Flat Bottom Pouches.

The base. A stand-up pouch has a folded gusset at the bottom that opens into a rough oval when filled. A flat bottom pouch has a genuine rectangular panel as its base.

That single difference cascades. The flat bottom stands square rather than rounded, keeps its shape as the contents go down, blocks flush against neighbouring packs on a shelf, and stacks properly in a case. It also gives you two full side panels that take print, where a stand-up pouch just has creased folds.

The flat bottom costs more — more film, more seals, and it needs a stiffer laminate. Choose it when the pack is seen on a shelf or kept on a counter. A stand-up pouch is the better value where it isn't.

Because it behaves like a box. The rectangular base and the squared side gussets give it a carton-like profile that holds under its own weight, so it sits, stacks and blocks the way a folding carton does rather than the way a bag does.

The two names are used interchangeably in the trade. "Box pouch" tends to be used more in North America, "flat bottom" more broadly. Some suppliers also call it a "block bottom" pouch. They are all the same construction.

Yes, and this is one of the most common combinations we quote. Flat bottom plus degassing valve plus matte kraft is close to the default specification for speciality coffee.

The valve is heat-welded into the film during manufacture, usually on the front or a side gusset. It lets carbon dioxide out — which fresh-roasted coffee releases for several days — while keeping oxygen from getting in. Without it a sealed bag of fresh coffee inflates and can split a seal.