Venus Packaging celebrates half-century

Venus Packaging reflects on more than half a century of business, and providing packaging solutions for Australia’s coffee roasters.

Australia has a proud history of local business and the phrase “Australian made and owned” is worn as a badge of honour to this day. With more than 65 years of experience in the packaging industry, Venus Packaging embodies the independent Australian spirit with its long-standing family history and customer-first approach.

The Victorian company specialises in a broad range of packaging supplies to support an array of businesses and industries across the country. That includes the coffee sector, which the team at Venus Packaging have worked alongside for decades, forming loyal relationships and providing solutions through its range of products.

Melbourne roaster Jasper Coffee is one business that can attest to the longevity of the Venus brand. When the packaging company recently sponsored the Coffee Industry Heroes awards in which Jasper Coffee Co-Founder Wells Trenfield posthumously received the Legacy Award, Wells’ Co-Founder and partner Marilyn Parker fondly reflected on purchasing a Venus heat sealer as one of the roastery’s first pieces of equipment in the 1980s.

“To be mentioned by Jasper Coffee is a testament to how long our machines have been working and operating within the coffee industry,” says Laura Venus, Venus Packaging Co-Director.

Made to last

Laura believes Merilyn’s anecdote exemplifies the endurance of Venus’ products. She says the team continually strive for the highest quality – an ethos that’s underpinned the business for decades.

“Our products really are made to last, and it has become our motto of sorts. It’s the Venus quality that keeps our customers coming back,” she says.

“We aren’t a company that focuses on getting the cheapest materials available or the easiest to source. We have experience in sourcing machinery from all over the world and we’ve been doing this for nearly 70 years.”

The combination of product knowledge and a specialised servicing and sales team means Venus customers are in experienced hands.

“We have been in business for a long time and we are privately run. We work hard for the customer every day,” says Laura.

“There’s no magic wand or someone else doing the work. It’s our team working every day to make sure we’re getting the right product at the right price for our customers.”

New beginnings

While Venus Packaging is rooted in its history, it’s also forward thinking. The business recently opened a new purpose-built facility in Coburg and now employs about 30 staff members. The new facility has the capacity to supply packaging products for coffee businesses of all sizes.

Among its most popular equipment with coffee customers is its heat-sealing machines, followed by the foot-pedal operated heat-sealers, band sealers, vacuum chambers, and handheld heat-sealers. The heat-sealing products are designed to create an airtight seal on bagged products that require freshness, such as coffee beans.

Venus Packaging also specialises in custom-printed tape, carton sealers, tape dispensers, and glue guns.

“Anything to do with the dispatch of coffee, we have it covered,” says Laura. “We have different variations of the sealers depending on the size of the roaster.”

For a startup, Laura suggests using a smaller machine that’s economical and easy to set up and maintain.

“If you’re only doing 50 to 100 bags in a production session, you might want to get something like one of our VHS Heat Sealers or a VHIB Heat Sealer,” she says.

For medium-size operations, Laura suggests an 882 Band Sealer that operates on a conveyor belt.

“When a coffee bag is being sealed on the conveyor belt, it’s a lot faster. When you get to a larger scale, you can look at our 552 Band Sealer, which is European made,” she says.

For high output roasters, having a simple and efficient process can not only streamline the production of the coffee but also improve staff satisfaction in using equipment that’s easy to use.

“We know all about the production deadlines and the pressure to get stock out quickly to customers or to retail stores. The 552 Band Sealer is most advantageous as it’s ultra efficient and easy to operate,”  Laura says.

“The thing about this particular band sealer is that you can accommodate different bag sizes, so it’s versatile.”

A specialised team

With a sales and account team specialised in specific industries, Venus customers can speak with a rep that understands their business needs and requirements. Laura highlights how the sales and account executives are the first point of call for potential coffee customers.

“Our sales executives are very experienced in the coffee industry. They know what sort of machine to recommend for different applications,” she says.

With a flexible approach to new and existing customers, Venus Packaging accommodates a range of equipment testing.

“For example, samples of the coffee bags roasters are using can be sent to us. We can test them on our machines and either send the sealed bags back or invite them to visit us in Coburg for a live demonstration,” says Laura.

“They’re welcome to bring in their own bags of coffee and try them on three, four, or even five different types of machines to see which one works best. That way, they can see which machine handles their specific bag type most effectively.”

The team at Venus Packaging also offer testing opportunities for the seal and output a customer may be looking for.

“We can do the sealing here, record a video of the process, and send it back to them so they can see how their bags perform and choose the best sealing option for their needs,” says Laura.

While Venus strives to uphold its motto of providing equipment that’s built to last, it employs a comprehensive servicing and spare parts team to ensure its customers have peace of mind.

“Spare parts are something customers can have sent to them if it’s just a small thing like a replacement,” says Laura. “They don’t have to bring the machine in. Most of our heat-sealing machines only require simple maintenance.”

With customers in the Melbourne area, interstate, and overseas, Venus Packaging has partnerships with external service providers too.

“We’ve sold these machines all over the country. So, if or when they need servicing that option is available for our interstate customers. It is very convenient for businesses as they don’t have to send it to Melbourne to get the repair or service done,” says Laura.

Communication is key

According to Laura, understanding roasters’ needs is key to communicating and interacting with Venus’ customers.

“It’s really about getting back to customers very quickly, understanding their needs, being prompt in replies, and following through with what we say we’re going to do,” she says.

With a long history and a handful of staff that have been working at the business for more 30 years, Laura explains how and why the business works well.

“The range of industries, equipment, and servicing we cover is something that makes us stand out,” she says.

“I believe our offering and capabilities are what keeps our customers coming back. They know we understand them. We are very established in multiple industries. We didn’t start a few years ago, we have been here for decades and we’re here to stay.”

Cementing the business in the packaging industry as a trusted, long-standing, and reliable business, Laura emphasises how its specialised teams can help to streamline businesses in an array of different industries.

“We know exactly who’s buying what, and we always check in with our customers,” she says.

“The team knows what works best for our coffee customers and we provide a service that goes beyond the initial buying of the product.” 

For more information, visit venuspack.com.au