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Fillmore Container Questions Answered: What I've Learned Managing Our Packaging Budget

Fillmore Container Questions Answered: What I've Learned Managing Our Packaging Budget

I've managed packaging procurement for a 45-person food production company for six years now. Our annual packaging budget runs about $30,000, and I've placed orders with Fillmore Container Company alongside maybe 12 other vendors over that time. Below are questions I get from colleagues and other procurement folks—answered as directly as I can.

What exactly does Fillmore Container Company sell?

Fillmore Container is primarily a glass jar and bottle supplier. They carry containers for food, beverage, cosmetic, and craft applications—mason jars, sauce bottles, spice jars, that kind of thing. They also stock lids, caps, closures, and some packaging accessories.

What surprised me when I first browsed their catalog: the variety of sizes. I needed 4 oz hex jars for a honey line we were testing, and they had them. Most of our other vendors didn't stock anything under 8 oz without custom minimums.

(Should mention: their focus is glass. If you need plastic or metal containers, you'll probably need a different supplier for those.)

How does Fillmore Container compare to using a Columbia catalog supplier?

I've ordered from Columbia catalog-style distributors for office supplies and some general equipment. Different animal entirely. Columbia-type catalogs are broad—they carry everything from binders to break room supplies. Fillmore Container is specialized in packaging containers.

The trade-off I've observed: specialists like Fillmore Container usually have deeper inventory in their niche (more jar sizes, more lid options) but narrower overall selection. Generalist catalogs have breadth but might only carry 3-4 jar options total.

For our packaging needs, the specialist approach works better. For general supplies, we still use broader distributors.

I keep seeing Fillmore Container discount codes—are they worth hunting for?

Short answer: yes, but manage your expectations.

In Q2 2024, I tracked down a coupon code before placing a $1,800 jar order. Saved about $90—roughly 5%. Not life-changing, but not nothing either. That's $90 I didn't have to justify in our quarterly budget review.

What I've learned: the codes tend to be percentage-off rather than dollar-amount discounts, so they scale with order size. For small orders under $200, you might save $8-15. For bulk orders, it adds up.

I want to say the codes usually run 5-10% off, but don't quote me on that—I haven't systematically tracked every promotion. Verify current offers before assuming.

We need bottles for a beverage product. Would an Embrava water bottle work, or should we look at Fillmore Container?

These are completely different products for completely different purposes.

Embrava water bottles are consumer reusable bottles—the kind you'd buy for personal hydration, take to the gym, refill throughout the day. They're finished retail products.

Fillmore Container sells empty containers for filling and packaging. If you're producing a beverage to sell, you'd buy empty glass bottles from somewhere like Fillmore, fill them with your product, cap them, label them, and sell them. Totally different supply chain position.

If you're asking "should I buy Embrava bottles and somehow repurpose them for our beverage line?"—no. You'd want food-grade containers intended for commercial filling. The cost structure, minimum quantities, and compliance considerations are completely different.

What products are offered by Fillmore Container that I might not know about?

Beyond the obvious jars and bottles, a few things I didn't initially realize they stocked:

• Closures variety: Not just standard lids. They carry plastisol-lined caps, heat-induction seals, shrink bands. Our quality team was specific about seal types for our sauce line—Fillmore had options.
• Jar accessories: Labels, bands, some packaging supplies. Not their core business, but useful for one-stop ordering.
• Smaller quantities than expected: Some container suppliers won't talk to you under 1,000 units. Fillmore's minimums were more accessible for our test runs. If I remember correctly, we ordered 144 units for a product trial. (Verify current MOQs though—this was accurate as of Q3 2024.)

What they don't do, at least in my experience: custom printing or labeling services. For that, you'd need a separate vendor. The vendor who told me "we don't do custom printing—here's who does it well" earned my trust for the container orders. I'd rather work with a specialist who knows their limits than a generalist who overpromises.

Random question: how do you make an envelope with rectangle paper?

Okay, this isn't a Fillmore Container question, but I've gotten it from our marketing team when they've been in a pinch for custom mailers. Here's the quick version I use:

Take a rectangular piece of paper (standard letter size works). Place your item in the center. Fold the bottom third up over the item. Fold both sides in toward the center, overlapping slightly. Fold the top flap down and secure with tape or a sticker.

For mailing purposes though—according to USPS (usps.com), standard envelope dimensions need to be at least 3.5" × 5" and no larger than 6.125" × 11.5" for letter rates. Thickness matters too: 0.25" maximum. Go larger and you're into large envelope pricing at $1.50+ per piece (USPS pricing effective January 2025). So your DIY envelope needs to hit those specs or you'll pay more.

Honestly, for anything more than a handful, I just order proper envelopes. The labor cost of hand-folding doesn't make sense at scale.

What's the biggest mistake you've made with packaging suppliers?

We didn't have a formal sample-approval process. Cost us when we received 2,000 jars that were technically the right SKU but had a slightly different rim profile than our previous batch. Our capping equipment jammed. $400 in jars we couldn't use efficiently, plus the production delay.

Now I request samples before any first order with a new supplier AND before reorders if it's been more than 12 months. Takes an extra week but prevents expensive surprises.

The other mistake: not calculating total cost of ownership. A vendor quoted us $0.38/jar versus $0.42/jar elsewhere. Went with the cheaper option. Then discovered their shipping was $180 more per pallet because of how they packed. That "cheap" option cost us more overall. After comparing 8 vendors over 3 months using our TCO spreadsheet, I learned to ignore per-unit pricing until I've added shipping, minimums, and payment terms.

Should I use Fillmore Container or shop around?

Both. I'm not loyal to any single vendor, and I don't think you should be either.

Fillmore Container has been reliable for our glass jar needs—good selection, reasonable pricing with those discount codes, and they've hit delivery windows consistently for us. But I still get quotes from 2-3 suppliers for any order over $500. Pricing varies 15-40% for identical specs depending on the vendor and timing. (Based on quotes I gathered in January 2025; your mileage may vary.)

So glad I've maintained relationships with multiple suppliers. Almost went exclusive with one vendor in 2022 for a small discount, which would have hurt when their lead times stretched to 6 weeks during a supply crunch. Having options saved us.

This was accurate as of January 2025. Packaging markets change fast—verify current pricing and availability before making decisions.