Cold beverage shops have their own packaging problems. Cups need to show off color, lids need room for a wide straw, and bottled juice needs a seal customers can trust. Restaurantware lists Juice Bar Supplies as a business type and carries Bubble Tea Supplies, Bubble Tea Powders and Smoothie Mixes in its Food & Beverage menu. This guide covers the cups, lids, straws, bottles and ingredients in those ranges.
Clear Cups
- Visage clear plastic cups: these come in 9, 12, 16 and 20 oz. Visage also offers U-shape PET cups with a rounded bottom in 12, 16 and 20 oz, which its listing describes as crack-resistant with a smooth rolled rim.
- Sustain PLA cups: Sustain clear PLA drinking cups come in 9, 12, 16 and 20 oz, and U-shape PLA cups come in 12, 16 and 24 oz in clear or black. Product names label them "Compostable."
- Sustain topping cup: this 4 oz PLA topping cup is designed to fit securely on 9, 12, 16 and 20 oz drinking cups.
- Paper cold cups: Sustain white paper cold cups with a PLA lining run from 9 to 22 oz. Chef 101 poly paper lemonade cups come in 16 and 24 oz.
Lids That Fit the Drink
- Visage lids: flat lids, dome lids, a black baseball cap dome lid and the Top Hat 2-in-1 lid, which has both a straw insert and a sip opening and fits 9, 12 and 16 oz cups. The Top Hat listing describes it as BPA-free and recyclable.
- Bev Tek 2-in-1 lids: these straw-or-sippy lids fit 12, 16 and 24 oz cups and come with two attached plugs to close both openings.
- Sustain PLA lids: flat, dome and straw-or-sip versions are listed for the Sustain cups.
Straws for Pearls and Thick Drinks
- Extra wide boba straws: Basic Nature PLA boba straws are 9" long with a pointed tip and come unwrapped, 1,000 to a box.
- Wrapped boba straws: Basic Nature PLA / PBAT boba straws are 9" long and individually paper-wrapped, 2,000 to a box. The listing says the wider diameter lets tapioca pearls and fruit jellies through without clogging.
- Vanish PHA straws: these are described as made from home compostable PHA plastic. The 9" size is 13 mm wide for bubble tea, and the 10 1/4" size is 8 mm wide for smoothies.
- Paper and agave straws: STRAWZY paper straws and Basic Nature agave straws are available for thinner drinks.
Bottles for Cold-Pressed Juice
Bottle Tek covers bottled juice. Square and round cold pressed juice bottles come in 8, 12 and 16 oz with safety caps. The 12 oz round cold pressed juice bottle listing describes a tamper-evident lid that creates an airtight seal. The range also includes a 12 oz bear-shaped bottle, 2 oz energy shot bottles and PET juice bottles in 12, 14, 17 and 20 oz. Starter kits include 10 bottles with caps, 10 labels, a funnel and a cleaning brush.
Ingredients for Bubble Tea and Smoothies
Restaurantware's Tea Tek line supplies the drinks themselves:
- Tapioca pearls: 6 lb bags in original, instant, chewy and small versions. The instant pearls use a quick soaking method and are described as holding their quality for up to 6 hours.
- Popping boba: 7 lb jars in flavors such as mango, passion fruit, lychee, strawberry, peach, kiwi and blueberry. The mango listing describes it as vegan and dairy-free in a resealable jar.
- Jelly toppings: flavors such as lychee coconut, mango coconut and coffee. The lychee coconut listing says no cooking is required.
- Powder mixes: 35 oz and 35.2 oz mixes in taro, matcha green tea, strawberry, mango, banana and coconut, plus a 21.1 oz milk tea powder with an 18-month shelf life.
- Syrups and tea: 64 fl. oz concentrated syrups and 8.4 oz loose leaf teas, including jasmine green, oolong and black.
For fresh citrus, the Hi Tek commercial electric citrus juicer runs a 250W motor at 1,500 RPM and has pulp control settings. Met Lux makes manual lemon and lime squeezers.
Ordering
Orders placed before 3 PM CST are picked, packed and shipped the same day, and Restaurantware reports a 98.6% in-stock rate.
