Is a VFFS or a premade pouch coffee packaging machine better for a small roastery?

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Below roughly 2,000 bags a day, a premade pouch coffee packaging machine is usually the better buy. There is no forming tube to change, the one-way valve and zipper arrive already on the bag, and a format swap takes 15 to 30 minutes. A VFFS wins above about 3,000 bags a day on one bag size, where roll film cuts film cost by roughly 70% per bag.Between those two numbers, the deciding factor is not daily volume. It is how many bag widths you run in a week.The two platforms answer different questionsDecision inputVFFS (roll film)Premade pouchMaterial cost per 250 g bagAbout 2.6 US cents of filmAbout 10 to 14 US cents for a printed valve pouchChangeover to a new bag width30 to 90 minutes: forming tube and sealing jaws are parts15 to 30 minutes: change the magazine and the recipeValve and zipperApplied inline by a valve applicator, or formed from filmSupplied by the pouch converterPrint changesNew print cylinder and a film orderNew pouch order; lower minimum for short runsBest fitOne or two bag sizes, steady volumeMany SKUs, seasonal launches, small batchesWhat changes the crossover pointNumber of bag widthsThree or more widths a week pushes the crossover up, because every width change on a VFFS is a parts change, not a screen change.Fill weight rangeGoing from 250 g to 1 kg on the same machine usually means a different dosing head, on either platform.Valve sourceIf your converter already supplies valved bags, the premade route removes an inline applicator and its maintenance.Film minimum orderPrinted roll film carries a print-cylinder setup. Below a few tonnes a year that setup spreads thinly over each bag.A vertical form fill seal line running roll film. The forming tube sets the bag width, which is why a width change is a parts change on this platform.A rotary premade pouch station. The pouch arrives printed, valved and zipped, so the machine only opens, fills and seals it.Roll film on the unwind stand. On the VFFS route the film cost, not the pouch cost, is the line that moves the per-bag economics.Where buyers get this wrongThe mistake we see most often: comparing machine price only. A premade pouch machine costs less at entry, but the pouch costs four to five times the film. On 500,000 bags a year that gap is roughly US$37,000 to US$57,000 of material, which is more than the price difference between the two platforms.The second mistake is buying a VFFS for flexibility it does not have. Bag length is a recipe. Bag width is a part.The full platform comparison, including how film consumption is calculated from bag width and length, is in our VFFS versus premade pouch comparison. If your bag size is still open, the coffee bean VFFS selection guide works through the same numbers on a bean line.See the coffee packaging machine range

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Is a VFFS or a premade pouch coffee packaging machine better for a small roastery?

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What changes the crossover point

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Decision input	VFFS (roll film)	Premade pouch
Material cost per 250 g bag	About 2.6 US cents of film	About 10 to 14 US cents for a printed valve pouch
Changeover to a new bag width	30 to 90 minutes: forming tube and sealing jaws are parts	15 to 30 minutes: change the magazine and the recipe
Valve and zipper	Applied inline by a valve applicator, or formed from film	Supplied by the pouch converter
Print changes	New print cylinder and a film order	New pouch order; lower minimum for short runs
Best fit	One or two bag sizes, steady volume	Many SKUs, seasonal launches, small batches