Walk through any grocery store or supermarket and you’ll see tons of canned and bottled beverages. If you’re planning to launch a ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage, you want yours to stand out on the shelf. To accomplish this, your packaging is everything. The style, design, and call-outs on your beverage are the means of drawing the shopper’s attention during those seconds of opportunity you have when they scan the shelf.
In this guide, we’ll cover the eight essential steps to take your “ready-to-drink” (RTD) beverage from an idea to a fully packaged product ready to sell in stores. Whether you plan to package in cans, bottles, or aseptic… we got you covered.
The first step is to talk to your beverage manufacturer and determine their packaging capabilities (specifically asking about their expertise and limitations).
Understanding their expertise will help you make informed decisions about your product’s packaging because your BEST pricing will come when you work within their existing capabilities—in other words, what’s EASY for them. Keep in mind that a contract manufacturer (CM) makes money based on HIGH VOLUME manufacturing and EFFICIENCY.
EXPERT TIP: You will find a factory is very responsive if you are their IDEAL customer and order. You can be their IDEAL customer if you understand what motivates them and work to help them accomplish these goals.
EXPERT TIP: If the factory isn’t replying to you:
Maybe your emails are subliminally indicating you are not an ideal customer or a good opportunity for them. Curious about what I mean? Consider watching this video about How to Write a Sourcing Email.
The other possible reason is they are very busy and barely have time to notice your message—some factories who work with start-ups don’t have a lot of staff and they hit seasons where they don’t notice sales inquiries. You’ll find if you email them again in a month or so, they could be your ideal partner since they are open to smaller clients. (Persistence in finding the ideal vendor is just as important as when you pursue your client.)
The CM’s limitations are usually determined by how unique the manufacturing process is for your product. For example, when they do a production run, they have to turn on and set up all of the machines involved, and afterward, they have to clean each of them.
Why would a co-packer do all that work for a small customer? They would lose money on the job. That’s why they often won’t manufacture less than a certain MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY (MOQ) to break even (cover their costs). They also have to set up the automated packaging system or—if it’s manual—train their staff. This also means they can’t affordably or easily do production runs that differ too much from their current jobs.
Regarding packaging limitations, CMs typically have standard sizes and volumes of cans or bottles that their machines can handle. Since they ALREADY source in bulk from larger packaging manufacturers, they’ll be able to facilitate cheaper pricing, easier delivery, and more available production days if your products use the materials they’re already sourcing from their current vendor.
The OTHER benefit of using their existing packaging is you’ll have more available days to manufacture your custom recipe because the factory won’t need to change their machinery. Better pricing and more days—this is 100% in your best interest as a start-up!
Some varieties of packaging to ask about:
CANS – If they make canned beverages, do they produce an 8-ounce slim can, a 12-ounce sleek, a 16-ounce standard can, or a 24-ounce “Tall Boy”? You also need to ask what type of ends (lids) and tabs go with each.
BOTTLES – There aren’t standard bottle names, but you will want to ask about your factory’s scope in terms of material (plastic or glass), shape, volume (ounces), height and dimensions of the bottle, the bottle opening, and cap.
ASEPTIC – Similar to bottles, you need to ask the CM about what their automated machinery can handle in terms of: material (layers of plastic and metal matter for shelf life and flexibility), shape (square like a juice box, pouch, or the new bottle with a cap), volume (ounces), height and dimensions, and cap type.
PRINTING METHODS – Will they want cans or bottles printed, or can they apply a label? Some manufacturers will add your artwork on a plastic film shrink sleeve, slip it onto an unprinted can or bottle, and heat shrink it (helpful for small production runs and provides more vibrant color).
The fastest way to move forward is to work within their existing manufacturing styles and collaborate with their packaging manufacturers.
Once you understand what your manufacturer offers, choose the type of packaging that best fits your brand and appeals to your target audience. Consider elements like the body, lid, label, and pull tab of the individual can, bottle, or tetra pack, as well as the folding carton box or tray it will be packaged in.
At this stage, document the product specifications, packaging manufacturer, and attach pictures. This will help streamline communication and eliminate potential miscommunications as you move forward.
EXPERT TIP: Shrink sleeves or labels on cans are great for start-ups to start with smaller investments of cash. They can test the market and get buy-in. But a warning: large retailers like Whole Foods often have policies that prevent them from buying shrink-sleeved bottles or cans, which means you must evolve to printed tin or labels on bottles to get into their stores.
Now that you’ve selected your can, contact your packaging company and request a quote for the quantity you want to buy.
Include the structural specifications, pictures, and any details about artwork and finishes.
List the quantity you want to order for the estimate (you can list a couple of quantities). To determine YOUR right quantity, decide your budget for mass-producing your beverage in advance, and work backward to figure out the quantity you’ll probably want to order on your first production run. You can figure out the average cost of packaging per unit with a GOOGLE or CHATGPT search before you ask a specific factory for their real cost to you.
If you’re a small start-up, ask about their minimum order quantity (MOQ), which is the smallest allowable quantity you’re allowed to order.
EXPERT TIP: Don’t ask for a million variations or quantities when requesting a quote because it’s a lot of work to prepare an estimate for you. It will also make you look unprofessional, unclear of what you want, and like you’re just “kicking the tires” or browsing rather than really ready and able to buy.
Two of the largest U.S. can manufacturers for tin cans are Crown and Ball. For glass beverages, there are Ardagh Group, O-I Glass (Owens-Illinois), Verallia, Vetropack, and Vitro. For plastic bottles, the large manufacturers are Loews Corporation, Amcor, CKS Packaging, and Plastipak Packaging.
However, these big guys really don’t work with start-ups. Instead, order through your factory OR use a packaging broker like Berlin, who can help you get pricing, offer credit, manage minimum order quantities, and delivery.
If you need help finding a great packaging supplier or designer, you can reach out to Pearl Resourcing (info@pearlresourcing.net) for an estimate.
Before moving forward, request samples from your packaging supplier and have them sent to both you and your factory. Your factory must verify that they can handle and use the packaging you’ve ordered (if it’s not a vendor or package they currently work with).
For example, in canned packaging, the lid, tab, and base are shipped separately, and your contract manufacturer must seal them during the manufacturing process. Confirm with your factory that all the parts work effectively before proceeding. The same is true for caps on bottles—a plastic bottle and cap are made of different materials, and you need to confirm they fit.
EXPERT TIP: DO NOT rush or skip these “double-checking” steps just to get to market faster. I’ve found that when I do the double-checking steps, surprisingly, no issues turn up. But the one time you DON’T… it all goes wrong! Take the time to proofread!
Next, request the packaging dieline and begin designing your artwork. A dieline is a digital file (usually in PDF or Adobe Illustrator format) that shows the flat printable area of the can. Once you receive the dieline, your graphic designer can add branding and design elements on top of it to create your print-ready packaging artwork.
Check with your packaging company about available print finishes and potential upcharges. Some design elements that impact your costs include:
- Pantone colors for precise color matching
- Glossy or matte finishes
- Shrink sleeves
- Thermochromic Inks (change color with temperature), Textured Inks (mimic an embossing effect) for premium effects
Remember, you are designing your packaging to grab the shopper’s attention—not to appeal to your own artistic tastes. As this is a beverage business you’re trying to build, the most important factors in picking good design are:
- To stand out on the shelf amongst the competition AND
- To appeal to your customer so they buy it.
This applies to the text on the packaging as well. Be sure to include call-outs that may be important to those consumers you’re trying to reach, such as “low sugar,” “no caffeine,” or highlighting a functional ingredient that may be trending. Don’t overdo these call-outs, but if there are one or two that will resonate, include them.
EXPERT TIP: As your packaging design company is working on your designs, be sure to print off the artwork and bring it into a real store to see how it compares to other brands in your category.
Once the final artwork is completed, send it to your packaging company for a revised quote that includes any added finishes.
Looking for a good brand and packaging design agency with CPG expertise? I know a guy! Check out Pearl Resourcing (info@pearlresourcing.net) for an estimate.
Now it’s time to place your purchase order (PO) and transfer payment. This is a big moment—your idea is becoming a reality!
Your PO should include:
- Quantity ordered
- Item code or technical specs from the quote
- Quote or estimate number from your packaging company
- Delivery location or pickup details
- Desired secondary packaging (tray, case-pack, pallet specifications)
- Artwork file name for printing
Double-check that all details—such as matte or glossy finishes or custom-colored tabs—are clearly listed in the order to prevent any miscommunication.
Once your printer receives your PO and artwork, they will send you a digital print proof. You’ll need to approve it before moving forward.
EXPERT TIP:
Print the artwork at full size to catch errors in sizing, color, and placement. Cut the printed paper and wrap it around a can, and bring it to multiple stores to see how it looks on the shelf. Make sure the shelving doesn’t block anything important.
Have multiple people review it (ONE MORE TIME) to check for mistakes in UPC codes, nutritional claims, website URLs, and spelling.
After approving the digital proof, the next step is approving the physical print proof, which is a sample can with the actual printed artwork. This is your final opportunity to check that the colors and design appear correctly on the material before mass production.
If errors go unnoticed, you could end up with thousands of unusable cans—so take this step seriously!
After approving both digital and physical proofs, sign off on the final sample and give the green light for production. This is the last step before your packaging is manufactured!
Once printed, the empty cans, bottles, or aseptic packaging will be shipped to your contract manufacturer. Your factory will fill the cans with your beverage, seal them, and package them for distribution. Now, you have a ready-to-drink canned beverage!
CONCLUSION:
These eight steps will help you navigate the process of designing and producing your RTD beverage packaging—from START to SOLD.
For a more visual breakdown of this process, watch our YouTube video below. It walks you through each step with real-life examples and packaging samples to help you better understand how to bring your beverage idea to life!
