In a dessert cup, the container is a real cost: cup, lid, spoon and label can be a fifth of the total or more. They are added per unit, almost the same for a small cup as for a large one, so they weigh more on the small cups. To choose a size, the container share is only the start. Compare what one tray of dessert earns you in each size, at the prices your customers actually pay.
What goes into the container cost
Everything that leaves with the customer and is not eaten:
- The cup and its lid (dome, flat, hinged).
- The spoon or fork.
- The label or sticker with your name and the date.
- The seal or tape if you close lids for delivery.
- The bag if you give one per cup.
- The ones you lose: lids that do not snap shut, cups that crack. If you throw out 2 from every sleeve of 50, spread the cost of those 2 over the 48 you use.
Work each item out from the pack: pack price ÷ units. A sleeve of 50 cups with lids at $14.00 is 14.00 ÷ 50 = $0.28 per cup. The guide on how to cost packaging and labels has the full method.
What does not grow with the size
The dessert grows with the cup: twice the cup, twice the tiramisu. The container does not. A larger cup costs a bit more than a small one, but the spoon, the label and your time filling, lidding and labelling are the same for both. That is why the container weighs more on the small cup.
That does not make the large cup the better deal. Customers usually pay less per gram for the large one. You need the full sum.
Weigh what goes in each cup
The ounces on the sleeve are the cup's capacity, not what you put in it. Put the cup on the scale, zero it and fill it the way you sell it, layers and topping included. That weight is your portion. Fill five or six and take the average.
For the dessert cost per gram, weigh what actually goes into the cups from one tray. What stays in the piping bag, the bowl and on the sides is part of your waste, and weighing what you filled takes it out automatically. If you already jar sauces or jam, it is the same logic as the cost per jar for sauces.
Worked example: tiramisu in a small or large cup
You make tiramisu to sell in cups from a café counter and a market stall. One tray costs you $32.00 in ingredients, oven and prep time, and fills 4,000 g of cups. The dessert costs 32.00 ÷ 4,000 = $0.008 per gram.
You compare two sizes: a 5 oz cup holding 125 g and a 10 oz cup holding 250 g. Filling, lidding and labelling take the same time for both; you work it out at $0.20 a cup.
| Per cup | 5 oz cup | 10 oz cup |
|---|---|---|
| Dessert | 125 g × 0.008 = $1.00 | 250 g × 0.008 = $2.00 |
| Cup and lid | $0.28 | $0.40 |
| Spoon | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| Label | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| Filling and lidding | $0.20 | $0.20 |
| Cost per cup | $1.63 | $2.75 |
| Container (cup, spoon, label) | $0.43 | $0.55 |
| Container share of cost | 0.43 ÷ 1.63 = 26.4% | 0.55 ÷ 2.75 = 20.0% |
So far the large cup looks better: the container is a smaller share. Now add the prices. Around you, the small cup sells for $4.00 and the large for $7.00.
| 5 oz cup | 10 oz cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.00 | $7.00 |
| You keep per cup | 4.00 − 1.63 = $2.37 | 7.00 − 2.75 = $4.25 |
| Margin | 2.37 ÷ 4.00 = 59.3% | 4.25 ÷ 7.00 = 60.7% |
| Cups per tray | 4,000 ÷ 125 = 32 | 4,000 ÷ 250 = 16 |
| You keep per tray | 32 × 2.37 = $75.84 | 16 × 4.25 = $68.00 |
The large cup has the better margin percentage, yet the same tray earns $7.84 more as small cups. The container weighs more on the small cup, but customers pay more for every gram.
What would the large cup need to sell for to earn the same from a tray? You need $75.84 over 16 cups: $4.74 per cup. Price = 2.75 + 4.74 = $7.49. If your customers will not pay $7.49 for the large cup, the small one is the better business, even though its container looks expensive.
Filling time works the other way: 32 cups take twice as long as 16. If you are short of hands rather than dessert, also look at what you earn per hour of filling.
Buying by the sleeve or by the case
The small cup with lid costs $0.28 in a sleeve of 50 ($14.00) and $0.21 in a case of 1,000 ($210.00). At 400 cups a month, the saving is (0.28 − 0.21) × 400 = $28.00 a month. In exchange you pay $210 at once and store a case that lasts 1,000 ÷ 400 = 2.5 months. If that cash is needed for ingredients, the sleeve may be the better call. The tool to compare unit prices across pack sizes does that sum for you.
Glass jars
A glass jar with a lid looks better and costs much more than a plastic cup. If you swap the 10 oz cup for a $0.95 jar, the container goes from $0.55 to 0.95 + 0.05 + 0.10 = $1.10, and the price has to rise $0.55 just to stand still.
If you offer to take jars back, count how many really return. If 6 in 10 come back, every sale carries 4 new jars out of 10: 0.4 × 0.95 = $0.38 per sale, plus your time washing and sanitising.
Before you set the price
Check that the price covers the full loaded cost, container included, and leaves room for the commission if you sell through delivery apps. The guide on how to price desserts and sweets covers the rest of your counter, and the one on contribution margin shows how to compare which product earns you more.
Do it with the calculator
Put the tray, the weight in each cup and the container per unit into the food cost calculator; it gives you the cost per cup, and you can repeat it for each size to see which one pays.
Frequently asked questions
What share of the cost should the container be?
There is no right number for everyone. What matters is that you know it and your price covers it. Work it out for each size and compare what each tray earns, not just the percentage.
How do I know how much dessert goes in each cup?
Weigh it. Put the empty cup on the scale, zero it and fill it the way you sell it. The ounces printed on the sleeve are the cup's capacity, not your portion.
Is it worth buying cups by the case?
It lowers the price per cup, but you pay for the whole case up front and need room to store it. Multiply the saving per cup by the cups you use in a month and see how many months the case lasts.
Do returnable glass jars work out cheaper?
Only if they come back. Count how many return out of every ten and how long washing takes. The ones that do not come back are paid for by your sales.