How to Outsource Only the Filling of Your Home-Roasted Drip Bags
Summary of this article
For those who want to outsource only the filling of drip bags made with coffee they roast themselves. A manufacturer that handles small-bag filling explains its actual terms: sending ground coffee because we neither roast nor grind; how the 75 yen per bag filling charge is separated from filter and bag material costs; unit prices on our price list and the initial fee charged on the first filling-only order; heat seal testing of supplied bags; prototypes and total viable count checks when adding ingredients such as kokuto brown sugar; the 500-bag minimum lot; typical lead times; and the labeling rule that means sweetened coffee can no longer be called "regular coffee," as well as who sets the best-before date.
You sell drip bags made from beans roasted in your own shop. Hand-filling can no longer keep up, so you want to hand off just the filling to someone. Agriture receives inquiries like this for "filling only."
In this article, based on the terms we actually offer through our Small-bag filling OEM service: based on the terms we actually offer there, this article walks through what to decide when outsourcing drip bag filling. The two things people most often trip over at the start are the state of the beans and how work costs are separated from material costs.
| Item | What we offer |
|---|---|
| Raw material to send | Please send it ground. We do not roast or grind |
| Filling work | Filled by hand (machine filling for 10,000 bags or more) |
| How costs are separated | Bagging costs 75 yen per bag. Filters and outer bags are calculated per piece as materials |
| Adding kokuto brown sugar and similar | Available if a prototype is made and a testing laboratory confirms the total viable count |
| Bags and filters | You can supply your own or have us source them. Supplied materials are heat-seal tested with actual samples before ordering |
| Minimum lot | Small-bag filling starts at 500 bags. Drip pack processing costs vary with the raw material composition and roast level, so it is quoted individually |
| The delivery-date guide | About 1 month for 500 bags, about 2 months for 3,000 bags |
| Labeling and best-before date | Not handled by us. The party whose company name appears on the bag sets them |
TOC
How much can you hand off when outsourcing only filling?
What we take on is weighing the raw material you entrust to us, filling it into bags, sealing them and returning them. How the beans are finished remains the client's job. Drawing this line first shortens the back-and-forth over quotes.
Send ground coffee: finish roasting and grinding on your side
We have no roasting equipment and no equipment for grinding coffee beans. So please send the coffee in the state it will be in the final product, that is, ground. Even if you send whole beans, we cannot grind them.
Kokuto brown sugar or spices: make a prototype and check the total viable count first
Some clients want to add kokuto brown sugar or spices to the coffee inside the filter. We accept this specification by first making a prototype, sending it to a testing laboratory, and moving to full production if the total viable count is acceptable. Arrangements and costs for testing are decided through discussion. Because particles of a different size from the coffee are mixed in, we do not go straight into mass production.
Particle size itself is not a constraint. Since filling is done by hand, nothing has to pass through a machine hopper. Even raw material with granules mixed into powder can be filled as is.
Small-bag filling from 500 bags; drip packs quoted individually
The minimum lot for our small-bag filling OEM service is 500 bags for any package type. We do not accept smaller quantities because the setup work for filling does not justify the volume. Considering that contract filling generally starts at several thousand to tens of thousands of bags, 500 bags is close to the scale of a prototype or test sale.
Drip pack processing costs vary with the raw material composition and roast level, so it is quoted individually. Rather than fixing the quantity first, deciding on the bag and filter before consulting us moves things along faster.
How much per bag? Material costs for filters and bags are added to the 75 yen bagging charge
Quotes most often diverge over how work costs and material costs are separated. The bagging work is charged per bag, while filters and outer bags are calculated per piece as materials.
Filling work costs 75 yen per bag, with materials and shipping extra
Our published filling unit prices are as follows. They cover only the filling work; materials such as bags and filters, and shipping, are charged separately.
| Work | Published unit price (excl. tax) |
|---|---|
| Filling (a single item or a pre-blended product filled as is) | 75 yen/bag |
| Filling (each raw material weighed and mixed) | 130 yen/bag |
| Label application (per location; a back label also counts as one location) | 15 yen/location |
| Oxygen absorber included | Free |
| Desiccant pack included | Free |
| Packaging materials | Depends on the bag type (materials handling fee of 5,000 yen if you supply your own) |
| Coffee drip bag processing | Quoted individually after we hear your specifications |
Filters are calculated per piece as materials
On our price list, filters are calculated per piece as materials, separately from the bagging work cost. Tagged mesh filters for tea (65×80mm) are 29 yen each (excl. tax). Drip filters for coffee and outer bags vary in unit price depending on the materials used, so we quote after hearing your specifications.
Bag and filter costs, shipping and shipping work (300 yen per shipment) are added on top. Filling-only orders carry an initial fee of 15,000 yen on the first order. When working out your cost price, do not calculate with the work cost alone.
Unit prices hardly drop with higher quantities; smaller packs cost more per bag
Because filling is done by hand, the unit price barely changes as quantity grows. It is safer not to assume that larger lots will bring the price down significantly.
Also, because the work cost is charged per bag, it applies equally regardless of the contents. An amount that hardly matters for a 200g bag takes up a much larger share of the retail price for a product with small contents, such as a drip bag.
Can you fill my own bags? First test whether they heat seal
Even if you already use bags with your own design, we can fill and seal them. However, whether they can be sealed depends on the bag material.
Supplied, plain or printed: all three options are available
- Send us printed packaging and we fill it
- We fill plain bags and return them, and you finish them, e.g. applying labels, in-house
- Leave sourcing and printing of materials to us
How to choose bag shapes and films is covered in 5 points for selecting packaging materials. Here we focus on what to check when supplying your own.
Supplied materials are judged after a heat seal test
We run a heat seal test on the bags you send. After confirming they seal firmly, we tell you whether we can take the job. Films that look the same can seal differently depending on the inner layer. Even bags you already use for hand-filling can give different results when the sealing method changes.
For this reason, we ask you to send actual samples before ordering. Please prepare them from the same lot you plan to use in production. Consulting us before you order printing can save you from having to remake the bags.
Decide the grind, fill weight, filter shape and quantity before sending
- How the coffee is ground (make the prototype with the same grind as production)
- Net contents per bag (decide in grams)
- Filter shape and outer bag size
- Number of bags you want and when you want to start selling
From inquiry to delivery: about 1 month for 500 bags
If it is your first time outsourcing, material testing and prototyping take longer than you might expect. If your sales launch date is fixed, tell us at your first inquiry.
The process from confirming specifications to delivery
If you supply your own materials or add other ingredients, two checks take place before full production. These cannot be skipped, so allow time for both when working backward from your deadline.
| Step | What to do | What gets decided |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Share specifications (amount of grounds, bag, filter, quantity) | Basis for the quote |
| 2 | Material testing (if supplying your own) | Whether that bag can be sealed |
| 3 | Prototype (plus testing if adding ingredients) | Finished result and total viable count check |
| 4 | Shipping the raw material | Start date of full production |
| 5 | Full production and delivery | Delivery date and shipping cost |
If you are targeting an event, work backward from these timelines
Because filling is done by hand, quantity translates directly into days. If you are aiming for an event, pop-up sale or seasonal product, work backward from these timelines to decide when to ship your raw material. We start production once the raw material arrives, so the shipping date effectively becomes the production start date.
Shipping at cost; the day you send raw material is the day production starts
Shipping for raw material and delivery is charged at cost, at standard parcel delivery rates. Lead times and shipping costs change for distant locations, so please check in advance. Ground coffee absorbs moisture, so please send it sealed.
Decide the bag labeling and best-before date before you sell
Even if you outsource filling, deciding the labeling for the product you sell is your job. With drip bags in particular, the way you label changes as soon as you add anything to the contents.
Add kokuto brown sugar and you cannot call it "regular coffee"
The "Fair Competition Code Concerning the Labeling of Regular Coffee and Instant Coffee" defines regular coffee as "roasted green coffee beans (roasted beans), roasted beans with green coffee beans added, and ground forms of these." Products with sugar or kokuto brown sugar added do not fall under this definition.
This code is an industry labeling rule that applies to businesses that manufacture or import and sell coffee, and to businesses that display their own trademark or name on coffee. Even if you outsource filling, it applies to you if your company name is on the bag.
Sweetened drip bags fall outside the code, but that does not mean labeling becomes a free-for-all. Products outside the code are labeled under the general rules of the Food Labeling Standards. The name should be a common name that describes the contents, and ingredients are listed in descending order by weight.
If it is coffee only, here is how to write the name and ingredients
If the contents are only ground coffee, create the label panel following the code.
| Field | How to write it |
|---|---|
| Product name or name | Write "regular coffee" |
| Ingredient name | Write "coffee beans" and give the country names in parentheses under the heading "country of green bean production" |
| Country of green bean production | For blends, list in descending order by weight; for 3 or more countries, list at least 2 in descending order plus "others" |
| Net content | State the unit clearly in grams (g) or kilograms (kg) |
| Best-before date | Date set for the unopened product |
These are the items specified by the code. An actual bag also needs storage instructions, the name and address of the business responsible for the label, the address of the manufacturing site, and nutrition facts.
In addition, processed foods manufactured in Japan are subject to the rule requiring the origin of the ingredient with the highest share by weight. For regular coffee, the code specifies how to write the country of green bean production, so confirm the actual wording with the public health center or a labeling specialist.
The best-before date is set by the party whose name is on the bag
The date is set by the person responsible for the label. The Consumer Affairs Agency's "Guidelines for Setting Food Date Labels" (March 2025) require that party to set the date and a safety factor themselves, based on scientific and rational grounds suited to the characteristics of the food. A best-before date is set with priority given to quality test results such as physicochemical tests and sensory evaluation.
The safety factor should preferably be close to 1, and the supporting documents should be kept so the basis can be explained on request. We take on filling only and do not conduct tests for setting dates.
We cannot handle labeling or best-before dates for sweetened products
We do not have expertise in food labeling or setting best-before dates for products with kokuto brown sugar or sugar added. Requests to testing laboratories need to be arranged by the seller. We can tell you whether filling is possible and on what terms, so please consult separately on labeling and dates.
We have prepared materials that explain small-pouch filling
Agriture, flexibly handling everything from small lots to large lots
- Small-bag filling from 500 bags
- Tea and coffee also supported
- Sealing carried out in a single seamless flow
FAQ
Summary
When outsourcing only the filling of drip bags, deciding the raw material state, how costs are separated, the bags and the labeling for sale first keeps the quote process short. Here are the key points if we take on the job.
- We do not roast or grind, so send the coffee ground
- Bagging costs 75 yen per bag. Filters and outer bags are calculated separately as materials, and shipping and shipping work are also charged
- Supplied bags are tested with actual samples before ordering to decide whether they can be used
- Specifications that add kokuto brown sugar or similar go to full production only after a prototype and a total viable count check
- Labeling and the best-before date are decided by the party whose company name is on the bag
If you have already chosen the bag and filter you want to use, please include those specifications when you contact us. Orders start at 500 bags.
Recommended reading
Drip Pack Gift OEM: A Guide to 5 Filter Types and Specifications by Use
How to start coffee OEM at small lots | 3 formats and 7 ordering points
What to Decide Before Outsourcing Small Rice Packs
Download the small-pouch filling materials
We will send the materials to your email address based on the information you provide.
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