Custom Inner Lid for Pickled Vegetable Buckets: A Packaging Case Study

How can a pickled vegetable producer keep its product below the liquid surface without relying on a costly separate grid? This project shows how Jieming developed a custom inner lid for a customer's plastic packaging bucket, then used 3D-printed samples and repeated tests to refine the design.

The customer already purchased our plastic buckets. Its next challenge was inside the container: keeping the vegetables submerged when the bucket was no longer upright. The solution focused on the relationship between the bucket, an internal lid and the outer closure.

Project at a glance

• Customer: A pickled vegetable manufacturer.
• Original arrangement: Our plastic bucket combined with a separately purchased grid insert.
• Challenge: High grid cost and inadequate control of air exposure when the bucket tipped onto its side.
• Development approach: A custom inner lid held in position by the outer lid, evaluated through rapid prototypes and repeated testing.
• Project outcome: The final design met the customer's intended requirements following several rounds of testing.

The challenge: a separate grid was not enough

The producer originally used a grid to hold pickled vegetables below the liquid surface. Its aim was to limit contact with air and the associated risk of spoilage. However, the grid added substantial cost to the customer's packaging arrangement.

There was also a handling problem. When a filled bucket fell onto its side, the grid could not reliably prevent the vegetables from coming into contact with air. The customer needed a solution that addressed this specific failure scenario, rather than simply another insert for an upright bucket.

The solution: an inner lid held down by the outer lid

After discussing the customer's process and concerns, we proposed an internal barrier lid. The outer lid would press the inner lid into position when the bucket was closed. The design objective was to improve sealing and keep the pickled vegetables submerged in the packing liquid.

This changed the development focus from a standalone grid to a coordinated bucket-and-lid assembly. The fit between the inner lid, bucket opening and outer closure became central to the sample work.

3D-printed samples and repeated practical tests

We used 3D printing to produce samples quickly and check whether the proposed inner lid worked as intended. Several rounds of testing allowed the design to be evaluated and adjusted before the final version was agreed.

The project photographs document sample fitting, checks with liquid and the insert used with pickled vegetables. These are images from the actual development process, not rendered product illustrations.

The result: a design matched to the customer's requirement

Following repeated tests, the final inner-lid design achieved the customer's intended result. The project moved from supplying a standard bucket to developing a packaging component around a specific product-handling problem.

This case demonstrates the value of discussing the complete packaging arrangement and validating physical samples. It does not establish a quantified cost saving, shelf-life extension or certified leak-resistance rating. Performance for another product, fill level or handling route should be checked separately.

Planning a custom bucket for pickled vegetables?

Start with the operating conditions, not just the bucket capacity. For a similar development enquiry, useful information includes:

• The vegetable type, piece size, fill weight and liquid level.
• Bucket dimensions and the current outer-lid design.
• Filling conditions and the orientations encountered during handling.
• The current insert, observed problems and sample acceptance criteria.
• Required food-contact documentation for the intended market.

Explore our plastic food bucket range, or contact Hunan Jieming Plastics Industrial Co., Ltd. to discuss your bucket-and-inner-lid requirements. Photos of your current packaging and a description of the problem provide a practical starting point for sample development.