Manufacturers often leave the choice of packaging format until the final stages of product development — first defining the formulation, brand identity and sales channels. Yet packaging can directly influence product shelf life, line performance, logistics efficiency and, ultimately, whether the product stands out among dozens of similar products on the shelf. Flexible packaging is no longer simply a ‘bag’. It is a functional component of the product system, designed to address technological, logistical and marketing requirements simultaneously — with the right format providing the optimum balance between product potection, production efficiency, usability and shelf appeal.
Doypack (Stand-Up Pouch): a versatile format for a wide range of products
Even those who have never delved into packaging terminology will recognise a Doypack — a stand-up pouch designed to remain upright on the shelf without additional support. Compared with a box or tin of the same volume, it can offer more efficient use of storage and transport space, with a lightweight structure and compact dimensions helping to optimise pallet utilization.
Doypacks are widely used for snacks, cereals, dried fruit, coffee, spices, sauces, frozen foods and pet food. When the product is intended to be opened and resealed repeatedly, the pouch can be equipped a reclosable zipper selected according to the application and required opening performance, such as a Standard zip, Pocket zip or Easylock by Aplix.
Pouch with spout and cap (Spouted Pouch): when the product needs to be dispensed
A doypack is not always the most practical solution for liquids and viscous products. In such applications, a Spouted Pouch offers greater convenience — a flexible pouch fitted with a spout and cap that enables clean, controlled and effortless dispensing. At Gualapack Ukraine, alongside standard spouts, we offer spouts equipped with a spill-proof membrane. This solution helps prevent accidental leakage, even if the pouch is dropped or turned upside down.
The spouted pouch format is widely used for baby food, fruit purées, dairy products, sauces, ketchup, beverages, cosmetics and household cleaning products. The pouch structure is engineered for specific product and filling process, taking into account whether the product requires hot or cold filling, pasteurisation or sterilisation.
Flat-bottom pouch: a format that enhances the product’s value
The flat-bottom bag combines excellent shelf stability with extensive branding potential. Even when only partially filled, it maintains an upright, structured appearance, while its five printable surfaces create additional space for product information and brand communication. This makes the flat-bottom bag particularly suitable for products where packaging plays an important role in market positioning: coffee, pet food, sports nutrition, superfoods, granola and nuts.
For roasted coffee, the format is typically equipped with a one-way degassing valve. It allows carbon dioxide released by the beans after roasting to escape while preventing oxygen from entering the pack. This helps preserve the coffee’s aroma and freshness while maintaining the package’s shape and integrity.
Stabilo, or the side-gusseted bag: more volume without increasing the footprint
The Stabilo bag is easily recognisable by its distinctive side gussets. These gussets increase the bag’s usable volume without requiring a larger footprint — allowing the packaging to occupy less space during storage and transport while enabling more units to be efficiently loaded onto a pallet. This makes the format particularly well suited to high-volume products such as coffee, tea, pet food, cereals, loose mixtures and granular raw materials.
Sachets and sticks: a compact format for precise dosing
Sachets are designed for packaging small, single-use portions. This format provides precise dosing, convenience and efficient use of packaging material — making it a cost-effective solution for products intended to be consumed or used in a single application.
Sachets are widely used for spices, sugar, sauces, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and food supplements, as well as for product samples and trial-size formats used to introduce new products.
Retort pouch: a replacement for the tin can
A retort pouch is a flexible packaging format designed to withstand high-temperature sterilisation (retorting) and can be produced in any of the forms described above. Essentially, it is a flexible alternative to the tin can: the product can be safely stored for extended periods without refrigeration, while the packaging itself is lighter, more compact and more efficient to transport.
Retort packaging is widely used for ready meals, baby food, soups, sauces, porridges and wet pet food — wherever thermal sterilisation is a critical stage in the production process.
The packaging format starts with the product
Choosing the right format is a complex decision that depends on the product’s consistency and volume, the filling process (hot or cold filling, pasteurisation, sterilisation), the required level of barrier protection against oxygen, moisture and light, the need for re-opening, as well as logistics, storage and brand positioning requirements. The product’s technical characteristics are paramount: marketing objectives and design are then built around them.