You may know what crops you’d like to grow, but how should you package them? Every farmer has preferred methods of packaging — and a journey to figuring out exactly what they are. This article explores 8 of the most popular methods of vegetable packaging for Freight Farmers and growers beyond the shipping container farming industry, and the customer segments they’re best for.
Clamshells
First, there is plastic clamshells. You’re likely familiar with clamshells, though you may not have known what they were called. Related to shellfish only in their hinged design, clamshells are a common packaging method for herbs and tender hydroponic lettuces with the roots still attached. Plastic clamshells are great for selling to grocery stores and at farmers markets.
Advantages include that the plastic shell of a clamshell does a great job of protecting your crops from being bruised or damaged. Besides, clear packaging allows shoppers to easily view your produce and see for themselves how amazing it is. Downsides are that plastic, especially for our environmentally-conscious farmers and customers, can be offputting. This also means that single-use packaging typically cause continual cosst for your business.
As an alternative, there are compostable clamshells. They are made of a fiber material that can be recycled and composted. This also means that the fiber material of the clamshell absorbs moisture, which can cause greens to go limp faster than other options. An opaque material means that shoppers will not be able to see your product, which is inherently one of your best marketing tools. It is therefore not a great option for markets where customers have choice and do not already know your brand (like supermarkets). If you’re selling to sales channels like farmers markets, consider displaying samples of your produce to counter this downside. This also is a single-use packaging.
Read more options at www.freightfarms.com.