When you import Japanese Sake, in order to maintain the quality and avoid the risk of breakages how you arrange the transport is very important.

One of the topic you need to understand is packing of pallet or containers. At the breweries, they pack the cartons and prepare for the export, but if pallet itself fall over it is very likely to break all the sake bottles. If you order certain amount or above from 1 brewery, they can pack in the pallet and deliver to the port, but you need to order at least 1~2000 bottles and if the breweries is not so big they would not be able to pack in the pallet as they do not have a facility to pack.

Also, if you are thinking to import Japanese Sake from several breweries, it would save space if you pack at the port so the logistics cost drop as sea transport is proportional to M3.

You will find the kinds of packing the cartons at port to know how Japanese Sake is delivered below;

Pallet packing

In most of case, the packing you will use for Japanese Sake is “Pallet packing”.

Pile the cartons on the pallet, in Japan normally 1m×1m, and form square. Then, wrap it with plastic films to fix on to the pallet and band.

When you use sea transport mostly you will use this method. What you need to be careful is how many layers on the pallet and the ideal layers are depending on the products you deliver so need to check in advance. In addition in case you to use something like Euro pallet, or if importing port or warehouse do not have fork lift car, ned to think about it.

Crate packing

Crate packing is mainly used in air transport. The risk of breakages in air is much more higher than sea. So in case of fall over you need to use crate to protect the products. Once the pallet falls and if somebody’s product get stained  you have to compensate or redeem guarantee.

The size of crate is depending on the products volume, which means they will produce crate for products every time.

Reinforced cardboard packing

This is not much used in the sake trading, but if you would like to keep the carton clean this is the option.

Sometimes people use this card board in stead of crate, but crate is more common.

Barrier Crate packing

If you would like to import barrels, this is the option. As wood of barrel absorb and release the water you have to keep the humidity of barrel and it can be changed easily in ship or plane. So that, you wrap it and keep the level of humidity.

Case packing

Case packing is used when you import machineries. If the machineries are very sensitive, maybe recommended to use metal case instead of wood case. You have to cover the machine to avoid get wet as well.