Contract packing in Kyoto, Japan

Your matcha and kinako, bagged and sealed in Japan.

Send us the powder. We weigh it, fill it, seal it, label it and hand it back ready for your shelf.

Message us on WhatsApp See the price list

First time having something packed in Japan? Start with what a 500 bag minimum really means, or read all ten guides.

An operator in a clean suit scooping matcha powder into aluminium pouches on the Kyoto filling line

500 bagsMinimum per order, across any mix of sizes and recipes

USD 0.65To fill and seal one bag, whatever the gram weight

3 to 4 weeksFrom confirmed order and material on site, to finished goods

KyotoOur line sits in Kyoto, Japan

We do one job, and only that job

No recipe development, no processing, no lab work. You own the product and the supplier relationship. We put it in bags.

Working out whether this is the right route at all? Packing in Japan against shipping bulk home, and what private label means when the tea is not ours.

The core service

Weigh, fill and seal

Your producer ships finished powder or dried pieces straight to our line. We weigh every portion to your target, fill the bag and heat seal it. The price per bag is identical whether you are packing 5 g or 500 g, so the format is your decision, not a cost trade off.

USD 0.65 per bag, plus a one time USD 130 set up fee.

Several ingredients, one bag

Weighed custom mix

Send several ingredients separately and we weigh each one into the bag to your ratio. They are not mixed or homogenised, just measured in together. USD 1.10 per bag. Useful when you want to keep the blend out of your supplier’s hands.

Finishing

Labels applied

USD 0.15 per position. A back label counts as its own position, so a front plus back job is two. Send the labels with your material or have them delivered direct.

Matcha, kinako and a pale yellow powder laid out side by side

What we put in bags

Anything dry, shelf stable and plant based. If your producer can ship it to Kyoto as a free flowing powder or a dried piece, it runs on our line.

Fine powders

Matcha, hojicha powder, kinako, yuzu powder, wasabi powder, shichimi, sansho, dashi and kombu powder, mushroom powder, ginger powder, vegetable powders, rice flour.

Leaf and loose tea

Sencha, genmaicha, hojicha, mugicha, sakura leaf, yomogi, herbal and yakuzen blends, loose coffee.

Dried pieces

Dried vegetables, dried fruit, cut herbs, dried citrus peel, dried mushrooms, sesame and other dry seeds.

Guides written for one ingredient at a time: matcha, kinako and yuzu powder and hojicha.

Price list

What it costs

Every number below is a real line from our rate card, converted for overseas orders. Nothing here is an opening position we negotiate upward.

Filling, sealing and finishing

Fill and seal, single ingredient or pre blendedPer bag, identical at any gram weight	USD 0.65per bag
Fill and seal, weighed custom mixEach ingredient measured into the bag separately	USD 1.10per bag
Label applicationPer position. A back label counts as one position	USD 0.15per position
Set up feeCharged once, on your first order with us	USD 130one time
Handling for client supplied packagingWhen you send your own bags and labels	USD 45per order
Pick, pack and dispatch handlingFreight charged separately at cost	USD 2.55per shipment

Packaging supplied by us, per piece25 stock items

Aluminium stand up pouch with zipper, silver, 130 by 130 mmPKG-012	USD 0.30
Aluminium Lamizip pouch, 340 by 240 plus 70 mmPKG-026	USD 1.85
Clear stand up pouch with zipper, white, window, 120 by 200 mmPKG-001	USD 0.45
Clear stand up pouch with zipper, white, window, 140 by 220 mmPKG-003	USD 0.50
Semi clear stand up pouch with zipper, 110 by 170 mmPKG-004	USD 0.35
Biomass metallised kraft stand pouch with zipper, 180 by 240 mmPKG-010	USD 0.60
Biomass metallised woodfree stand pouch with zipper, 180 by 240 mmPKG-011	USD 0.60
Biomass kraft pouch with zipper, clear front, 120 by 150 mmPKG-009	USD 0.40
Biomass metallised kraft three side seal pouch, 110 by 125 mmPKG-029	USD 0.20
Clear kraft pouch with zipper, 120 by 200 mmPKG-030	USD 0.45
Lamizip unryu pattern, 32 plus 160 by 120 mmPKG-032	USD 0.45
Clear flat pouch with zipper, light goods, 140 by 230 mmPKG-007	USD 0.30
Clear flat pouch with zipper, light goods, 160 by 230 mmPKG-006	USD 0.35
Clear flat pouch with zipper, light goods, 170 by 260 mmPKG-008	USD 0.35
Clear flat pouch with zipper, top load, 160 by 150 mmPKG-034	USD 0.35
Clear flat pouch with zipper, top load, 160 by 230 mmPKG-033	USD 0.40
Clear flat pouch, 100 by 120 mmPKG-015	USD 0.15
Clear flat pouch, 120 by 140 mmPKG-017	USD 0.15
Plain sweets pack, clear, 100 by 135 mmPKG-016	USD 0.10
Plain sweets pack, semi clear matte, 100 by 120 mmPKG-018	USD 0.10
Tagged mesh tea filter, 65 by 80 mmPKG-014	USD 0.25
Nylon and polyethylene bag, 380 by 530 mmPKG-013	USD 0.85
Zipper polyethylene bag, 240 by 340 mm, 0.08 mmPKG-031	USD 0.25
Zipper polyethylene bag, 340 by 480 mmPKG-027	USD 0.35
Clear polyethylene sack, 45 L, 0.08 mmPKG-028	USD 0.50

This is stock. We can also source packaging to your own specification, quoted per order, so a bag that is not listed here is a question of lead time and quantity rather than a no. Stock unit prices move with our own supply, so the figure on your quotation is the one that holds.

Two guides go further than this table: every stock bag and what it suits, and how the 500 bag minimum changes your format. Tea filters are counted differently again.

Terms we will not surprise you with

Lot sizes, timing and the rules that come with them

Published in full so you can rule us in or out before you spend a week on emails.

Lot size

500 bags is the minimum order: Counted across the whole order, so you can split it between several recipes, several bag sizes, or both. It does not have to be 500 of one thing.
There is no minimum gram weight: A 5 g sachet and a 500 g pouch cost the same to fill. At 30 g per bag, 500 bags means sending us about 15 kg of product.
No maximum, but tell us early: Large runs are fine. They need a longer booking window, so flag the volume in your first message rather than after the quotation.
Repeat orders keep the same minimum: The 500 bag floor applies every time. Only the set up fee is one time.

Lead time and scheduling

3 to 4 weeks for a run: Measured from the day the order is confirmed and your material has landed, not from your first email.
Filling happens on a booked slot: We reserve capacity for your order in advance. Changing the quantity after the slot is booked is difficult and may be refused.
Delays caused by late material are not ours: If your goods arrive after the agreed date, the run moves to the next available slot and the delivery date moves with it.
Quote turnaround is same or next business day: Bag size, quantity and format are enough. We are on Japan Standard Time, UTC plus 9.

Sending us your material

Ships to our line in Kyoto, Japan: This is not our head office address. We send the exact delivery address with your quotation. Clearing Japanese customs and paying import duty stays on your side.
Tell us before it ships: We need the dispatch date, the carrier and the tracking number by the day before arrival. Material that turns up unannounced may be refused and disposed of.
Declare anything unusual: Tell us in advance if anything about the consignment is not standard, so we can check it before it ships. An unannounced delivery, or a quantity that does not match the order, carries a USD 85 charge per occurrence.
Send packaging details in advance: If you supply your own bags and labels, give us the material code and dimensions before shipping so we can confirm they run through the sealer.

Payment and rework

Closed at month end, paid by the end of the following month: Terms for a first time overseas order are confirmed on the quotation.
You pay for the quantity you ordered: If the finished bag count comes out lower than planned, the order value does not drop.
Repeat runs are chargeable: Re running the same job under the same conditions is paid work.
Clear faults on our side are ours: Where the problem is plainly a production failure we look at the record with you and agree what to do about it.

The three that catch overseas brands out, in full: the weeks when Japanese plants close, getting your material into Japan and how Japanese suppliers quote and get paid.

How an order actually runs

Five steps from your first message to an invoice.

Tell us the job

Product, bag size, quantity and the bag format you want. We come back with a quotation in US dollars.

Confirm the order

We book a filling slot and send you the delivery address and the date your material has to arrive by.

Ship your material

Your producer sends the product and any packaging to Kyoto. You give us the carrier and tracking in advance.

Filling

Weighing, filling, sealing and label application, on the slot booked for your order.

Handover and invoice

Finished goods go to your nominated address or forwarder inside Japan. Invoiced at month end.

What we will tell you we cannot do

Cheaper for both of us than finding out three emails in.

If you are not sure which kind of company you need, a packer is not a manufacturer sets out the whole boundary. For what you can and cannot claim on the label, see packed in Japan or product of Japan. Where our part stops is set out in the handover in Kyoto.

Stick packs and sachet sticks The only bag format our line genuinely cannot run. Everything else is a question of tooling and quantity, so ask before you assume.
Orders under 500 bags Below the minimum we would be charging you more per bag than the product is worth. Combine sizes or recipes to reach the count.
Processing your product We do not dry, roast, mill, blend to recipe or run laboratory analysis. Your product arrives finished and ready to go into a bag.
Importing your goods for you We are a packer, not an importer of record. Your material has to clear Japanese customs in your name or your agent’s, and a company with no address in Japan has to file a resident customs representative with Japanese customs before it can do that. Food also needs its own import notification to the quarantine station, separately from customs. How that works.
Export freight and documentation We hand finished goods to your forwarder inside Japan. Booking the vessel and raising export paperwork sits with you.
Nitrogen flushing and vacuum packing No gas flushing, no modified atmosphere, no vacuum. We weigh and heat seal in ambient air. An aluminium barrier pouch is the strongest protection we offer.
Chilled or frozen product The line is built for shelf stable dry goods held at ambient temperature.

Questions overseas brands ask first

Can you take my project if I only have 10 kg to start?

It depends on your bag size rather than your total weight. The minimum is 500 bags per order, and the gram weight makes no difference to the price. At 30 g a bag, 10 kg gives you about 333 bags, which falls short. You would need roughly 15 kg for a 30 g format, or you can keep the 10 kg and move to a 20 g bag, which puts you at 500 exactly.

Can you fill 30 g portions into aluminium pouches?

Yes. We hold aluminium stand up pouches with a zipper in stock at USD 0.30 a piece, and an aluminium Lamizip at USD 1.85 for larger formats. If you want a bag we do not stock, we can source it to your specification and quote it per order. The one format we cannot run at all is a stick pack.

Is it cheaper to send my own packaging?

Usually yes if you already have printed bags, and printing on the bag itself is the only way to get artwork across the whole pack. For a first run, a label applied to one of our stock bags carries your brand for a lot less. Handling client supplied packaging is a flat USD 45 on the order, against our stock bag prices of USD 0.10 to USD 1.85 a piece. Send the material code and dimensions before you ship so we can check it feeds through the sealer.

Do you offer nitrogen flushing or vacuum packing?

No. We do not run gas flushing, modified atmosphere or vacuum sealing on any format. Our process is weighing and heat sealing in ambient air. If your product needs a controlled atmosphere to hold its colour or shelf life, we are the wrong partner for it and would rather say so now. An aluminium barrier pouch with a good seal is as far as we go.

How long from order confirmation to finished goods?

Three to four weeks, counted from the day the order is confirmed and your material has reached our line in Kyoto. Filling runs on a slot we book for you, so that booking sets the exact dates rather than the calendar.

Can you blend several ingredients into one bag?

Yes, as a weighed custom mix at USD 1.10 per bag. You send each ingredient separately and we measure them into the bag to your ratio. What we do not do is develop the recipe for you. The ratio comes from you.

Do you need to see my product before quoting?

No. Bag size, quantity, bag format and a description of the product are enough for a firm number. We only need the material in hand when there is a real question about how it flows or clumps through the filler, and we will say so if that comes up.

What currency will I actually be invoiced in?

Japanese yen. The US dollar figures on this page are there so you can budget, and your quotation confirms the amount before anything is committed.

Guides for brands outside Japan

Written for the questions that come in by email every week.

Where Our Part Ends: the Handover in Kyoto and the Leg After ItWe hand finished cartons over inside Japan and we do not arrange export freight. What that means for your forwarder, your Incoterm,…Read the guidePack It in Japan, or Ship It Home in Bulk and Pack It ThereThe honest comparison, including the cases we lose. Freight on finished goods versus bulk, what a local co-packer will ask you for,…Read the guideTea Filter Bags in Small Quantities, and the Arithmetic Nobody ExpectsA tagged mesh filter at USD 0.25 a piece is one of the few items genuinely hard to buy in small quantities. The catch is that our…Read the guideHojicha Is the Easy One to Bag, and the Roast Is WhyRoasting already did the thing that makes matcha awkward to pack, so hojicha can go in a clear bag at half the price. What that saves,…Read the guidePrivate Label Matcha: Who Sells You the Tea, and Who Bags ItA private label matcha product has two suppliers behind it, and most overseas brands email the wrong one first. What a tea producer…Read the guidePacked in Japan or Product of Japan: Two Different ClaimsBagging a product in Kyoto is a fact about the packing. It is not the same as the product being Japanese. Why repacking does not move…Read the guideKinako in Retail Bags: What an Overseas Brand Decides FirstRoasted soybean flour is fine, light and bulky for its weight, which changes the bag before it changes anything else. Formats,…Read the guideYuzu Powder: the Harvest Sets Your Window, Not Your Launch DateGreen yuzu through the summer, yellow yuzu from November with December the peak. Why a yuzu project is planned forwards from the…Read the guideA Packer Is Not a Manufacturer: What We Will Not DoThe difference between a contract manufacturer and a fill and seal line, the full list of steps we do not offer, and how to tell which…Read the guideSending Your Material to a Japanese PackerWho is the importer of record, what has to be marked on every carton, why the dispatch notice matters more than the paperwork, and the…Read the guideThe Three Weeks When Nothing Ships in JapanNew Year, the early May holidays and mid August take weeks out of a Japanese production calendar, and only one of the three closes the…Read the guideHow Japanese Suppliers Quote, Decide and Get PaidMonth end closing with payment at the end of the following month, how a Japanese quotation reads, why the decision is slow but final,…Read the guideOur Stock Bags, and What Each One Costs Per PieceThe stock bags we fill from, priced per piece in USD: aluminium barrier, metallised kraft, clear film and tea filters, which material…Read the guideGetting Matcha Packed in Japan: the Numbers That Decide ItWhat it costs to have matcha weighed and sealed into retail bags in Japan, the 500 bag minimum, worked examples in USD at three sizes,…Read the guideWhat a 500 Bag Minimum Really Means at a Japanese PackerWhy a Japanese contract packer counts bags when it sets a minimum, how a flat per bag rate changes your format decisions, and three…Read the guide

Send us the bag size and the quantity.

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Agriture Inc., 294 Tamatsushima-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

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