Baking wholesale packaging

[shaloop]

One of my customers has requested sturdier packaging. Right now I use standard bakery cake boxes that I get from a local paper company. About $.30 each, one piece, windowless boxes. They get cheesecakes and layer cakes. They are stacked in a dessert cooler and are handled by all of the waitstaff. After being opened and closed and restacked a couple of times the walls of the boxes become bent and sometimes crushed and no longer close properly and the product starts to dry out. Any ideas or place to order better, but not extremely expensive packaging. I've seen what some of them get from their foodservice suppliers. They are lightweight corrugated one piece box with self-closing flaps. Anyone know where to find that?

[chickie]

have you checked with local suppliers? Where do you get your paper boxes from?

I found it prohibitive to order boxes to be shipped to me, especially heavy weight ones - they are very expensive to ship.

My only other suggestion would be to think outside the box (get it??? LOL) keep an eye out for boxes that that may be used for something else, but are the right size, and ask them where they get them. Or call some places that use the boxes and ask where they get them.

the bakery I worked at that used them had to special order them in partnership with 5 other bakeries, because they had to make a special die to cut them at the box company, and had a high minimum order

[JeanneCake]

I like the Ungermatic boxes from The Unger Company - they might be too pricey for you but call and see if they can send you a few samples and you can see if they'll work for you.

I find that if I tape the sides shut on the regular (kraft inside) boxes, the box is sturdier and lasts a little longer. I can stack them that way, but have the same problems when I don't tape the box shut.

Another alternative is to investigate what I call "fish buckets" - you can sometimes find them in larger sizes, but call around to a local seafood company and see if they'll sell you some new fish buckets and see if that works. It works for my regular accounts for the individual desserts like the cheesecakes, key lime pies, etc.

[gfron1]

In the genre of probably too expensive...I recently saw an ad for wooden boxes - like the ones that bries are often stored in. They make them big enough for cakes, and they would certainly be sturdy enough, but again, I assume pricey.

[choux]

What about maybe some kind of shelving for the cooler that's just the right height for one box so they don't have to be stacked directly on top of each other?

[bripastryguy]

I do wholesale and I know what you mean. Yes the packaging for corrugated is more durable but it also costs more. I use a local supplier for the boxes I use, we do a full line of petit gateaux and I have to have the boxes sturdy enough to stack 5 high and hold up in the fridge and freezer. You can check ULINE.com to see if they have what you need. We use whats called a "literature mailer". I used to get them from them then I found a local guy that could save me 20 cents a box (we go through about 3000-5000 per year)

MAKE SURE YOU ADD THE PRICE OF YOUR PACKAGING ONTO YOUR SELLING PRICE.

if you have any questions you can always call me.

Brian

Sweet Karma

[shaloop]

You can check ULINE.com to see if they have what you need. We use whats called a "literature mailer". I used to get them from them then I found a local guy that could save me  20 cents a box (we go through about 3000-5000 per year)

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That's one of the places I actually bookmarked. I currently use a 10x10x5 1/2" box for layer cakes and the tallest 10x10 I saw at Uline for literature mailers was 4" which I don't think is tall enough. {It's interesting that I had found exactly the box you mentioned.} But I'll keep looking. I ordered some samples today from Unger which someone mentioned upthread and hopefully that may work out.