Yogurt is packaged to stay sealed and cold. Single 6-ounce cups with a heat-sealed foil lid suit grocers and lunchboxes; 32-ounce tubs with a lid are the family size and cost less per ounce; glass jars with a deposit appeal to farm shop customers and come back; and printed tubs carry the brand once the line is settled. What it's called matters: "yogurt" is a standard, cultured with two named bacteria from pasteurized milk. In the example below, a Virginia creamery prices four options: 17 cents to $1.49 a container.
The short version
- Pack yogurt sealed and cold.
- 6-ounce cups with heat-sealed foil lids suit grocers.
- 32-ounce tubs cost less per ounce.
- Glass jars with a deposit come back.
- "Yogurt" is a standard: cultured, from pasteurized milk.
- Declare milk; date every container.
- TaroStack puts the cup in each batch's cost. More below.
The options
| Option | Sealed | Comes back | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 oz cup with foil lid | Yes | No | Grocers |
| 32 oz tub with lid | Lid only | No | Families, co-ops |
| 16 oz glass jar with lid | Lid only | Yes, for a deposit | Farm shop |
| Custom printed 32 oz tub | Lid only | No | A settled line |
Jars that come back are washed and sanitized like any food-contact equipment before they're filled again. What the yogurt costs is in yogurt business plan.
The label
"Yogurt" is cultured from pasteurized dairy ingredients with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (21 CFR 131.200). The label lists ingredients (21 CFR 101.4), the name and place of business (21 CFR 101.5) and the net weight, and declares milk (21 U.S.C. 343(w)). A calcium claim on the cup brings its own rules, in good source of calcium. This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: four options for a creamery
Laurel Fork Creamery, the made-up yogurt maker in Floyd, Virginia, I use in these examples, fills about 600 containers a week:
| Option | Parts | Per container | 600 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 oz cup with foil lid | Cup 8¢, foil lid 4¢, label | $0.17 | $104.28 |
| 32 oz tub with lid | Tub 46¢, label | $0.52 | $312.12 |
| 16 oz glass jar with lid | Jar $1.40, label | $1.49 | $895.80 |
| Custom printed 32 oz tub | Printed tub 65¢ | $0.66 | $397.80 |
Cups go to the grocer, tubs to the co-ops and markets, and glass jars to the farm shop for a $2 deposit that brings most of them back. The printed tub waits for a settled flavor line. Lot numbers on every container are in lot number on food packaging.
Get the calculator
Download the yogurt packaging calculator. Two sheets: components, each part of each option with its pack price, units, how many a container uses and waste; and compare, each option's cost per container 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 vat is in which cup, or how many jars came back this week. A grocer asking about one cup needs its batch and its date.
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 yogurt records the ingredient lots it used, gets its own lot and dates, and lot labels print for the packages.
Packaging in the recipe. The cups, tubs and lids 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 |
| Cups, tubs and lids 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.