If you’re thinking of starting a seed business or expanding your seed sales, you might be excited to distribute high-quality seeds that will one day become beautiful or useful plants. You might even have a plan for a beautiful custom seed packet design. But have you considered how to get the seeds into their packets?
Although seed packet filling isn’t the first thing anyone thinks of when they envision a successful seed business, it’s an essential part of the operation. It may seem easy when it’s just a few envelopes, but multiply that process by thousands of packets and you can quickly find yourself wasting time, money, energy and product.
Read on for eight challenges of filling your seed envelopes, and how JBM has solved these issues for our customers.
The challenge: Seed packet filling and sealing by hand
How many seed packets do you plan to sell? Filling each of those packets by hand could take anywhere from 20 seconds (to fill by weight) to two minutes (to fill by count)—if you make zero mistakes. Sealing the seed packaging also takes time and can require expensive equipment investments.
JBM has specialized equipment to make filling seed packets easy and fast. Our machines can fill by weight, volume or count, churning through 60 packets per minute. (You can watch a video of this amazing process here.)
The challenge: Handling different types of seeds
Consider mint and peas. Apart from being a great pairing for lamb, these two plants couldn’t be more different—and that’s especially true in their seed form.
JBM’s automated seed packet filling machines are equipped to handle all sizes and shapes of seeds, from tiny (mint, lettuce) to huge (peas, squash). Our machinery can run seeds ranging from 0.1 mm to 10 mm in diameter, at the blazing-fast rate of 60 packets filled per minute.
The challenge: Production capacity
Whether you’re just starting your seed business or looking to grow (get it?), one logistical concern is whether you have the capacity to produce, store and ship your desired quantity of inventory. The seasonal nature of the seed business can make this concern even more pressing, because it can be difficult to hire a high-quality workforce that only works part of the year.
JBM runs its production and filling lines 24 hours a day, five days a week, which gives us the capacity to fulfill orders that are much larger than many startups or smaller organizations could handle alone. Custom seed packet printing has never been so simple or so fast.
The challenge: Shipping seeds
As your seed business ramps up, you’ll need to pay more attention to how you can ship your seed envelopes. In addition to fulfilling customer orders, you may need to send large quantities of inventory to fulfillment centers, events or other unexpected destinations.
JBM can use one of its trusted shipping partners to deliver your seeds anywhere you choose: to your business, to a seller like Amazon or drop shipped to a conference or other event. Our skilled logistics personnel work to optimize shipping times wherever possible. We even ship internationally.
The challenge: Seed sourcing
When you’re building a seed business, you might not realize how much work can go into simply acquiring a large volume of seeds from a wholesaler. Orders can require multiple follow-ups to get the required inventory.
JBM builds relationships with seed suppliers to ensure the best prices and secure inventory for even out-of-season or rare seeds. Furthermore, all of JBM’s seeds are stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment to ensure maximum potency.
The challenge: Organic seed requirements
All the challenges of sourcing, storing and filling seed packets are multiplied when the seeds you’re selling are organic seeds. That’s because the organic label is strictly regulated, requiring rigorous cleaning processes and attention to the chain of custody so that no conventional seed is accidentally mixed with the organic product.
As an organic seed certified handler, JBM understands the requirements of organic labeling and takes every precaution to ensure they are met with every seed packet we fill. We’re also certified to handle shipping for organic products, which is required if you’re shipping your organic seeds internationally.
The challenge: Keeping current with the seed market
From product trends to marketing techniques to regulatory best practices, the seed business is ever-changing. You need a partner who can keep up with all the nuances of the industry, and that partner is JBM. We know that the seed business is based on strong relationships among sellers. As members of both the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and the Home Garden Seed Association (HGSA), we’re well positioned to stay up to speed on everything the market throws at seed sellers.
The challenge: Finding customized solutions
Every business is unique, and that’s why JBM treats each customer’s challenges as an opportunity to provide new custom seed packaging solutions. From sourcing to package design and manufacturing to filling and kitting, we can assist with every step to create beautiful seed packets for your business.
Want us to help with your seed packet needs? Contact us today!
