Homemade marshmallows are soft and sticky, so they're dusted with a mix of powdered sugar and starch and packed so they don't press together or dry out. A cello bag with a header card is the cheapest shelf package; a stand-up pouch with a zipper keeps them soft after opening; a gift box with a liner holds them in rows; and a tin, sold with cocoa, is the December item. Gelatin is an ingredient by name, and many buyers ask where it comes from. In the example below, a Connecticut marshmallow maker prices four options: 28 cents to $1.75 a package.
The short version
- Dust every marshmallow so they don't stick.
- Cello bags with header cards are the cheapest shelf package.
- Stand-up pouches keep them soft after opening.
- Gift boxes hold them in rows.
- Tins with cocoa sell in December.
- List gelatin by name; be ready to say what it's made from.
- TaroStack puts the bag or box in each flavor's cost. More below.
The options
| Option | Reseals | Looks | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cello bag with header card | No | Plain | Peg hooks, markets |
| Stand-up pouch | Yes | Shelf | Grocers, cafés |
| Gift box of 16 | No | Gift | Gift shops |
| Cocoa tin | Yes, lid | Gift | December |
Slabs are cut, tossed in the dusting mix, and packed the same day; a humid day makes them sticky in the bag. Other candy packaging is in how to package candy for sale.
The label
A package's label lists its ingredients in order by weight (21 CFR 101.4), the name and place of business (21 CFR 101.5) and the net quantity (21 CFR 101.105), and declares any major allergen (21 U.S.C. 343(w)). Gelatin goes in the ingredient list by name; it isn't one of the major allergens, but vegetarian, halal and kosher customers ask what it's made from, so the maker keeps its supplier's answer ready. What a bag sells for is in how to price candy. This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: four options for a marshmallow maker
Litchfield Hills Marshmallow Co., the made-up marshmallow maker in Torrington, Connecticut, I use in these examples, packs about 400 packages a week before the holidays, for markets, cafés and gift shops:
| Option | Parts | Per package | 400 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cello bag with header card | Bag 10¢, header card 12¢, label | $0.28 | $110.16 |
| Stand-up pouch | Pouch 40¢, label | $0.46 | $183.60 |
| Gift box of 16 | Box $1.10, liner 8¢, label | $1.25 | $501.84 |
| Cocoa tin | Tin $1.60, liner, label | $1.75 | $699.44 |
Markets sell cello bags; cafés take pouches, which customers reseal at home; the cocoa tin is a December item priced well above the bag. The business's year is in marshmallow business plan.
Get the calculator
Download the marshmallow packaging calculator. Two sheets: components, each part of each option with its pack price, units, how many a package uses and waste; and compare, each option's cost per package and per week at your volume, with notes. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
A cost sheet doesn't know which batch is in which bag. When a customer asks about one bag, or a lot of gelatin is recalled, the bags it went into have to be found.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each batch's lot, the packaging in its cost, and where every case went.
Each batch a lot. Each batch of marshmallows records the ingredient lots it used, gets its own lot and dates, and lot labels print for the packages.
Packaging in the recipe. The bags, pouches and boxes are items in each flavor's recipe, so every batch uses them up at the price you paid, and the count of what's left stays current.
Where it went. Each customer's order records the lots it got, so one recall report shows every customer a batch reached.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which batch is in a package | Written on it | The lot on its label |
| Bags, pouches and boxes left | Counted when you run out | Used by every batch |
| Which shops got a batch | Invoices | One recall report |
Lots, batches, recipes and true cost are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.