You have a drink in mind — a tea, a fruit juice, a coffee with milk, a coconut drink — and you want it made in Vietnam under your brand. The first question most brand owners ask is about the recipe. The question that actually decides which factory can make it, how small the first run can be and what it will cost is a different one: what container, and what heat treatment?
A drink in a can, a hot-filled PET bottle, an aseptic carton and a glass bottle are made on different lines, often in different factories. And the acidity of the drink decides how it must be sterilised, which in turn decides the line. This article walks through those two decisions, the supply questions behind the container, and the sterilisation rules to plan for if the drink is going to Japan.
💬 Have a drink you want made under your brand? Tell us what it is, the pack you have in mind and where it will be sold.
Decide the container and the process together
The container and the heat treatment go together, and together they decide which plant can make your drink; choose them before you shortlist factories.
| Pack | Typical process | Suits | What to check with the plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium can | Filled and seamed; pasteurised or retorted according to the drink; carbonation possible | Carbonated drinks, coffee, tea, juice drinks | Can size and end available; printed cans or plain cans with sleeves |
| PET bottle, hot-filled | Product heated and filled hot into heat-set bottles | Acidic drinks such as juices and teas with acidulants | Bottle neck and size; preform supply; cap type |
| PET bottle, aseptic | Product sterilised, filled cold in a sterile zone | Low-acid drinks such as milk tea and unsweetened tea | Whether the plant has an aseptic line at all |
| Glass bottle | Filled and pasteurised or retorted | Premium positioning | Weight and breakage in transport |
| Carton | Aseptic filling | Plant-based milks, juices | Few plants have it; format is fixed by the line |
| Powder sticks or sachets | Blending and packing, no liquid filling | Instant drinks | Different factory type altogether |
The table is a starting point, not a rule. What matters is to ask each plant which of these lines it runs in its own building, and which drinks currently run on the one you would use.
Two further questions save time later. First, how does the plant handle a line trial? A beverage line has to be cleaned, set up and run at speed before it produces anything representative, so a trial is a real production event with a real cost, and it should be planned and priced as one. Second, what happens on the line before and after your drink? A plant that runs dairy drinks, strongly flavoured teas or allergen-containing products on the same line needs a changeover and cleaning routine you are comfortable with, and your label may need an allergen statement that reflects it.
Acidity decides the sterilisation
A drink’s acidity and water activity decide how hard it must be heat-treated; a low-acid drink needs retort-level sterilisation or aseptic processing, which only some plants can do.
Acidic drinks — most fruit juices and drinks with acidulants — can be made safe with milder heat. Low-acid drinks — milk coffee, milk tea, unsweetened tea, coconut water, soy and other plant milks — need far more severe treatment to control spore-forming bacteria, either by retorting the sealed can or bottle or by sterilising the product and filling it aseptically.
If the drink is going to Japan, plan from Japan’s manufacturing standards for soft drinks under the Food Sanitation Act (Specifications and Standards for Food, Food Additives, etc., MHLW Notification No. 370 of 1959):
| Drink | Sterilisation required by the Japanese standard |
|---|---|
| pH below 4.0 | Heating so that the centre reaches 65°C for 10 minutes, or an equivalent or more effective method |
| pH 4.0 or above (other than the next row) | Heating so that the centre reaches 85°C for 30 minutes, or an equivalent or more effective method |
| pH 4.6 or above with water activity above 0.94 | A method sufficient to kill the micro-organisms that originate from the ingredients and can grow in the product, or the 85°C method above |
The standard also requires records of sterilisation temperature and time to be kept for six months, and allows carbonated drinks with no plant or animal tissue and a carbon dioxide pressure of 98 kPa or more at 20°C to skip sterilisation. Checked against Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare materials on 17 October 2026; confirm the current notification text before you rely on it.
In practice, ask the plant for the thermal process it will apply to your drink, the validation behind it and the records it keeps per batch, and check them against these rules before the recipe is frozen. The import procedure itself is covered in Japan’s food import notification procedure.
💬 We find, vet and manage the Vietnamese beverage plant whose line fits your pack and process — see our OEM and private-label service.
The container has its own supply chain
Cans, preforms, caps, labels and cartons come from their own suppliers with their own minimums and lead times, and they often set the first-order quantity more than the filling line does.
- Printed cans usually carry a much larger minimum than the filling run. For a trial, plain cans with a printed shrink sleeve or a label can remove that minimum; ask the plant whether it can apply sleeves.
- PET preforms and caps are moulded to a specific neck finish. If you want a bottle shape the plant does not already use, you are buying a mould and a preform run as well.
- Labels and sleeves are printed separately, with their own proofing rounds; artwork approval belongs early in the plan.
- Cartons come as packaging material tied to the filling system the plant runs, which fixes the sizes available to you.
How these minimums interact with your first order is covered in negotiating a lower minimum order.
Licence, recipe and shelf life
The same checks as any food product apply — a food safety licence covering drinks, written ownership of the recipe, and a shelf life based on tests in the final pack.
Under Decree 15/2018/ND-CP, the plant needs a food safety eligibility certificate, or a valid recognised certification such as HACCP, ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000, covering beverage production. Decree 46/2026/ND-CP, issued to replace it, remains suspended under Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP. The detail of what to check, and how to own the recipe and set the shelf life, is in private-label food made in Vietnam.
Two points are specific to drinks:
- Ingredient compatibility. Sweeteners, colours, preservatives and added vitamins that are normal in Vietnam may not be permitted, or may be limited, at the destination. Check the formulation before it is frozen.
- Claims. A drink with added vitamins or collagen is still a food. Keep label wording to what the destination permits for foods, and do not attach disease or treatment claims to it.
From recipe to first production run
A beverage project moves from recipe to bench sample, to a trial on the production line, to a shelf-life check, and only then to the first run.
| Step | What happens | What to have in writing |
|---|---|---|
| Recipe and pack | Concept, target market, container and process decided together | Brief with pack, process and destination |
| Bench sample | Taste, colour, aroma | Approved recipe with ingredient grades |
| Line trial | Filling and heat treatment on the real line | Process parameters; trial results |
| Shelf-life check | Storage in the final pack | Test conditions and results |
| Packaging | Cans, bottles, labels, cartons ordered | Artwork approval; supplier minimums |
| First run | Production with per-batch records | Sterilisation records; batch tests; approved reference sample |
How sample approvals are recorded is covered in sample approval stages. For coffee drinks, the bean side is covered in private-label coffee from Vietnam.
💬 For each project we find, vet and manage the plant that fits the drink, and follow the line trial and the first run. Tell us about your drink.
Frequently asked questions
1. Can or PET bottle: which should I choose?
Decide by the drink and the market. Carbonated drinks and many coffee drinks suit cans; acidic juices and teas suit hot-filled PET; low-acid drinks in PET need an aseptic line. Each choice narrows the plants that can make it.
2. Can I start with a small run?
It depends on the line and the packaging. Printed cans and custom bottles usually set large minimums; plain cans with sleeves or a bottle the plant already uses can lower the first run.
3. My drink contains milk. Does that change anything?
Yes. Milk drinks are low-acid and need retort sterilisation or aseptic processing, which fewer plants can do. Ask for the thermal process and its validation before you go further.
4. What does Japan require for sterilisation?
Japan’s soft-drink standards tie the heat treatment to the drink’s pH and water activity, from 65°C for 10 minutes at the centre for drinks below pH 4.0 to a method sufficient to kill micro-organisms that can grow in low-acid drinks. Records must be kept for six months.
5. Can I put health claims on a vitamin drink?
Only what the destination allows for foods. A drink is not a medicine; avoid disease names or treatment wording, and check the label against the destination’s rules.
Sources: Specifications and Standards for Food, Food Additives, etc. (MHLW Notification No. 370 of 1959), soft-drink manufacturing standards; Decree 15/2018/ND-CP; Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP. Checked on 17 October 2026 — confirm the current text before you rely on it.