Recommended configuration
10-head or 14-head multihead weigher; auger filler for fine ground and instant coffee
Ground, instant and whole-bean coffee
4-side seal gusseted bags with a degassing valve; sachets, sticks and pouches
250 g to 1 kg on the lines we have supplied; sachets confirmed by trial
Rated 10 to 15 or 20 to 25 bags a minute, to within 2%
About our modelModel codes shown are machines we have built or configured for previous projects. Your machine is specified and built to suit your product, output and pack format — not supplied off the shelf.
Product behaviour
Coffee is sold ground, instant and as whole beans, in packs from single-serve sachets to retail bags, and three things about it decide how a coffee line is set up.
The form of the coffee decides the doser. Ground and instant coffee are powders and are dosed by an auger filler, set up like a powder packaging machine. Whole beans are granules and are weighed by a multihead weigher: an auger would crush them.
Coffee dust reaches the seal. Ground and instant coffee give off fine dust, and any that lands on the seal area stops the pack closing properly. Dosing is set up to drop the coffee cleanly into the pack, clear of the seal.
Roasted coffee needs a valve and nitrogen. Freshly roasted coffee gives off gas and loses flavour when it meets oxygen. Our coffee lines insert a one-way degassing valve into the film as each bag forms, and flush the bag with nitrogen before it is sealed.
Recommendation
A coffee packaging line for a roaster is built on a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine fed by a multihead weigher. A bag-making device forms 4-side seal gusseted bags, a valve inserter fits a one-way degassing valve into the film, and a nitrogen-flushing device fills each bag before it is sealed, so VFFS coffee bagging covers weighing, bag forming, valve, nitrogen and sealing in one line. Fine ground and instant coffee can also be dosed by an auger filler. For high volumes of sachets and sticks, a multi-lane VFFS forms several packs at once; coffee in stand-up and zipper pouches is filled into pre-made pouches (see the pouch packaging machines); and coffee in cups and pods is filled and sealed on a cup fill and seal machine.
Filling system
Multihead weigher. Our coffee lines are fed by a Z-type bucket elevator into a 10-head or 14-head multihead weigher, the coffee filling machine that weighs each bag of 250 g to 1 kg to within 2%. The 10-head line is rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute and the 14-head line at 20 to 25; more heads give the weigher more portions to combine, so it reaches the target weight faster.
Multihead weigher for whole beans. Whole beans are free-flowing granules, so they are weighed rather than augered, which keeps the beans whole. See the grain and granule packing machines page for how granules are dosed, and the powder packaging machines page for auger dosing.
Pack formats
These are the coffee pack formats producers ask us to quote for, with the machine setup for each. On a VFFS, each bag width needs its own forming shoulder, so a line that runs several widths is quoted with extra shoulders.
| Pack | Format | Machine setup |
|---|---|---|
| 250 g to 1 kg retail bags | 4-side seal gusseted bag with a degassing valve, nitrogen-flushed | VFFS with a 10-head or 14-head multihead weigher, valve inserter and nitrogen flushing, rated at 10 to 15 or 20 to 25 bags a minute, to within 2% |
| Single-serve sachets and sticks | 3-side or 4-side seal sachet, or stick pack | Multi-lane VFFS with an auger filler for high volumes; a single-lane machine for smaller runs |
| Retail bags of fine ground or instant coffee | Pillow or gusseted bag from roll film | VFFS with an auger filler |
| Stand-up and zipper pouches | Pre-made pouch | Horizontal fill-seal machine, or a semi-automatic auger filler with a band sealer |
| Cups and pods | Pre-formed cup or pod, film-sealed | Cup fill and seal machine with an auger or measuring-cup doser |
4-side seal gusseted bags formed on the VFFS, fitted with a degassing valve and flushed with nitrogen, filled by a multihead weigher.
Single-serve coffee sachets and sticks, formed on a multi-lane VFFS for high volumes or a single-lane machine for smaller runs. We confirm the sachet size and output with a trial on your coffee. For the difference between the two, read stick pack vs sachet packaging.
Coffee in stand-up and zipper pouches is filled into pouches that arrive already made, on a horizontal fill-seal machine or a semi-automatic auger filler with a band sealer. See the pouch packaging machines for the options.
Output
Output on a coffee line is set by the pack size and the weigher. Our coffee lines are rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute with a 10-head weigher and 20 to 25 bags a minute with a 14-head weigher, on 250 g to 1 kg valve bags. An accumulation table at the end of the line collects finished bags for packing. These are the ratings of each build, not results measured on a customer’s line.
We confirm the output for your coffee and pack size by running a trial before we quote, rather than promising a figure in advance.
Experience
We have supplied two coffee lines on the same VFFS, one with a 10-head and one with a 14-head multihead weigher. Both form 4-side seal gusseted bags of 250 g to 1 kg, insert a one-way degassing valve, flush each bag with nitrogen and seal it, to within 2%. Each line is fed by a Z-type bucket elevator, finished with a conveyor and an accumulation table, and run by two operators. Coffee producers also ask us for single-serve sachets and stand-up pouches, and our range includes a six-lane coffee sachet machine, shown in the videos below.
We run a product trial for every machine we sell. Send us a sample of your coffee and the pack you sell it in, and we run it at our Riversands showroom so you can see the fill weight, the seal and the finished pack before you order.
Coffee in filter bags, like tea, runs on a tea bag machine. See the powder packaging machines page for our other powder lines.
Coffee and powder lines from our range: a six-lane coffee sachet machine, auger VFFS machines for ground and instant coffee, multihead weigher VFFS machines for whole beans, and pouch and semi-automatic options for smaller runs.
A six-lane machine forming, filling and sealing coffee sachets six at a time in pillow packs.
An auger filler dosing fine powder into bags on a VFFS machine, the setup for ground and instant coffee.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine packing powder into pillow bags.
A multi-lane machine forming several sachets or sticks at once, for high-volume single-serve packs.
A multihead weigher portioning granules into bags on a VFFS, the setup for whole coffee beans.
A multihead weigher dosing a granular product into bags formed on a vertical form-fill-seal machine.
A horizontal form-fill-seal machine forming pouches and dosing powder into them.
A semi-automatic auger filler dosing powder into containers, for smaller coffee runs.
Quotation
A coffee line is quoted to configuration, so we need six things about your product and plant.
The coffee: ground, instant or whole bean, and the grind
The pack format and sizes, from sachets and sticks to retail bags and pouches
Target output, in packs a minute
Whether your packs need a degassing valve or a nitrogen flush
Your film or pre-made pouches, and any printing or coding on the pack
Any other products on the same line, such as creamer, sugar or tea
Send a sample of your coffee with the enquiry and we will trial it before we quote. For what shapes the figure on a machine quotation, read the packaging machine cost guide. Before you ask for a quote, see how to choose a VFFS machine.
Related pages
Ground and instant coffee are powders, so this page sits under the powder packaging machines; whole beans are granules, covered by the grain and granule packing machines. Coffee in filter bags runs on the tea bag machine.
“Highly recommended! Excellent customer service, great prices, and they always go above and beyond.”
Ratings and reviews are published on our Google Business Profile, where they can be read in full and in context.
PackMan purchased an Automatic 6-Lane, 4-Side Seal Vinegar Packaging Machine, and it has been performing reliably since installation. The machine delivers consistent packaging quality, operates efficiently, and has met our production expectations.
SA Packaging Machinery delivered a solution that has met our expectations. The equipment has been reliable in daily production, and we’re pleased with its performance. We found the team knowledgeable, professional, and willing to assist whenever required.
We’ve been very happy with the equipment supplied by SA Packaging Machinery. It’s straightforward to use, performs consistently, and has helped us improve our production process. The team was easy to work with and made the entire experience smooth.
Send us a sample of your coffee and the pack you sell it in, and we will run it at our Riversands showroom before you order.
Questions
A vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine fitted with an auger filler. It forms each pillow or gusseted bag from roll film, doses the ground coffee with an auger screw and seals the bag.
Whole beans are free-flowing granules, so a coffee bean packaging machine weighs them with a multihead weigher rather than dosing them by auger, which would crush them. Fine ground and instant coffee are powders and can be dosed by an auger filler.
A VFFS machine with an auger filler. For high volumes, a multi-lane VFFS forms several sachets or sticks in each cycle; our six-lane coffee machine forms six pillow-pack sachets at a time. We confirm the sachet size and output with a trial on your coffee.
Yes. Stand-up and zipper coffee pouches arrive pre-made and are filled on a horizontal fill-seal machine or a semi-automatic auger filler, then closed on a band sealer. See the pouch packaging machines for the options.
Yes. Our coffee lines insert a one-way degassing valve into the film as each bag forms, fed by a valve scrambler, and flush the bag with nitrogen before it is sealed. The valve lets roasting gas out without letting oxygen in.
It depends on the configuration. The number of weigher heads, a valve inserter, nitrogen flushing, the bag-making device, a platform and conveyors all add to the price of a coffee packaging line, and a multi-lane sachet machine or a semi-automatic filler sits at a different level again. We quote each line to your coffee and packs; see the packaging machine cost guide for what shapes the figure.
