How to Launch Own Label Coconut Milk and Cream in Tetra Pak: Specs, Sizes, Print MOQ and Timeline

Choose your position before you choose a supplier. It decides which certifications you need and what you can print on the carton. Positions can be combined, as long as one supplier holds every certification you plan to print.

Launch with one product unless you already sell both, because every product and every size needs its own carton design. Pick the one your first buyer will reorder, then add the second once it sells.

Fat grades and what each is used for are set out in our aseptic Tetra Pak buyer's guide. If you are still deciding between cartons, cans and bulk, read canned vs aseptic coconut milk first.

A written spec saves one full round of samples. CBL can tailor fat from 5% to 30%, viscosity, stabilizer use, certification and origin, so decide each line below before you ask for samples.

CBL homogenizes the milk to limit separation without stabilizers or emulsifiers, so a stabilizer-free spec is realistic. Some oil still rises to the top in any coconut milk, so say so on the carton with a shake-well line.

The cheapest way to settle the spec is to test two fat levels in your own recipe. Contact us for samples at both levels, or request samples online, and ask for the certificate of analysis (COA) so you can see the fat reading behind each sample. Use it to set your pass and fail range for later batches.

Coconut milk quality depends on how fresh the coconuts are when they are pressed and how soon the milk is heat-treated and sealed. Filling at origin shortens that gap and removes a handover between the processor and the packer. CBL fills coconut milk and cream in its own facilities in Sri Lanka and Indonesia; our coconut sourcing and supply chain page shows how.

• Steady supply. Sri Lanka harvests year-round, and plantations sit about 20 km from the facility.
• Two origins. Running Sri Lanka and Indonesia together protects supply against a poor harvest or a shipping disruption.
• Freight. Ocean freight from Colombo to US East and West Coast ports takes roughly 5 to 7 weeks.

Compare suppliers on these eight points before you ask for a quote.

1. Fills in its own plant. Every handover between companies is a gap in traceability.
2. Audited food safety. Look for a BRCGS or FSSC 22000 certificate and read the audit grade. CBL holds BRCGS AA++.
3. Certifications it holds itself. Organic, Demeter, Fairtrade, Halal and Kosher claims are valid only if the manufacturer holds them.
4. Runs your carton. Confirm the line fills your size and closure.
5. Batch COAs. The certificate should show the fat reading for your batch, not typical values.
6. US import documents. Coconut milk in a sealed carton is a shelf-stable low-acid food, so ask for the FDA food facility registration, the canning establishment registration with filed processes, documents for your FSVP file and, for organic, a USDA import certificate. [confirm]
7. Artwork and label review. The team should check your artwork against your market's rules before printing.
8. Samples before commitment. Taste the milk in its real carton and test it in your own recipe before you order.

For the full brief-to-shelf process, from samples to print approval, see our private label coconut products page.

Choose the carton for where it will sit, not for the lowest MOQ. Every size and closure is listed on the Tetra Pak coconut milk and cream page; this table shows how to choose between them.

Two more things to ask about. The 65 ml Slim is filled in Indonesia, so confirm the origin if you need Sri Lankan fill for that size. Tetra Brik Aseptic Base and Edge cartons are also listed for custom packaging, so ask which sizes are open to you.

The print MOQ is the number of cartons printed per design. It is a different number from your order quantity, and it multiplies with every size and language you add. The table converts each print run into liters of coconut milk, which is the number your sales forecast works in.

The cartons per design for each size are in the MOQ answer on the Tetra Pak coconut milk and cream page; the liters above are those print runs converted to volume. Confirm the current figure for your carton when you ask for a quote. [confirm]

Three rules for planning around them:

1. Count designs, not sizes. Each size in each label language is a separate design. Milk and cream in one size are two designs. One size in English and Spanish is two designs.
2. The smallest commitment depends on the unit. In cartons, the 1 L is the lowest at 79,000. In liters, the 500 ml is the lowest at about 57,000. Choose by the number your forecast can support.
3. Check how long one run lasts. Divide the run by your weekly carton sales. At 1,000 cartons a week, a 79,000-carton run is about 79 weeks of volume. If that is longer than you can forecast, start with one design in one size.

Order size is separate. Our private label page says orders for existing formulations start from one pallet. Ask three things when you quote: does that apply to a new carton design, how are unused printed cartons stored, and how are they invoiced.

Your carton can carry only the claims your manufacturer's certificates cover, so choose claims before you choose a design. Every certificate CBL holds is listed on our quality and compliance page. What matters for a launch is how each claim changes your design count. Check that each certificate covers your carton size and origin before you print.

CBL's studio builds the print-ready file to the Tetra Pak dieline. The four-step artwork process and the roughly 5 business day approval are set out on our private label page, so they are not repeated here. Settle these coconut milk decisions before you send the brief:

• Product name. Whether the pack says coconut milk or coconut cream, and the fat percentage you print beside it. Naming rules differ by market, so have your compliance contact check it.
• Shake-well and storage lines. Natural oil separation is normal. Add a shake-well line and the opened-pack instruction: refrigerate at 4 °C (39 °F) or below and use within 4 days.
• Certification marks. Use only marks the certificate covers; see the claims table above.
• Languages. Every language is a separate design and a separate print run.

Plan for about 3 months from brief to first shipment, then ocean freight. The two figures CBL publishes fit together: about 4 weeks of samples, quote and artwork, plus 6 to 8 weeks of production once artwork is approved, comes to 10 to 12 weeks. Repeat orders ship in about 8 weeks.

The long stage is printing. Anything that slips in artwork moves the whole launch, so send final copy, languages and certification marks with the brief.

Three shipping choices change your landed cost and the condition of the cartons on arrival: how the order travels, how it is loaded, and which container carries it. Liquid cartons are heavy, so a container usually reaches its weight limit before it runs out of space. The FAQs below cover container fill (FCL or LCL), loading styles, pallet types and container types. Before you quote, ask CBL for cases per pallet and pallets per container for your carton size, because those figures set your freight cost per carton.

• The price per carton by fat level and size
• The MOQ for each design, and the order MOQ for each shipment
• The lead time for the first shipment and for repeats
• The Incoterm and named port
• Pallet type, loading style and container type
• Sample cost and what the sample includes
• A COA with each batch, and the certification documents for your claims
• How unused printed cartons are stored and invoiced

• Too many designs at launch. Two sizes in two languages is four print runs.
• Choosing a size by MOQ alone. The smallest number may not suit your shelf or your channel.
• Locking the spec without a recipe test. Fat and viscosity are easy to change before printing and costly to change after.
• Leaving label compliance to the end. A late correction repeats artwork approval and can delay printing.
• Ignoring the receiving warehouse. Some warehouses will not take floor-loaded containers or need a specific pallet size, so check before you choose a loading style.

CBL Global Foods sells coconut products under its own retail brands and makes coconut milk and cream for retailers and brand owners under theirs, from formulation to the filled, labeled carton. This is how that answers the risks of a first coconut milk launch.

Private label puts your brand on CBL's formulation. OEM manufacturing fills your own recipe to your spec. Food manufacturers who need unbranded product in larger formats can look at bag-in-box, drum and IBC supply, and restaurants and distributors can ask about 1 L cartons and foodservice packs. Cans suit some ranges better, and our canned coconut milk and cream page covers that route.

Beyond the usual product and certification details, a launch enquiry should state:

• Product: coconut milk, coconut cream or both, with a target fat percentage
• Carton and channel: the size and closure, or the channel so we can recommend one
• Designs: the number of sizes and label languages, and your forecast per design
• Market: the states or regions you sell in, the retailers you are pitching and any label review you need
• Shipping: Incoterm, destination port, FCL or LCL, loading style, pallet type and container type