Many importers sell dried botanicals under their own brand: a potpourri pouch for a home-fragrance range, boxed sola flowers for diffuser kits, sleeved pampas bunches for a garden-centre chain or a gift bouquet for a lifestyle store. Packing at source in your own branded packaging can save handling at destination and get stock onto shelves sooner. It also moves decisions on artwork, labelling and compliance to the very start of the order.
This guide covers the packing levels to choose between, the pack formats that suit each product type, the information labels typically carry and how to approve packaging so that the first shipment arrives shelf-ready.
Bulk, labelled or fully retail-ready?
Private label is not all-or-nothing. Most buyers choose one of three levels, and the right one depends on where the product is sold and who handles it after import.
| Packing level | What arrives | Suited to | Points to consider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk export packing | Bunches, counted packs or weighed bags in master cartons | Florists, wholesalers and brands that repack locally | Simplest to arrange; repacking and labelling happen at destination |
| Bulk with private-label tags or sleeves | Bunches or packs carrying your tags, sleeves or labels | Retailers selling stems, bunches or loose packs | Label content and artwork approved before production |
| Fully retail-ready | Finished consumer packs, such as boxes, pouches or sleeves, inside export master cartons | Retail chains, e-commerce and gift brands | More approvals and planning; packs must survive transit and still look right on arrival |
Private-label and OEM packing is available on request for Floral Mongers products, with the options and costs confirmed in the quotation. For product changes beyond packing, such as custom colours, sizes or assortments, see custom development.
Choosing a pack format for the product
Sola flowers
Sola is the pith of Aeschynomene aspera, shaped by hand into flowers, and the petals are soft and easily marked. Rigid boxes or trays with tissue between pieces protect the shape and stop dyed petals transferring colour. Window boxes show the product well, but consider that long exposure to light can fade dyed colours. A dyed bloom such as Sola Rose (SO31) is often sold as a diffuser topper; if your set pairs sola flowers with reeds, read Sola Flowers for Reed Diffusers. Kits that include fragrance oil bring their own labelling and shipping considerations, so check those separately.
Potpourri, pods and petals
Loose items such as Lotus Mini (PO13) suit weighed pouches or bags, labelled by net weight. Resealable pouches help once the pack is opened, and a clear window lets shoppers see the natural variation they are buying. If you plan to scent potpourri before sale, fragrance labelling rules may apply in your market. Browse the potpourri range for mix components.
Dried grasses and leaves
Bunches of grasses such as Pampas Natural (GR04) are usually sold with a sleeve and a swing tag. Sleeves limit shedding and flattening in transit and give you space for branding. Specify the stem count or stem length per bunch so every retail unit is consistent.
Bouquets and handmade décor
Finished pieces such as the Table Bouquet (AR24) or Sola Rope Ball (HM14) need packaging that holds their shape: boxes, sleeves or individual bags. Agree whether items are packed singly or in sets, and how many retail units go into each master carton.
What goes on the label
Labelling requirements are set by the market where the product is sold, and they vary by country and by product. Confirm yours with a product-compliance adviser or your customs broker before artwork is finalised. Typical elements include:
- Brand name and product name.
- Contents: piece count, stem count or net weight.
- Country of origin, for example “Made in India” or “Product of India”, in the form your market requires.
- Name and address of the importer or brand owner, where required.
- A retail barcode. Barcode numbers (GTINs) are normally issued to the brand owner through GS1, so you supply the numbers or barcode artwork.
- Care guidance, such as keep dry, keep out of direct sunlight and handle gently.
- Any use or safety statements your market expects, for example that potpourri is decorative and not for consumption.
- Required languages for each market, and any packaging recycling marks.
Be careful with claims
Environmental and “natural” claims are increasingly regulated in several markets, so only print claims you can substantiate. Avoid promising identical size or colour: dried botanicals vary naturally. Floral Mongers grades help set expectations. Premium means uniform size and colour with minimal breakage, Select allows slight natural variation, and Economy has more variation in size for bulk use. Even Premium remains a natural product, as explained in Premium, Select or Economy?
Artwork and approval steps
- Approve the product first. Agree the specification and grade, and approve a sample before designing packaging around it. See Samples and Specification Approval.
- Agree the pack. Confirm format, dimensions, units per pack and packs per master carton.
- Supply artwork and data. Send final artwork files, label text and barcode numbers, and agree who sources the printed packaging. This is confirmed in the quotation.
- Approve a packed unit. Ask for a packed sample, or photographs of a packed unit, before bulk packing begins.
- Record the specification. Keep a note of product codes, grade, pack format and artwork version, so repeat orders match the first.
Getting retail packs there in shelf condition
- Master cartons: retail packs travel inside strong export cartons, filled so that packs cannot move or crush one another.
- Moisture: humidity can soften card packaging, cockle paper labels and weaken adhesives. Poly liners and silica gel sachets protect retail packs as well as the product; see Protecting Dried Flowers and Sola Products from Moisture in Transit.
- Outer carton marking: shipping marks go on master cartons. If your warehouse scans cartons on receipt, agree the case label format in advance.
- Pallets: if your distribution centre has pallet type, height or labelling rules, share them early. Wooden pallets must meet ISPM 15.
Customs points for retail packs
Retail packaging can affect how goods are declared. A set combining different items, such as sola flowers with reeds, may be classified differently from its components, and the cost of retail packaging is normally part of the declared value of the goods. Some markets check country-of-origin marking on retail packs at import. Confirm these points with your customs broker, and see Importing Dry Flowers and Natural Botanicals for the wider document set.
Private-label checklist
- Choose the packing level: bulk, tagged or fully retail-ready.
- Select products and grades from the catalogue, noting product codes.
- Confirm label requirements for each market with your adviser.
- Obtain barcode numbers if you need them.
- Agree pack format, units per pack and packs per carton.
- Approve product samples, then a packed unit.
- Specify moisture protection and carton marking.
- Confirm classification of any sets with your broker.
Working with Floral Mongers
Add the products you want to your RFQ list on the site and note your packing level, target markets and label requirements with your enquiry. International Mongers coordinates export packing and documentation for Floral Mongers orders, so retail packs and export documents are planned together. To discuss a packaging project directly, contact us.
Floral Mongers supplies dried botanicals and sola flowers wholesale and for export, with private-label packing available on request. Request a quote or order samples for your packaging trials, quoting product codes where you have them.