As some big businesses shift to more eco-friendly packaging, small businesses struggle to afford the same option due to higher costs. A Filipino company, which sells quality pouch packages in small batches, wants to change that.
EntrePouch has been in the market for a decade now. Founded in 2012, the company produces pouch packaging in quantities that are budget-friendly for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Whereas other packaging companies would require a minimum order of tens of thousands of pieces, EntrePouch can start with as few as 100 ready-made pouches. If the client wants a customized packaging, the minimum order goes as low as 1,000 pieces.
Beyond that, the “entrepouches” are attractive, convenient, and hygienic, which would make sure the products would reach the customer in their best possible condition.
Sustainability: A higher-value added to new generation consumers
The company wants to take its business a step further by offering recyclable packaging for its ready-made coffee pouches, which would have a low minimum order of 100 pieces. It is eyeing the launch within the next two months.
“This year, we have the opportunity to offer a pouch that is recyclable mainly for coffee,” said Company President and Chief Executive Officer Jeannine Yu. “If this pouch is sorted and recycled properly, it can be converted into a different form of plastic like a plastic chair or a plastic bag.”
The recyclable packages not only appeal to a new generation of producers who adhere to sustainable development goals, but also to consumers who, all things equal, will choose brands and products that are “green.”
A renewed hope
This will be EntrePouch’s second attempt in offering the market an eco-friendly alternative.
Around four years ago, the company offered eco-friendly packaging, which did not enjoy the same demand as its other products. Eco-friendly packaging simply costs more than traditional materials — a reality that prompts many MSMEs to subscribe to more cost-efficient but less environmentally friendly options instead.
EntrePouch has continuously offered eco-friendly pouches for customized orders, but it believes MSMEs will have more access to this option too by offering it with ready-made pouches. This is especially true in the case of specialty coffee retailers, since they sell a premium product in a global industry that has become associated with sustainability.
There is a new hope that the market will be more receptive this time around, as consumers become more conscious not just about products they buy, but where their packaging end up as well.
In recent years, eco-friendly EntrePouch packaging has also attracted the interest of established businesses, such as Filipino coffeehouse chain Bo’s Coffee since 2019. Since coffee growers are abundant in the Philippines, the company wants to help smaller coffee retailers now make the eco-friendly leap.
“We believe in it. We have high hopes,” she said.
