How Little B’s Bubble Tea Cut Lead Times and Costs with Epson ColorWorks
Client Overview
Little B’s Bubble Tea, a South African retail brand offering bubble tea kits and products, faced operational challenges as the business expanded over the past five years. The company is focused on delivering quality, convenience, and fun in-home experiences; however, reliance on outsourced label printing resulted in delays and inefficiencies.
Excess label inventory and wasted pre-printed stock
Outsourced printing led to long lead times of up to 7–10 days for new labels. Frequent updates to product information meant that many labels became outdated, resulting in unnecessary waste and increased operational costs.
Long lead times when label designs or regulatory information changed
Any changes to product information or packaging required new orders from external printers, slowing production and creating workflow bottlenecks.
Inconsistent label quality across multiple suppliers
Working with different third-party printers sometimes resulted in variations in label quality, including inconsistencies in colour and finish.
Limited ability to introduce new SKUs quickly
Bulk label ordering made it difficult to introduce new products, seasonal promotions, or ingredient updates in a timely manner, limiting flexibility.
The Solution
To address these challenges, Little B’s implemented the Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000e on-demand colour label printer.
This solution enabled the company to produce high-quality labels instantly in-house, eliminating reliance on external printing suppliers. The printer’s print-on-demand capabilities offer a low cost per unit, ease of use, and reliable, consistent results.
By bringing label printing in-house, Little B’s was able to:
Print labels instantly without waiting for external print runs
Reduce label waste and lower overall costs
Use a simple, reliable system to produce consistent, professional-quality labels
Maintain flexibility for product changes, promotions, and marketing updates
The printer was fully integrated into the company’s workflow, allowing staff to manage label production efficiently and without disruption.
The Results
Following the implementation of the Epson ColorWorks solution, Little B’s Bubble Tea experienced measurable improvements:
- No lead times
Labels are now printed instantly in-house, eliminating previous delays associated with external printing. - Lower costs and reduced wastage
Producing only the required labels reduced waste and significantly lowered costs. - Easy-to-use system
The printer delivers consistent, professional-quality labels with minimal staff training required. - Greater flexibility
The team can quickly adapt labels for new products, seasonal promotions, and ingredient updates, improving responsiveness and creativity.
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