Sushi Wan case study: custom printed sushi boxes and packaging

Since 2020, Bas Packaging has made the printed packaging for Sushi Wan, a sushi and Japanese cuisine restaurant brand with branches in Paris. This case study covers nine items, from window sushi boxes in three sizes to paper bowls, carrier bags, napkins, wet wipes and chopstick sleeves, at about 2 million units a year. Every shipment leaves our factory in Turkey for Siticash, Sushi Wan’s distribution partner in Gonesse, which supplies the branches.

For a restaurant group buying takeaway packaging from abroad, this case shows how such a supply is organised: one manufacturer for nine items made from different materials, one delivery address, known production and transport times, and the French Triman and Info-tri marking printed as part of the artwork.

What packaging do we make for Sushi Wan?

We make nine items in seven product types, all printed with the Sushi Wan design:

• Paper carrier bag, 30 × 18 × 32 cm
• Paper bowl, 750 ml, Ø145 mm, with PP lid
• Small window sushi box, 160 × 80 × 40 mm
• Medium window sushi box, 180 × 122 × 40 mm
• Large window sushi box, 210 × 130 × 40 mm
• Signature series box, 270 × 50 × 50 mm
• Single-ply napkin, 33 × 33 cm
• Wet wipe, 6 × 10 cm
• Paper-sleeved chopsticks, 4 × 26 cm

The brand look carries across the range. The carrier bag is dark, with white line drawings of sushi, the Sushiwan Japanese Cuisine logo and twisted paper handles. The bowl is grey with the logo on its side. The napkins repeat the line drawings in black on white, and the wet wipe sachet carries the logo as well.

What sizes are the Sushi Wan window sushi boxes?

The window sushi boxes come in three sizes: small 160 × 80 × 40 mm, medium 180 × 122 × 40 mm and large 210 × 130 × 40 mm. A transparent window shows the sushi without opening the box. The boxes are printed in black, green and burgundy, each with the logo and “Japanese Cuisine” on the side panel. Our standard sushi boxes come in three sizes close to these, offset printed in CMYK or Pantone, with a transparent window; the specification is on the printed sushi boxes page.

Which items complete the sushi boxes?

A 750 ml paper bowl, a Signature box and paper-sleeved chopsticks. The bowl measures Ø145 mm at the top and closes with a PP lid, the lid type our range offers for hot food; capacities and lids are listed on the paper bowls page. The Signature box, 270 × 50 × 50 mm, is black with “Sushiwan signature…” in gold script. The chopstick sleeve is black too, printed with a flower pattern and the word “Chopsticks”.

How does the packaging reach the branches in Paris?

The packaging reaches the Paris branches through Siticash, Sushi Wan’s contracted distribution partner in Gonesse, north of Paris. We ship every order to Siticash, and Siticash distributes it to the branches. Bas Packaging coordinates production and international shipment as far as Gonesse.

For the brand, that means one delivery address and one manufacturer for all nine items. How a chain keeps one packaging standard across its sites is covered in our article on the multi-site packaging standard.

What must the packaging meet besides the brand design?

Besides the brand design, the packaging must meet food-contact requirements and French marking rules. Sushi and noodles touch the boxes and bowls directly, so for each item we choose material and production method to suit its technical properties, and the items that touch food meet the applicable food-contact conformity requirements. On the items concerned, the Triman logo and the Info-tri sorting instructions are part of the print design and are printed with it. What marking rules ask of packaging is explained in our article on EU packaging marking rules.

How long do production and delivery to France take?

Standard production for Sushi Wan orders takes 20 working days. Transport to France then takes 8 working days on average, so orders are planned with about 28 working days in total.

With that lead time, Sushi Wan orders are planned ahead of need. A new item, such as a fourth box size, also needs its own print approval before the first production run.

What can a restaurant group take from this case?

• Keep one brand design across every item, from sushi box to chopstick sleeve.
• Ship to the distribution partner or warehouse that supplies the branches.
• Put the marking required in your market into the artwork before the first run.

What should you send us for a quote on a similar range?

Send a list of the items with sizes, the expected yearly quantity per item, the delivery address of your warehouse or distribution partner, your logo files and the country where the packaging will be used, so the right marking goes into the artwork. With that we can prepare one quote for the whole range. You can send the details through the quote form on this page; our article on what a packaging supplier needs for a quote lists them one by one.