Key takeaways: MTPak Coffee vs Roastar

MTPak Coffee combines digital and rotogravure printing, enabling roasters to scale from small digital runs to larger, high-detail orders within the same supplier relationship.
MTPak Coffee offers a wider range of sustainable materials, including kraft paper, rice paper, and compostable options, while Roastar’s catalogue stays narrower.
MTPak Coffee ships to roasters worldwide, while Roastar focuses solely on the domestic United States market.

Choosing a coffee bag supplier is one of the most important packaging decisions a roaster will make. Two names that come up often in this conversation are MTPak Coffee and Roastar, both known for custom-printed coffee bags aimed at growing roasteries.

MTPak Coffee is a global coffee packaging manufacturer offering custom-printed coffee bags using both digital and rotogravure printing, along with a wide catalogue of sustainable materials. Roastar is a Wisconsin, US-based packaging company that specialises in digitally printed coffee bags, pouches, cans, and stickers. It places strong emphasis on fast domestic turnaround for roasters in the United States.

Both companies serve small and mid-sized roasters looking to avoid the high setup costs traditionally associated with custom packaging. The core difference lies in the scale of operations and geographic reach.

MTPak Coffee operates production facilities designed for both small custom runs and large-scale orders, while Roastar has built its reputation around quick, US-based fulfilment for smaller brands.

Printing technology and turnaround times: MTPak Coffee vs Roastar

MTPak Coffee combines digital and rotogravure printing for flexibility, while Roastar relies solely on digital printing for speed.

Roastar builds its model around digital printing. The company states this allows bags to ship in as little as 10 days from order to delivery, making it a notable option among suppliers that prioritise speed. MTPak Coffee’s article on how coffee packaging printing works breaks down the digital process in more detail.

MTPak Coffee uses both digital and rotogravure printing, with rotogravure suited to larger orders that need higher colour counts. Digital printing is fast and cost-effective at any volume, not just for smaller runs. MTPak Coffee offers a 40-hour production turnaround and a 24-hour shipping window once a roaster approves the artwork. Resolution now reaches up to 1200 x 1200 DPI, following its most recent equipment upgrade. MTPak Coffee’s guide to rotogravure printing explains why the method is well-suited for larger, high-detail orders.

The dual printing approach at MTPak Coffee allows for a natural progression from a small digital run to a larger rotogravure order, all within the same supplier relationship. A digital-only model does not typically offer this same path.

Material range and sustainability options: MTPak Coffee vs Roastar

MTPak Coffee offers a wider range of sustainable materials, including kraft paper, rice paper, and compostable options, while Roastar’s catalogue stays narrower.

Sustainability has become a defining factor in packaging decisions, and both companies address it, though to different degrees. MTPak Coffee offers a broad selection of materials, including kraft paper, rice paper, LDPE, and PLA. MTPak Coffee’s overview of the best packaging materials for sustainable stock coffee bags covers how each substrate performs, and its guide to compostable coffee packaging explains how these materials break down after use.

Roastar references recyclable and compostable material options and shelf-life-friendly bag designs on its own sustainability page. Its public material catalogue is narrower than MTPak Coffee’s, centring primarily on standard flexible packaging formats rather than speciality materials such as rice paper or jute.

Material variety, particularly around compostable and speciality options, stands out as one of the more noticeable differences between the two catalogues.

Material variety also affects how easily a roastery can respond to shifting consumer expectations and local legislation around sustainability. A brand limited to a narrow set of packaging materials may struggle to adapt when a certification, recyclability standard, or regional regulation calls for a different substrate.

Access to a wider range of options, from compostable films to speciality papers, allows packaging choices to evolve alongside market trends and changing environmental requirements. This flexibility removes the need to shift to an entirely new supplier.

Global reach and shipping considerations: MTPak Coffee vs Roastar

MTPak Coffee ships internationally to roasters worldwide, while Roastar focuses solely on the domestic United States market.

This is one of the clearer points of differentiation between the two companies. Roastar, based in Wausau, Wisconsin, focuses on serving the domestic U.S. market with fast regional shipping. MTPak Coffee’s guide to shipping coffee abroad outlines what international sales typically involve for roasters.

MTPak Coffee operates as an international supplier, working with roasters across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, supported by a broader logistics network suited to global fulfilment. Shipping costs and delivery timelines can vary considerably depending on whether a supplier builds its infrastructure for domestic or cross-border distribution. This becomes more relevant as a roastery’s market extends beyond its home country. MTPak Coffee’s overview of designing coffee packaging for international distribution covers what changes once a roastery starts selling abroad.

Shipping infrastructure shapes far more than delivery speed. A roastery sourcing packaging from a supplier without established international logistics may face unpredictable customs processes and longer lead times. Freight costs can also rise as order volumes grow or new markets open up. This matters at every stage of a business, not only for roasters already selling internationally. A small local roastery today may be shipping subscription boxes across borders within a year. A packaging partner without global reach can become a bottleneck just as momentum builds.

Consistent access to materials and printing capacity across regions also protects against local supply disruptions, a factor that has become more relevant in recent years. Roasters worldwide feel this, from a single café in Southeast Asia to a multi-location chain in Europe. Working with a supplier built for global distribution reduces the operational friction that often comes with scaling packaging as the customer base grows.

Matching packaging capabilities to roasting goals: MTPak Coffee vs Roastar

MTPak Coffee suits roasters that need material variety and international reach, while Roastar suits those prioritising speed within the United States.

Roastar’s positioning centres on speed and simplicity within the U.S. market, supported by a digital-only process and fixed bag formats. MTPak Coffee’s positioning centres on a wider material selection, a printing method that scales from small digital runs into larger rotogravure orders, and logistics built for international distribution.

MTPak Coffee’s guide to choosing the best coffee packaging outlines the main factors roasters should consider before committing. Its article on how to choose the best coffee bag for your roastery breaks these factors down by roastery size. For roasters just starting out, MTPak Coffee’s guide to coffee packaging for startups covers what to consider first.

Verdict: MTPak Coffee vs Roastar

MTPak Coffee is the stronger choice for roasters that need material variety, scalable printing, and international reach.

In conclusion, both MTPak Coffee and Roastar are suitable choices for coffee roasters looking for custom-printed coffee bags. However, factors such as its low MOQs, dual digital and rotogravure printing, and wide range of compostable materials make MTPak Coffee a stronger fit. This applies especially to roasters planning to grow internationally.

The coffee industry is shifting further towards eco-friendly practices, with new EU legislation requiring all packaging to be recyclable by 2030. Consumers are also paying closer attention to sustainability, and with 69% expecting brands to offer sustainable packaging, this underscores how crucial the shift is for roasters at every scale.

For these reasons, working with a supplier built for both sustainability and scale gives roasters an easier path through these changes. At MTPak Coffee, this is central to how the business operates. The company reinvests in its facilities to lower MOQs, expand its material range, and develop new ways to protect coffee and the environment.

Contact the MTPak Coffee team to learn more about its range of eco-friendly packaging, from fully compostable bags to recyclable cups and boxes.

Specifications, MOQs, materials, and lead times may vary by product, region, and order size. Information is based on publicly available data and supplier communications at the time of writing.

FAQ: MTPak Coffee vs Roastar

What is the main difference between MTPak Coffee and Roastar?
The main difference lies in scale and reach. MTPak Coffee offers a wider range of materials and international shipping, while Roastar focuses on roasters in the domestic US market.

What printing technology does MTPak Coffee use compared to Roastar?
MTPak Coffee combines digital and rotogravure printing, enabling roasters to scale from small digital runs to larger, high-detail orders. Roastar relies solely on digital printing.

Which supplier ships internationally, MTPak Coffee or Roastar?
MTPak Coffee ships to roasters across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. Roastar’s operations centre on domestic shipping within the United States.