Weifang Chuanhe New Material Co., Ltd. is a thermoformed packaging manufacturer in Weifang, Shandong, China, that designs and produces PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PP (polypropylene) containers for fruit and vegetable packaging. The company operates a 62,000 m² factory, exports 100% of its output, and supplies produce wholesalers, supermarket chains, agricultural exporters, and food processing plants across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

Supermarket retail display — a core application for fruit & vegetable packaging.

The Sourcing Problem in Fruit & Vegetable Packaging

The global fresh food packaging market reached USD 134.60 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 240.50 billion by 2035, according to Spherical Insights & Consulting. The narrower produce packaging segment — packaging specifically for fruits and vegetables — was valued at approximately USD 38.08 billion in 2024, per Market Research Future.

Growth in this segment is not only about volume. Importers, wholesalers, and supermarket chains are consolidating supplier lists, and functional requirements have moved from a generic container to a defined packaging system: the right clamshell depth for cherry tomatoes, vented punnets for berries, anti-fog trays for salads, tamper-evident containers for ready meals, and stackable formats that reduce logistics cost. At the evaluation stage, buyers typically verify four capabilities: tooling and mold development, customization, food-contact compliance, and delivery reliability at scale.

Brand Solution: OEM/ODM Production Model of CHUAN HE

Weifang Chuanhe New Material Co., Ltd. (brand: CHUAN HE) addresses these requirements through OEM/ODM production services. The manufacturer offers customization of logo, size, and color, and runs production programs that are fully customizable from design to shipment.

• Production modes: OEM / ODM / customizable
• Customization: logo, size, color; custom shape, embossing, and logo printing on selected trays
• Monthly production capacity: 450 tons
• Standard lead time: 30–45 days
• Minimum order quantity: 10,000 pieces
• Quality control: 100% testing; pre-shipment inspection

The manufacturing base in Weifang covers more than 62,000 m² and sits adjacent to Qingdao Port, the country's second-largest foreign trade port. The factory is equipped with 20 fully automatic thermoforming machines and 20 standard thermoforming machines, including 4 Kiefel machines imported from Germany. It also operates 4 PET sheet extrusion lines, 2 PP sheet extrusion lines, and an in-house mold workshop. CHUAN HE reports experience developing thousands of molds, supported by a team of engineers and designers focused on new product design, mold development, and delivery efficiency.

Certification records are published in the manufacturer's compliance unit. Buyers should request current scanned copies directly from the supplier before placing orders.

Technical Explanation: Thermoforming and Materials

The production process is thermoforming-based. PET or PP sheet is first extruded on in-house lines, heated, and formed into container shapes on thermoforming machines, then trimmed, inspected, and packed. In-house sheet extrusion gives the manufacturer direct control over material thickness and clarity while reducing dependence on outsourced raw material.

Material selection. The primary material of the containers is PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Some models are made of food-grade, BPA-free plastic. PP is used for tray models such as HB-75-28(PP) and HB-221360(PP), which perform well in low-temperature environments such as cold-chain supermarket display.

Functional design features across the CHUAN HE range include:

• Vent holes for fresh produce freshness (used on cherry tomato and berry clamshells)
• Stackable geometry that saves shelf space and shipping cube
• Clear transparent bodies for product visibility and retail appeal
• Tamper-evident closure options (HB-8OZ, HB-16OZ, HB-20OZ, HB-24OZ, HB-32OZ)
• Food-grade PET material that is refrigerator-safe
• Microwave-safe PET formats for ready-meal and fresh fruit programs
• Custom shape, color, embossing, and logo printing, for example on tray model HB-T9333

Food-grade PET containers for agricultural products, fruit, vegetables, salad, and dried fruit.

Representative Container and Tray Models

Application Scenarios in Export Markets

CHUAN HE's published supply programs cover six regional markets. The case data below comes from the manufacturer's project records.

South America — 250,000 pieces/month, cooperation over 6 years

In Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, the containers are used by food processing plants, fruit and vegetable wholesalers, large chain supermarkets, packaging wholesalers, and packaging manufacturers. Applications cover fresh fruit and vegetable packaging, baking packaging, food factory processing, supermarket retail display, and wholesale distribution. The clear PET clamshell containers are stackable, food-grade, and customizable in size, logo, and color.

Southeast Asia — 500,000 pieces/month, cooperation over 12 years

In Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Indonesia, products serve food processing plants, produce wholesalers, seafood and meat wholesalers, large chain supermarkets, and packaging distributors. Applications include fresh produce, seafood and meat cold chain packaging, food processing, retail display, and wholesale distribution. Food-grade material, cold-chain suitability, stackable design, high transparency, and customizable sizes are the documented highlights. A related project uses clear PET clamshells with vent holes for farm harvest and retail.

Middle East — 250,000 pieces/month, cooperation over 3 years

In the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, clear PET clamshell containers are used for farm-fresh fruit and vegetable packaging, including cherry tomato and berry clamshell packaging, harvest sorting, and retail display. The containers are stackable, food-grade, and ventilated for freshness, suitable for both farm harvest and retail display.

Europe — 350,000 pieces/month, cooperation over 7 years

A multi-country program covering the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Finland, Netherlands, and Portugal supplies containers for bakery, cake, dessert, supermarket retail, fruit and vegetable packaging, and customized packaging. The products comply with EU standards, use food-grade material, feature a stackable design, and support custom printing. The project reports stable quality, high delivery reliability, and reduced customer complaint rates.

Canada — 300,000 pieces/month, cooperation over 5 years

Large chain supermarkets, packaging wholesalers, and packaging manufacturers in Canada use CHUAN HE trays for supermarket fresh produce display, cold-chain storage, and food packaging transportation. The trays use food-grade PP material with a durable stackable design, custom size support, and low-temperature suitability.

United States — 120,000 pieces/month, cooperation over 3 years

An importer and food retail distributor uses PET containers for fresh fruit and ready-meal packaging in supermarket retail. The containers qualify under FDA food-contact standards, are microwave-safe, and support custom sizes and customized printing.

Cold cabinet food packaging application for fresh produce retail.

Market Trends and Regulatory Direction

1. Thermoformed plastic food packaging is growing. The global thermoformed plastic market for food packaging is projected to reach USD 20.66 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 4.9% (Grand View Research). Thermoformed PET and PP containers remain a central format for fresh produce retail and export.

2. European demand is structurally strong. The Europe fresh food packaging market was valued at USD 15.2 billion in 2024, with a projected CAGR of 4.5% through 2033 (Market Research Future). EU food-contact rules — Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 — define the compliance baseline for food-contact plastic materials.

3. Regulation is shifting toward recyclability. Starting from 2030, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will ban single-use plastic packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables under 1.5 kg. This shifts demand toward recyclable and reusable packaging formats. PET and PP are recyclable thermoplastics, and CHUAN HE describes its portfolio as eco-friendly, recyclable, and reusable.

The global produce packaging market is served by large multinationals such as Amcor PLC, Berry Global Group, Sealed Air Corp, Mondi Group, and Smurfit Kappa (Mordor Intelligence). In that environment, an OEM manufacturer differentiates through mold-development speed, customization depth, and direct export support.

OEM Supply vs. Traditional Distributor Sourcing

Traditional sourcing — buying stock containers from distributors or importing generic clamshells — still works for standard items. For retail and export programs, OEM supply addresses specific gaps:

Honest limitation: the MOQ of 10,000 pieces and a 30–45 day production lead time make this model less suitable for micro-retailers or urgent replenishment. New mold development adds time before production begins. In addition, PET and PP are recyclable but not biodegradable; buyers seeking compostable fiber-based alternatives would require a different material system.

Future Outlook

As retail consolidation continues, importers are likely to reduce the number of packaging suppliers they manage. Those that remain will be the ones that can design custom formats, document food-contact compliance, and deliver predictable volume. In-house mold workshops and sheet extrusion lines shorten the distance from a retailer's packaging specification to a finished container — a capability that becomes more valuable as EU and other export markets tighten packaging regulation.

FAQ: OEM Fruit & Vegetable Packaging