A guide to sealing coffee packaging: Which sealers are best?

Finding the right coffee packaging is critical to running a coffee roastery. Coffee bags must not only protect the beans as they travel from your business to the consumer but also preserve their freshness. However, if your packaging is sealed incorrectly, its barrier properties will quickly become insignificant.

Poorly sealed coffee packaging exposes your product to pathogens and oxygen, leading to stale coffee. This can damage your brand’s reputation and reduce the chance of repeat purchases.  

Investing in the correct sealing equipment ensures your product will arrive at consumers in pristine condition. But what sealing equipment is best suited to your chosen coffee packaging? 

Read on as World Coffee Championship trainer and competitor Nicole Battefeld-Montgomery shares her thoughts. 

Which coffee bag sealer is best for your business? 

One of the main factors that will determine how you seal your coffee packaging is the bag itself. The shape of the bag and the thickness of its materials will affect the type of equipment you should invest in. 

Direct heat sealers

These machines maintain heat in a set of jaws and are also known as direct heat sealers. The jaws contain wires, which produce heat for as long as they remain on, allowing them to penetrate thicker packaging materials with ease. 

These wires are triggered when a heat-resistant bar is pressed on the opening of a coffee bag. When the bar is closed, an electrical current heats up the wires using electric light and fuses the material together. 

Nicole is a coffee competitor and World Coffee Championship trainer. She explains that, in her experience, a heat sealed bag can dramatically prolong a coffee’s lifespan compared to those that are clipped together. Constant heat sealers create a robust, durable, and attractive wide seal.

“[This method] applies heat to the bag so it melts a little–just enough to seal it. You don’t need any glue or chemicals that might affect the coffee’s taste,” she says. 

Impulse sealers

Much like heat sealers, impulse sealers use an electric current to generate heat. The difference lies in the fact that the element for heat sealers is continuously heated, whereas impulse sealers are only heated sporadically.   

Essentially, the heating element in an impulse sealer comprises a metal wire, typically made of nichrome, a resistance heating alloy. This wire melts two layers of material together, forming an airtight seal that can only be broken when the customer cuts into the packaging. 

What’s the best method of operation? 

Both impulse and heat sealers are available in foot or hand-operated variations. Hand sealers, for example, are best suited for those seeking portable, heat-sealing technology that can be used for materials of different lengths. They’re commonly limited to a sealing thickness of up to 10mm and between 4 and 40 inches wide. However, they may also be able to seal between 6 and 20 packages per minute. 

Alternatively, foot sealers are ideal for continuous sealing as both hands are kept free to position the coffee bags. They tend to be faster than hand sealers and can accommodate materials that are up to 15mm thick and between 12 and 35 inches wide. On average, a foot sealer should be able to seal between 8 and 20 coffee bags per minute. 

Do you need to automate the process of sealing coffee packaging? 

Most coffee businesses start by sealing their coffee packaging by hand to reduce costs. Nicole explains that this option is more flexible as it allows you to package your product according to demand.

“On the other hand, if you’re a larger roastery, it’s worth [investing in] an automatic sealing machine that can seal different sizes,” she says. “Also, look for an option that has a temperature control so you can seal different material bags.”

Overall, automatic sealers are a good choice if your business wants to move into full production. The majority have automatic sealing cycle times to meet production goals and predict outcomes.

Sealing equipment should be stored away from your roaster, as dust and chaff can impact its effectiveness. Nicole recommends keeping it in a spacious area where you can implement a “first-in-first-out” rule, which ensures you sell your oldest coffee first.

“Once exposed to oxygen, coffee oxidises rapidly, resulting in the loss of flavour and aroma,” she concludes. “Properly sealed coffee packaging can prevent that from happening by minimising the oxygen entering the bag.”

It’s critical that your coffee arrives at consumers with all its original qualities intact. A loss of aroma or the development of unpleasant, rancid flavours can damage your reputation and customer loyalty. Investing in an effective bag sealer limits the risk of oxidation and preserves the protective blanket of carbon dioxide within the bag. 

However, it’s also important to ensure the bags themselves also offer high-barrier properties. At MTPak Coffee, we have a range of sustainable packaging options that will not only protect your coffee, but also showcase your commitment to the environment. Each one can be customised according to your preferences, including recyclable degassing valves and resealable zippers.

Beyond this, we offer horizontal heat sealers for coffee packaging. Our heat sealers are user-friendly, durable, and fast, helping to streamline your business. 

It’s important to realise that the seams in coffee packaging can often be a weak point, allowing oxygen and moisture to enter. This means coffee must be sealed without creating pinholes, punctures, or wrinkles in the packaging.

Our team can also help you determine which sealing equipment is best suited to your coffee packaging. Factors such as shape, size, packaging materials, and material thickness must all be considered to create an airtight seal. 

For more information on sealing coffee packaging, contact our team or download our product catalogue.