Packing format
Orange trays, where the count fixes the weight
A tray carries fruit in one layer of cells under film, so the count is designed into the pack and the net weight follows whichever size fills those cells. It is the only format in our catalogue with no weight declared against it, and that blank is the format behaving as it should rather than a hole in the data.
The figures
| Net weight | On request, because it follows the size |
|---|---|
| Intended for | Premium retail |
| Presentation | Single layer of cells under film |
| What fixes the pack | Cell count and the size band that fits them |
| Cost per kilo | The highest of our listed formats |
| To agree before quoting | Size band, cell count and how trays travel on the pallet |
What it changes on an order
Your customer sells fruit by the piece
A pack of a known count prices a shelf position exactly. The shopper sees a number of oranges and pays for that number, which is a different sale from weighing loose fruit at the till and needs a different conversation with the packhouse.
The fruit has to arrive looking untouched
Cells hold each orange apart so the fruit does not rub against its neighbours. That is what the format is buying, and it only pays where the rind quality is what the customer is choosing on.
You are building a promotion
Because weight follows size, two trays with the same cell count can differ in kilos. Fix the size band before you print a price, or the margin you calculated moves under you between one delivery and the next.
What this note does not settle
- No tray specification of ours is confirmed. Cell counts, film, print and whether the packhouse runs this format at all are open questions that belong in a conversation before an order.
- Net weight stays on request for a reason and will not be filled in with an average. It is a consequence of the size agreed for a given run, and a figure invented here would be wrong on most of them.
- How many trays travel on a pallet, and how they are secured, is a packing question that changes with the cell count. The pallet references published on this site are counted in boxes and do not apply.
The blank in the net weight column
Our catalogue gives a weight for every format except this one, and the blank is doing real work. A tray is built around a number of cells, so the count is designed into the pack and the weight is whatever the fruit filling those cells happens to come to. An average printed there would be wrong on most runs, which is why the field stays on request.
For an order that means two decisions have to be taken together. Fix the cell count, fix the size band that suits it, and the weight appears on its own. Approach it the other way round by asking for a weight, and the packhouse is left guessing which of the two you actually care about.
What the cell is buying
Each orange sits in its own space under film, so the fruit does not rub against its neighbours between the packing line and the shelf. Protecting appearance is the whole argument for the format, and appearance is what a shopper chooses on when fruit is sold this way, so where the customer is choosing on price instead that protection is being paid for and left unused.
This is also the dearest format per kilo on our list, and every pallet question restarts with it. How many trays travel on a pallet, and how the load is secured, depend on the cell count, so the references published here for boxes do not apply. Ask both questions in the message where you ask about the artwork.
Talk to the grower
Tell us the variety, the sizes and the delivery week you need. You get a delivered price and what we can commit to in writing, from the person who picks the fruit.
The grower handles enquiries. Response times are still to be confirmed.