the natural look.

Your proof will show which areas carry a white base, so there are no surprises when the pouches arrive. Where the back of the pouch should be a solid brand colour rather than brown, the colour-backed stand-up pouches do that without a white underprint.

Labels, Variants and Short Runs

If you sell several flavours or blends, you do not always need a separate printed pouch for each one. A common approach is to print the brand, the story and the legal panel once, then add a small flavour label or a coloured sticker for each variant. That keeps stock simple and lets you launch a new blend without a new print order.

When a product line is settled and selling well, moving each flavour to its own fully printed pouch looks more polished and saves labelling time on packing day. We can quote both routes so you can compare the costs and decide which suits your volumes now.

Whichever route you take, plan the back panel carefully. Ingredients, allergens, a best-before area and a barcode all need room, and they must stay readable against brown paper. Many brands leave a plain rectangle where a date and batch code can be stamped or stickered at packing time, so the same printed pouch works for every production day without reprinting. The free proof shown on the pouch outline makes it easy to check where a flavour label will sit.

Filling, Sealing and Storage Tips

Pouches arrive flat with the top open, ready for filling. Fill through the top, press the zip closed, then heat seal the strip above it with an impulse sealer for a tamper-evident finish. Keep empty pouches boxed and away from damp storerooms, as kraft paper can absorb moisture and cockle if left in a humid space.

Once filled, store pouches upright in a cool place. Stacking them flat under heavy cartons can crush the gusset and stop them standing properly when they reach the shop. Filling and sealing advice is the same for every pouch in our bags and pouches range.

Choose the Liner From the Shelf Life You Need

The liner behind the kraft is the first thing to settle, and the question that decides it is how long the product must stay fresh once sealed. A granola sold within a month is fine with a clear polythene liner; whole bean coffee that sits in a shop for three months needs a foil liner and a one-way valve; tea and spices sit in between with a metallised liner. Then fill a plain pouch with your portion to check the headroom, and ask for a window only where light will not fade the contents. Pouches that must stand square on a shelf rather than lean back are the flat-bottom pouches with a box base.

Send the artwork with a white underprint marked where bright colours or photographs need it. Email the product, fill weight, liner, features and quantity and a custom quote comes back within one working day, followed by a free design proof. Pouches are made in 4 to 7 working days once approved and delivered flat, free and tracked, on the UK mainland in 2 to 3 days. Pouches with faulty seals or print reported within 10 days are replaced or refunded.