Café & Beverage Packaging in Australia: A Complete Guide

An overview of café & beverage packaging for Australian businesses: the main box types, materials, food safety, printing and ordering.

Browse the full Café & Beverage Packaging range alongside this guide.

An overview of café & beverage packaging

Cup carriers, café takeaway boxes and bottle boxes for drinks and the food that goes with them. They are used by cafés, juice bars, bubble tea shops, breweries and wineries, and the right choice depends on what you're packing, how far it travels and how you want it to look.

The biggest practical challenge with this category is spills, condensation from cold cups and the weight of liquids. Getting the board, coating and structure right for those conditions matters more than any finish or print effect.

You can browse every product in our Café & Beverage Packaging range, each made to order from 100 units.

Types of café & beverage packaging

Here are the products in this range and what each one is designed to do:

• Coffee Cup Carriers: Carriers lock cups in place so a four-coffee order survives the walk back to the office.
• Café Takeaway Boxes: A small set of café box sizes covers most of the counter menu.
• Bubble Tea Carriers: Carriers sized for wide bubble tea cups keep lids upright and straws in place.
• Muffin Boxes: Inserts hold tall muffin tops away from the lid so they don't get squashed.
• Juice Bottle Boxes: Partitioned boxes carry juice cleanses and bottle sets upright and cold.
• Banana Bread Boxes: Slice-sized boxes turn a café staple into a take-home treat.
• Wine Gift Boxes: Bottle boxes with inserts make a cellar door purchase ready to give.
• Beer Carrier Boxes: Carriers with dividers keep cans and bottles upright and show off your label art.

What should café & beverage packaging be made from?

The right board depends on the weight of the food, how far it travels and the look you want. For café & beverage packaging the usual options are:

• Kraft paperboard: Unbleached kraft has a natural brown finish that suits rustic, organic and eco-minded brands. It prints best with bold one- or two-colour artwork, because the brown base shifts lighter colours.
• SBS paperboard: Solid bleached sulphate board gives a bright white surface for sharp, full-colour print. It is the usual choice for retail cartons and bakery boxes, and is commonly specified between 300 and 400 gsm depending on the weight of the food.
• E-flute corrugated board: A thin corrugated board around 1.5 mm thick that adds crush strength and a little insulation while still printing cleanly. It is the standard for pizza boxes, mailers and heavier food orders.

The main risk to plan for with this type of packaging is spills, condensation from cold cups and the weight of liquids. Choose the board and any inside coating with that in mind, not just the print.

Food safety and café & beverage packaging

Food businesses in Australia are expected to use packaging that is fit for purpose and unlikely to contaminate food, a requirement set out in the Food Standards Code administered by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). For café & beverage packaging, that means food-grade board, inks and coatings that suit direct or indirect contact with the food you pack.

Where the food touches the board directly, especially with spills, condensation from cold cups and the weight of liquids, a barrier coating or liner is the safest choice. Printing is normally kept to the outside of the box, and any inside print should use low-migration inks.

Read our guide to food-safe packaging in Australia for a plain-English overview, and check with your local council or state food authority if you are unsure what applies to your business.

Getting your brand onto café & beverage packaging

Most café & beverage packaging are printed in one of three ways, and the right one depends on your quantity and artwork.

• Offset CMYK: sharp full-colour print for photos, gradients and detailed designs. Best value on larger runs.
• Spot colours (Pantone): exact brand colours that stay consistent between orders. Worth it if colour matching matters to you.
• Digital print: no plates, so it suits short runs, test designs and seasonal versions.

On kraft board, bold one- or two-colour designs usually look better than full photos, because the brown base changes how colours appear. Our CMYK vs Pantone guide explains the difference in more detail.

Making café & beverage packaging more sustainable

Paperboard café & beverage packaging are one of the easier food packaging items to make sustainable, because the main material is widely recycled in Australia when it is clean.

• Choose kraft or recycled-content board where the look suits your brand.
• Use a film-free window or no window at all, so the box stays a single material.
• Ask for water-based barrier coatings rather than plastic laminates where grease resistance is needed.
• If you want compostable packaging, ask for certification to AS 4736 (industrial) or AS 5810 (home composting).
• Add clear disposal instructions, such as the Australasian Recycling Label, so customers know what to do with the box.

Most states have also phased out many single-use plastic food items, so paper-based boxes help keep you ahead of the rules. Check your state's current list, as it changes.

How to order custom café & beverage packaging

Ordering café & beverage packaging is simple, and you see a proof before anything is printed.

1. Request a quote with your size, quantity and any style ideas using our quote form.
2. Get a dieline: a flat template of your box showing folds, cuts and print areas.
3. Add artwork: send your own, or ask our team to lay out your logo and details.
4. Approve the proof: check spelling, colours and positions carefully.
5. Production: printing, finishing, cutting and gluing, typically 10–15 business days.
6. Delivery: boxes arrive flat-packed, ready to fold.

Not sure how a dieline works? Read how to read a packaging dieline.

Local considerations

Australian food businesses face some specific conditions that affect packaging choices. Long distances between cities mean boxes may travel a long way on delivery, and summer heat and tropical humidity test board, coatings and glue in ways a cooler climate never would.

We deliver flat-packed café & beverage packaging to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart and regional areas. Order early ahead of busy periods like Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day and the end of the financial year, when many businesses reorder at once.

If you sell at farmers markets, festivals or through delivery apps, factor in how the box will be handled there: stacked in a warm van, carried by a rider or passed across a stall in the rain.

Frequently asked questions about café & beverage packaging

Final thoughts

The best café & beverage packaging are the ones that fit the food, suit the way your team works and look like they belong to your brand. Measure carefully, choose board for the conditions the box will face, and keep the design clear and consistent.

When you're ready, see the full specification on our Café & Beverage Packaging page or request a free quote. We'll send a dieline and price for your exact size.