A roaster has two jobs that look like one: getting coffee into the bag, and getting the right label and the right date on it. Our equipment does the second job.
Coffee packaging equipment covers a wide field: roasters, grinders, fillers, valve applicators, sealers and bag formers. We do not sell any of that. We sell the labeling and coding side, the machines that put a label on a finished bag, a lot and roast date on the bag or the film, and a label on the case that leaves the roastery. This page is for the commercial roaster with a packing line, not a counter-top operation.
Marapack Services is the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, and we supply and service labeling and coding equipment for packaging lines across the US. Want to know what your bags and cases need? Book an equipment audit and bring a filled sample bag.
What labeling and coding does a coffee roaster need?
A roaster usually needs three marks: a front label on the bag, a roast date or lot code, and a label on the case or pallet that goes to a distributor or retailer. The first is branding, the second is traceability, and the third is logistics. Each is a different piece of equipment.
- The bag label. Many roasters use preprinted bags or a label applied after filling. A labeling head can apply a preprinted label to a bag that lies flat enough on a belt. Bag shape and fill decide whether that works, so we test a real filled bag.
- The roast date and lot. These can be printed on the bag or film with thermal inkjet, or carried on a label. Our date code and lot code printers page explains the choice.
- The case and pallet label. A case label with a lot code is print and apply work, and a pallet label is a pallet labeling job.
If the bag label is the same on every bag and only the date changes, the date is often better printed than labeled, which saves a label and a pass through a second machine.
Can a labeling machine label a coffee bag?
A labeling head can label a coffee bag that lies reasonably flat on a conveyor. Bags with a one way valve, a gusset, a stiff tin tie or a loose fill are harder, because a label that lands on a moving bulge wrinkles. We confirm on a filled sample of your actual bag instead of promising it.
Our heads are built around a pack carried on a belt. A stand up bag that must be held upright and flattened needs a purpose built handling arrangement, and that is a different machine from ours. Many roasters solve it differently: they label the bag before filling, or they use a pre labeled or printed bag and code the date instead. Our pouch and bag labeling machines page covers where a belt-fed head works on a flexible pack and where it does not.
Should a roaster print the roast date on the bag or put it on a label?
Print the roast date on the bag when the film or paper takes ink and the pack passes a printhead at a steady distance. Use a label when the date needs a barcode a scanner must read, when the bag will not take a good mark, or when the label has more text than a code can carry.
Thermal inkjet is the usual direct method for a date and lot, with solvent based ink on film and water based ink on uncoated paper. Printing straight on the bag avoids a label, a liner and a label handling step, and a code is easy to change at changeover. The trade-off is the surface and the presentation. Test it on your actual bag, at your line speed, and look at it an hour later. Our coding and marking page sets out the technologies.
What goes on the case that leaves the roastery?
For cases going to a distributor or a retail buyer, the label requirements sit on the case and the pallet rather than the individual bag. A case commonly carries a GS1-128 label with a lot and date, and a pallet carries an SSCC. Your buyer's current specification governs what is required.
A case label with a variable lot code is a print and apply job, because the printer has to sit inside the machine to print each label as it applies it. Our case coder page covers coding the case directly, and the case label's structure is explained in our GS1-128 and SSCC label guide. Roasters that also sell through a fulfillment center may find our warehouse and 3PL labeling page useful for the shipping end.
Which Marapack and Altech equipment fits a roaster's line?
For a roaster, the equipment that fits is a labeling head on a conveyor for flat bags, a thermal inkjet printer for date and lot, a print and apply head for case labels, and the conveyor and handling that hold it together. Which of those you need depends on your bag, your volume and your buyers.
- A front label on a flat bag: an Altech labeling head on a conveyor. See label applicators.
- A date or lot code on the bag or film: a thermal inkjet printer under our own label, with our own part numbers for the ink.
- A variable lot code on a case label: an Altech print and apply head, described on our print and apply labeling systems page.
- Service on equipment you already own: labeler repair and service.
What coffee packaging equipment do we not sell?
We do not sell roasters, grinders, fillers, bag formers, valve applicators, sealers, baggers, wrappers or case packers, and we do not sell continuous inkjet or laser marking. Many results for coffee packaging equipment come from packaging machinery makers. We are the labeling and coding supplier that works beside them.
We also do not serve the small counter-top roaster looking for a desktop label printer. Those are sold by craft and label printer suppliers and are a different product from a line-integrated labeler.
Frequently asked questions
Can you label a coffee bag with a one way valve? Often, if the valve sits clear of the label area and the bag lies flat on a belt. We check on a filled sample, because the valve and fill change how the label lands.
Can you print a roast date directly on a coffee bag? A thermal inkjet printer can code onto film or paper when the surface takes the ink. Test it on your actual bag at your line speed.
Do you sell coffee fillers or bag sealers? No. We sell labeling and coding equipment and service it. Fillers and sealers come from packaging machinery makers.
Do you sell a desktop coffee bag labeler? No. Our equipment is for commercial packaging lines.
Can one machine label the bag and the case? Not usually. The bag and the case differ in surface, size and data, so each gets its own head or printer. They can share a conveyor system and a service relationship.
Do I need print and apply for case labels? If the case label carries a lot code or barcode that changes, yes. If every case label is identical, a labeling head with preprinted labels is simpler.
Can you label stand up pouches? Not as a dedicated pouch machine. Our heads suit a bag lying flat on a belt, and we will say plainly when another route fits better.
How much does coffee labeling equipment cost? It depends on the head, whether it prints variable data, the conveyor and handling, and how many label positions the line has. We quote after walking the line, because a price given before the bag and the speed are known is a price for a different line.
Bring us a filled bag
The most useful thing to bring is a filled bag, the label and a case. We look at how the bag lies, where the label goes and how fast the line runs, then tell you whether a head, a code or a different machine is the right answer. Call 253-709-5566 or request an equipment audit.