Glass Jars and Bottles for Food Producers: The Kiwi Maker's Guide
Good food deserves good glass
The chilli oil is right, the honey is ready, and the syrup recipe is settled. Now it needs packaging that keeps it fresh, presents it well, and makes shoppers pick it up before they've tasted it. This guide covers the choices that matter for New Zealand food producers.
Why glass works for food
Glass has been food's preferred container for centuries for practical reasons: it's inert, so it won't react with acidic sauces, oils or ferments, and won't transfer flavours or odours; it's impermeable, so oxygen stays out and aroma stays in; and it shows the product — for premium artisan food, visibility is a genuine sales asset.
Packaging is also part of your food safety story. Producing food for sale in New Zealand means operating under the Food Act 2014 (typically via a National Programme or Food Control Plan, depending on the product), with labelling that meets the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code — ingredients, allergens, date marking and business details. If you heat-process or preserve, confirm your process and your lid choice work together; a food safety advisor's review before your first production run is a sound investment. Tell us what you're filling and how, and we'll help match jar and lid to your process.
Matching the container to the product
| Your product | Best match | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Honey, spreads & preserves | Glass jars with well-fitting lids | Wide mouth for spooning; clear glass shows the product |
| Spice rubs, salts & dry blends | Small glass jars (50–120ml) | Keeps moisture out and aroma in; small formats suit premium pricing |
| Infused oils & dressings | Boston round bottles (250–500ml) | The classic oil-bottle profile; pair with a screw cap, or a trigger or pump for dressings |
| Syrups, cordials & tonics | Amber syrup bottles (100–200ml) | Purpose-made for pourable products, with tamper caps or a pump top |
| Extracts, essences & concentrates | Small amber bottles with droppers or reducers | Drop-by-drop dosing for concentrated flavours such as vanilla and bitters |
| Baking mixes, teas & gift sets | 250ml jars and aluminium tins | Generous capacity; tins keep postage costs down for online orders |
Amber or clear?
For food, clear glass usually wins — shoppers trust what they can see. Choose amber when light degrades the product: oils, extracts and herb-rich products keep their character longer behind UV-filtering glass, and amber suits deli and apothecary-style branding.
Lids, seals and freshness
- Screw caps suit oils, syrups and dry goods — simple, secure and re-closable, with tamper-evident options for retail.
- Jar lids in aluminium (silver, black, matte black, white) or classic colours finish the presentation; a matte black lid on a honey jar is a strong shelf look.
- Heat-processing: standard screw-top jars and lids suit many products, but if your process depends on a vacuum seal (traditional preserving), confirm the lid and process are compatible before committing to a production run. We'd rather help you get it right than sell you the wrong tray.
Presentation at market and on the shelf
- Consistency sells a range. One jar family across your flavours presents as a brand; six matching jars with six labels beats six different jars.
- Size for the occasion: a trial size, a standard, and a gift size give customers three price points, and gift baskets assemble readily.
- Leave room for the label. Food labelling has required content (name, ingredients, allergens, quantity, business details, date marking) — confirm it all fits the jar's label area before finalising a design.
- Consider the courier: glass needs careful packing for online orders; many food brands run glass for retail and tins for the postal gift range.
Buying by the tray
PetraPack stock is priced wholesale and packed by the half tray, full tray or carton, which suits a food producer's batch rhythm: a half tray for the market phase, full trays as stockists come on board, and bulk pricing on request over 1,000 units. Prices exclude GST, and all stock ships from our Tauranga warehouse with no offshore lead times.
Choosing your containers
Start with our food and pantry packaging, or browse glass jars, Boston bottles, syrup bottles and tins. Or call 07 262 1073 and tell us what you produce — we're happy to help you get to market.