Jigsaw packing cases

INFORMATION - WINTER 2023

FREE DELIVERY - We offer free delivery on a total of 300 bags & 300 boxes combined. This can be a mixture of any of the sizes we offer. Note, larger orders go out on pallets using a 48 hour service, taking a little longer to arrive.
COURIER DELIVERY – Generally we try to despatch all orders on the day we receive them (except weekend & Bank Holiday orders which go out on the next working day) However orders received after 12:30pm will go out on the next working day.
SMALL ORDERS - We often receive small, mixed orders through our website. Eg 10 x 3L BiBs, 10 x 5L BiBs, 10 x 10L BiBs etc. Our website shop applies a P&P charge to each of these orders & you will be overcharged accordingly. If this happens, ring us, e-mail us etc. & we will take the order over the phone to rectify this situation. We cannot put all of the combinations on our website so, if you think the P&P charges are high, contact the office prior to confirming the order and we will resolve it. If you are a homebrewer, and you want a smaller quantity than is offered on our website, please get in contact, we may be able to help. Payments are collected through our site by PayPal, you do not need an account and you can use any credit card except Amex. We can also take payments over the phone, or we can send pro forma invoices if you would prefer to pay by bank transfer.
OPENING HOURS – Our general opening hours are 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, but these are flexible and depend on what time our daily courier collection and / or pallet carrier arrives to collect the orders. If you want to make a collection in person we welcome visitors & are flexible with the opening times.


 
Jigsaw filling aid  

Collections & Opening hours

In these uncertain times we still welcome visitors but we have social distancing measures in place to protect customers and staff alike. Please phone in advance to allow us to schedule your visit avoiding other clients / couriers etc. In normal times, we encourage customers to visit and collect orders but as a responsible company we have to limit interactions between customers and staff. Note, we accept payment by card except Amex. We are open on weekdays between 9am and 4pm, other times are possible but by prior arrangement only.

Deliveries and stocks

Jigsaw operates weekdays from 8-45am until 5.15pm, we are closed outside these times but frequently respond to e-mailed queries. On weekdays, we dispatch orders on the day they arrive, although sometimes we have a backlog after a busy weekend. Our logistics partner DHL has coped admirably well but they now ask us to quote one to three working days for delivery, please place your order with this in mind. As a guide orders received up to 2pm on weekdays will be dispatched that day with the 1 to 3 day delivery caveat. Weekend orders will leave us on Monday. Larger orders will be dispatched by pallet and similarly, we will dispatch these as we receive them on a 48 hour service, if you need them on a next day basis, there is a modest charge. Each order we process has a tracking number on the invoice allowing you to see when the goods will arrive, we have no more information than this in most instances. Any item on the website is in stock, sometimes we get caught by unexpected order surges but these are few are far between. If we experience a stock-out, we try to get a message on the website straight away.

There is a gas build up between the layers of the bag – what am I doing wrong?

The bags are made of two layers, the inner layer is a polythene and has no barrier to gas. The film layer is a multilayer coextrusion and this contains a gas barrier layer called EVOH. This protects the product from unwelcome oxidation and keeps it fresher for longer. As the CO2 effervesces from the product it builds a modest pressure and all gasses are pushed from the inside to the outside. This means the dissolved Oxygen in the product reduces keeping the product fresher for longer. The gas between the layers doesn’t happen with Jigsaw’s unique 20L ale bags which are constructed to avoid this, they still extend the shelf life as other bags do. Livelier beers that effervesce more and a rise in temperature increase this effect. If the yeast will allow it, condition the beer cooler than “normal” in the bag.

Filling (watch our video on 'Cider' page)

Filling a bag in box is straightforward and best achieved as follows. Care should be taken not to nick the bag, don’t put it put heavy objects on them, don’t crumple or scrunch the bag up, keep them flat ideally in the box provided, note, there’s no such thing as a small leak, it either leaks or it doesn’t!

Firstly, part make-up the box; take the bag in both hands by the neck and tug the tap out of the gland. For obvious reasons, place the tap in sterilising solution and not on a dirty bench. Put the bag into the slot on the filling aid and dangle it into the box, this will support the bag while filling takes place and acts as a third hand. Place everything on a weigh scale and set the tare to zero. Filling can be from tank, cask, barrel, “petrol pump” or jug, whatever it is, sterilize it first. When you have the appropriate quantity of liquid in the bag, gently squeeze as much air from the bag as possible and use tap closing pliers to fully push the tap home. This can also be achieved manually, just pick the bag up, position the tap uppermost, and with both hands put the base of your palms onto the back of the flange and holding the tap with your fingers, push the tap fully home to the second click stop.

More information on Vitop Connectors ...

Jigsaw has worked for many years with Vitop, aiding the design process & acting as an Agent Distributor. The relationship has been built up over many years since Vitops conception in the 1990s. In fact Simon Vine was the first commercial visitor to the original Vitop factory in France. During the past ten years or so, Vitop have been an exemplary supplier. During this period, we have not experienced a single fault with a connector. It is simply the best device to connect bag in boxes to the point of dispense that exists. First of all, here are some basics, the hose barb on the connector is 9mm wide (3/8 of an inch) so the internal diameter of the tubing needs to be the same. Tubing with a 9mm bore & 15mm (5/8”) o/d with some give in it is best. As mentioned we get zero complaints about the connectors, but their lifespan is not indefinite! Leaks can occur when the connectors are damaged over time. Jigsaw recommends that customers regularly using Vitop connectors change them every twelve months.

Finally, your clients (landlords, publicans, etc.) have pipe in their cellars that is too wide for the outlet on the connector. In such cases the solution is simple, take a small (15mm) piece of the correct size pipe, attach it to the connector, push it inside the wider bore tubing & secure with a jubilee clip or similar and it works.

Customer Own Design Boxes

We can run relatively small quantities of customised boxes to client’s own designs. Generally, there is no difference in unit cost between custom and standard boxes, but there is a one off set up cost for each size. The print set up cost varies and is akin to asking “how long is a piece of string” as it varies depending upon design, number of colours, size of box, etc. As a guide the set-up costs for a one colour 36pt box could vary from as little as £350 to as much as £800! Second and third colours will increase this cost. It is also dependent upon the number of revisions you make; our advice would be to pick a design and stick to it. The minimum order quantity for a single colours box will increase accordingly, but the MOQ for a single colour design in each size is as follows; 3L 1800, 5L 1200, 10L 700, 20L / 36pt 650. Similarly, the unit cost will increase by between 2% & 10% per colour. For obvious reasons we ask for payment in advance for own design work.

How long will my beer / cider last in the box

All of bags we sell are made with material that has a barrier to the transmission of gas, thus protecting the contents from the harmful effects of oxygen. The shelf life of any product will depends on many variables, whether pasteurized or not, alcoholic content, percentage sugar, cleanliness at fill, size of the bag, dissolved oxygen in the product and headspace in the filed bag. However over and above all of these in importance is storage temperature, essentially the higher the storage temperature the shorter the shelf life. Simply put, shelf life will vary from product to product and it’s advisable to run a trial on your own products to verify what is the actual shelf life in the filled bag.

Beer – we did some tests a few years ago with a local brewery and we achieved 6 – 8 weeks shelf life unopened on an IPA(3.9%) & Best Bitter (4.3%), we imagine it’s less if you open it first. The beer does lose a little liveliness but this is not significant if you pull it through a hand pump.

Cider – some makers who pasteurize & hot fill achieve at least a year’s shelf life in bag in box. Those who don’t pasteurize achieve months in the summer but twice this in the winter.


Priming & conditioning

We know of a number of breweries who successfully accomplish this. Clearly they all have their own methods but essentially they follow this procedure. Fill bag in the box, do not replace the tap, add priming solution, replace the tap but only put halfway in to the first click stop (easy once you have done one) then condition at 12C approx. and every few days or a week or so release the excess CO2 that has built up by pulling the tap out pushing down on the gas pillow & replacing the tap halfway home. Then once you’re ready to serve, push the tap fully home, close the box with tape, etc. and move to serving position to settle

Exporting Bag in Box

Our system works well when the temperature is controlled to 10 - 15C, but we have heard of clients who export but find their boxes destroyed at the other end by carriers who have not treated them with respect and care. They are not metal barrels after all! Our advice would be to trial the shipping route carefully before commencing a mass shipment.

Cider or beer bags for homebrew wine?

We would recommend cider bags for homemade wine, clearly plain boxes will be best allowing you to put your own labels on for identification purposes.

Box dimensions

Outer dimensions of Jigsaw Boxes (cm) boxes and weights (gm) are as follows:-

3L Box: 13 length, 13 width, 22 height - 130 gm
5L Box: 16 length, 16 width, 24 height - 199 gm
10L/18pt Box: 20 length, 20 width, 34 height - 416 gm
20l/36pt Box: 26 length, 26 width, 40 height - 758 gm
20l/36pt Squat Box:26 length, 28 width, 38 height - 758 gm

3 bottle Presentation Pack: 9 length, 23 width, 29 height
6 bottle Presentation Pack: 16 length, 24 width, 32 height

 
   
Jigsaw bespoke box  
Vitop connectors  
 
 
   
bag in box  
 
Jigsaw Wadworths box  
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