In the food world, your packaging is more than just a container—it’s your silent salesperson. Before someone tastes your kombucha or cracks open that artisanal sauce, they’re sizing up your label, judging your pouch, and scanning your typography like a menu. So when it comes to how and where you print that packaging, the stakes are high.

One of the most common questions we get from food brands here at NOVO MxC is this: Should we print locally or overseas?

The answer, like a good recipe, depends on your ingredients—your brand stage, your priorities, your budget, and your supply chain. Let’s unpack the pros, cons, and in-betweens of local vs. overseas printing so you can make the best decision for your brand’s future.

🥖 Why Local Printing Might Be the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Speed, support, and sustainability—those are the three big reasons brands choose to keep their packaging production close to home.

1. Faster Turnarounds Mean More Agility

Local printers often have lead times of 1–3 weeks, especially for digital printing. That’s perfect for limited-edition flavors, short-run promotions, or last-minute retail orders. Overseas shipping, in contrast, can take 6–10 weeks—and even longer with port delays or customs (Freightos, 2024).

→ Action Tip: Need flexibility? Ask your local printer if they offer digital or hybrid print runs to test seasonal SKUs without overcommitting.

2. Real-Time Communication

When you’re a startup juggling multiple vendors, nothing beats being able to call your printer mid-muffin batch. Local communication means fewer email chains lost in translation and quicker issue resolution.

→ Action Tip: Choose a printer who offers pre-press consultations. It’ll save you from costly do-overs and ensure that dielines, colors, and food-safe materials are aligned from the jump.

3. Lower Carbon Footprint

If your brand champions sustainability, printing locally can support your environmental messaging. Shorter shipping distances mean fewer transportation emissions, not to mention less packaging waste from long-haul transit damage.

→ Action Tip: Highlight local production as part of your packaging story. A little “Proudly printed in Canada” badge goes a long way with conscious consumers.

🌍 Why Overseas Printing Might Be the Secret Sauce

Overseas printing has earned its reputation for cost-effectiveness and customization—but there’s nuance.

1. Lower Per-Unit Costs (at Scale)

If you’re printing 20,000+ units, overseas vendors can often offer up to 50% savings compared to North American printers. This is especially helpful when you’re scaling your brand or preparing for national distribution.

→ Action Tip: Make sure to factor in freight, customs, and duties. What looks cheaper up front may level out once logistics are included (ICC Incoterms Guide, 2024).

2. Greater Material and Finishing Options

Overseas vendors often offer a wider array of substrates and finishes, like compostable films, tactile varnishes, metallic accents, or biodegradable zipper closures—at competitive pricing.

→ Action Tip: Ask for samples of materials and finishes before committing. Sensory experience matters for food packaging—it should feel as good as it looks.

3. High-Volume Capability

Need consistent output on massive volumes? Overseas manufacturers typically have larger production facilities that can scale with you as your distribution grows.

→ Action Tip: Use a packaging broker or sourcing agent with boots on the ground. They’ll manage factory audits, negotiate MOQs, and ensure your products meet food safety standards like FDA or CFIA compliance (FDA Food Packaging Guide, 2024, CFIA Food Packaging Guidelines, 2024).

⚖️ Quality Control: No Room for Half-Baked Results

No matter where you print, quality assurance is critical—especially when packaging comes into direct contact with food.

What to Look For:

• Food-grade certifications like FDA, BRCGS, or ISO 22000
  
• Color matching (Pantone accuracy matters!)
  
• Sealing strength for pouches or vacuum packs
  
• Barcode placement and scanability
  
• Lamination and moisture resistance
  

→ Action Tip: Request press proofs and retain samples from every print run. This protects you if a batch goes sideways or doesn’t meet spec.

📦 Inventory Management: Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Store

One often overlooked aspect of overseas printing is inventory management. Lower costs usually mean higher MOQs—which means more packaging to store and more capital tied up.

Smart Strategies:

• Split shipping: Get half of your order by air, half by sea to balance cost and lead time
  
• Print generic base packaging and customize via stickers for multiple SKUs
  
• Use forecasting software like Katana, Cin7, or Airtable to align packaging orders with demand
  

→ Action Tip: Smart forecasting = less waste. Make data your best friend when ordering packaging in bulk.

👩‍🍳 So… Local or Overseas?

Here’s how to approach the decision based on your brand’s stage:

Brand Type	Recommended Option	Why
Startup / Test Market	Local	Flexibility, fast turnarounds, low MOQs
Growing / Scaling	Overseas	Cost savings, specialty materials
Sustainability-Focused	Local	Better emissions footprint and transparency
High-Design Luxury Brand	Overseas or Hybrid	Advanced finishes and cost flexibility

→ Final Tip: Start with one packaging format (e.g., just your pouch or sleeve) and test it with both a local and overseas printer. Use this A/B test to evaluate consistency, cost, and brand alignment.

📣 Final Thoughts: Packaging is a Strategy, Not Just a Cost

If your packaging doesn’t match the quality of your product, you’re leaving sales on the shelf.

At NOVO MxC, we help food and beverage brands not only design packaging that pops—but also choose the right printing strategy to align with your operations, marketing, and long-term growth. Whether you’re launching your first granola bar or scaling your kombucha brand to major retailers, we’re your strategic creative partner through every stage of growth.

Here’s what we bring to the table:

• 🧠 Strategy that aligns design with business goals
  
• ✨ Branding that tells your story on every shelf
  
• 📦 Packaging Design that drives sales and builds loyalty
  
• 🌐 Website Design that converts browsers into buyers
  
• 📸 Food Photography that stops the scroll
  
• 🎥 Video Production that shares your “why”
  
• 🎞️ Animation that makes your brand unforgettable
  

Please give us a call at 416-892-2471 or reach out to us using the contact form at the bottom of this page.