What Handgards does

Handgards, Inc. is a U.S. foodservice disposables manufacturer and distributor founded in 1959 (originally as Plasticsmith, rebranded Handgards in 1966) and headquartered in El Paso, Texas, where it operates a 250,000 square-foot SQF-certified manufacturing facility converting millions of pounds of HDPE, LDPE, mLLDPE and Nylon resins annually into disposable gloves, food storage and reclosable bags, pan liners and cook-chill bags, expendables (picks, skewers, stirrers), and food service apparel. The company supplements domestic manufacturing with imported latex and PVC gloves and markets a portfolio of eight sub-brands (Handgards, BasicGards, Planetgards, Gripgards, Valugards, Tuffgards, Neatgards, Pangards/Panhandlers, Quickserve), each targeting distinct price-performance niches within foodservice.

The business model is a multi-channel distribution sale of low-ticket consumables: revenue is generated through one-time sales of branded disposable products to food service operators, hospitals, schools, hospitality chains, and food processors, routed via food service distributors, group purchasing organizations, broker representatives and a direct field sales force. Distribution is anchored at El Paso, with an expanded Columbus, Ohio facility and additional acquired warehouses in South Carolina (EMI Yoshi) and Middletown, New York (Fineline Settings). Handgards holds a patent on Pre-Portion Weekly Bags, is SQF and AIB top-rated, and operates an online ecosystem (Handgards University, product selector tools, The Handgards Edit blog) supporting channel partners.

The company is privately held by middle-market private equity sponsor Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. (previously backed by Wind Point Partners) and has executed four acquisitions since 2023 — EMI Yoshi (May 2023), Fineline Settings (2024), Inno-Pak (February 2025) and Albany Packaging USA (September 2025) — to extend its sustainable packaging and tableware portfolio. With approximately 300 employees, leadership under CEO Bob McLellan, and a 65-plus-year operating history, Handgards positions as a domestic innovator and consolidator within the U.S. foodservice disposables market.

Name

Handgards

Legal name

Handgards, Inc.

Website

https://handgards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Handgards is a U.S. foodservice disposables manufacturer and distributor producing disposable gloves, food storage bags, pan liners, apparel and expendables from a 250,000 sq ft El Paso facility, selling through distributors, GPOs and brokers to food service, hospitality, healthcare and education operators nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Disposables

NAICS

Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Other Food Manufacturing (3119), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Foodservice Disposables (cups, plates, bowls, trays, clamshells) (IMAMAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foodservice/To-Go Packaging (Cups, Clamshells, Cutlery) (IMALAHAM), Foodservice & Single-Use Plastic Packaging (Cups, Lids, Cutlery) Manufacturing (IMANAEAI)

Keywords

• Food service disposables
• Disposable gloves
• Food storage bags
• Pan liners
• Food safety products

Headquarters

HQ city

El Paso

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Disposable Food Service Products: Sale of disposable gloves, food storage bags, reclosable bags, pan liners, expendables, and food service apparel to foodservice operators, distributors, and hospitality businesses. Products are sold through distribution channels and direct sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Handgards manufactures and distributes disposable food safety and foodservice products including disposable gloves, food storage bags, reclosable bags, pan liners and cook chill bags, expendables, and food service apparel. The company operates a 250,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in El Paso, Texas producing films from HDPE, LDPE, mLLDPE, and Nylon resins with flexographic printing capabilities, and serves operators across foodservice, hospitality, education, healthcare, and manufacturing industries through direct sales, distributors, GPOs, and broker representatives.

Product overview

Handgards is a foodservice disposable products company offering a comprehensive portfolio organized around multiple core product lines and sub-brands. The main offerings include disposable gloves (with sub-brands BasicGards, Planetgards, Gripgards, Valugards, and Quickserve), food storage bags (including Tuffgards HD and LD bags), reclosable bags, pan liners/cook chill bags (Pangards/Panhandlers), expendables (bamboo, wood, plastic picks and skewers), and food service apparel (hairnets, chef hats, aprons, etc.). The company operates as both a manufacturer and importer, with domestic manufacturing in El Paso, Texas producing HDPE, LDPE, and nylon resin products, and imports of latex and PVC gloves. Handgards has expanded through strategic acquisitions including Fineline Settings (eco-friendly tableware), EMI Yoshi (foodservice tableware), Inno-Pak (eco-friendly packaging), and Albany Packaging USA. Customer-facing tools include Handgards University (training portal), Pan Liner Selector Tool, Preportion Calculator, and an interactive restaurant layout tool. The company serves the foodservice, hospitality, education, healthcare, and manufacturing industries with a focus on food safety innovations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Handgards®: Primary brand for disposable gloves, food storage, reclosable bags, pan liners, and food service products.
• BasicGards®
• Planetgards®
• Tuffgards®
• Valugards®
• Gripgards®
• Neatgards®
• Pangards® / Panhandlers®
• Quickserve®

Products and services

• Disposable Gloves Comprehensive line of disposable gloves including Nitrile, Latex, Vitrile, Synthetic (with Aloe), Vinyl, Compostable (Planetgards), Hybrid (Gripgards), Poly (Quickserve), Exam, and Reusable variants sold to foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, and education operators for daily hygiene and cross-contamination prevention.
• Food Storage Bags Extensive selection of food storage bags including High Density Freezer, Low Density Storage, Pre-Portioning, BOPP High Clarity, Deli, Sandwich, Bun Pan Rack Covers, and Specialty Storage Bags manufactured under the Tuffgards sub-brand for commercial kitchen portion control and storage.
• Reclosable Bags Low-Density and High-Density Reclosable Bags in various sizes including freezer and slide zip variants for commercial foodservice storage applications.
• Pan Liners and Cook Chill Bags Disposable Ovenable Pan Liners, Roasting Bags, Steam Pan Liners, and Cook Chill Bags (Pangards/Panhandlers sub-brand) manufactured from nylon and other FDA-compliant materials, designed to eliminate pan scrubbing and reduce cleaning costs in commercial kitchens.
• Expendables Disposable bamboo, wood, and plastic expendables including picks, skewers, stirrers, toothpicks, and chopsticks that add aesthetic value to food presentations in foodservice and hospitality operations.
• Food Service Apparel Protective wear under the Neatgards sub-brand including hairnets, chef hats, bouffant caps, aprons, beard covers, and bibs designed to ensure employee and customer safety from food-borne illnesses in foodservice, hospitality, education, and healthcare settings.
• Planetgards Compostable Gloves BPI-certified compostable poly gloves made of material that degrades in commercial composting facilities. Translucent green, FDA compliant, and re-launched in February 2025 with new packaging delivering 150% more gloves per case.
• Fineline Settings Eco-friendly disposable tableware and packaging brand acquired by Handgards, specializing in compostable to recyclable offerings including tableware, serving bowls, drinking glasses, and utensils for distributors, group purchasing entities, and foodservice accounts across the United States.
• EMI Yoshi Foodservice tableware and catering products brand acquired by Handgards, including a primary distribution warehouse in South Carolina that expanded Handgards' Southeast U.S. footprint.
• Inno-Pak Eco-friendly packaging brand acquired by Handgards from Emerald Lake Capital Management, providing sustainable foodservice packaging solutions including compostable and recyclable products.
• Albany Packaging USA Foodservice packaging brand acquired by Handgards to expand its packaging portfolio and market presence in the foodservice disposables segment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150% increase in volume of gloves in each case with BPI certified compostable gloves
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered acquisition.

• Albany Packaging USAacquisitionOthers · 25 September 2025Handgards acquired Albany Packaging USA to expand its portfolio and market presence.
• Inno-PakacquisitionOthers · 12 February 2025Emerald Lake Capital Management sold Inno-Pak to Handgards. Inno-Pak was a leading eco-friendly packaging company that had experienced significant growth since partnering with Emerald Lake in 2020, expanding its product portfolio, manufacturing footprint, and team.
• EMI YoshiacquisitionOthers · 19 May 2023Handgards acquired EMI Yoshi, a supplier specializing in foodservice tableware and catering products. EMI Yoshi's assets, including its primary warehouse in South Carolina, enhanced Handgards' presence in the Southeast U.S.
• Fineline SettingsacquisitionOthersHandgards acquired Fineline Settings, a dynamic force in disposable tableware and packaging. Fineline specializes in eco-friendly solutions spanning compostable to recyclable offerings. Founded in 2010 and based in Middletown, NY, Fineline serves distributors, group purchasing entities, and foodservice accounts across the United States.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sealed Air Corporation: Sealed Air is a global packaging company producing protective and food packaging solutions including Cryovac food bags and foodservice films. While broader and more food-processor focused than Handgards, its cook-chill bags and food storage films overlap with Handgards' Cook Chill Bags and food storage product lines.
• Berry Global Group: Berry Global is a large global manufacturer of plastic packaging products including foodservice, retail, and industrial applications. While not focused exclusively on foodservice disposables, it overlaps with Handgards in plastic films, bags, and foodservice packaging substrates through its Consumer Packaging segment.
• Pactiv Evergreen: Pactiv Evergreen is a large publicly traded manufacturer of food and beverage packaging including cups, lids, containers, and foodservice disposables. It is a broader incumbent serving the same foodservice operators and distributors with overlapping categories such as foodservice packaging and disposable containers.

Direct peers

• Genpak: Genpak manufactures foodservice packaging including disposable tableware, containers, and lids, serving foodservice operators, distributors, and institutional buyers in North America. The product overlap and channel overlap with Handgards are direct, particularly in the tableware and container categories.
• Anchor Packaging: Anchor Packaging produces a broad line of foodservice packaging including hinged containers, rigid trays, and clamshells sold through foodservice distributors and operators. Like Handgards, it specializes in disposable foodservice plastic packaging with similar customer and channel profiles.
• Eco-Products (Novolex): Eco-Products, a Novolex/Holding company, specializes in compostable and recycled-content foodservice disposables including cups, plates, containers, and utensils. It competes most directly with Handgards' Planetgards and Fineline Settings eco-friendly lines for sustainability-focused foodservice and institutional buyers.
• Dart Container Corporation: Dart Container is a major manufacturer of single-use foodservice products including cups, lids, containers, cutlery, and foam/PLA foodservice packaging. It directly competes with Handgards in the foodservice disposables channel and shares the same foodservice operator and distributor customers.
• Sabert Corporation: Sabert manufactures sustainable and conventional foodservice packaging including tableware, containers, and cutlery, serving foodservice operators and distributors across North America. Its focus on eco-friendly foodservice disposables mirrors Handgards' positioning after the Fineline Settings and Inno-Pak acquisitions.
• Inteplast Group: Inteplast is a major North American plastics manufacturer with foodservice and institutional product lines, including bags, films, and disposable products. Its capabilities in HDPE/LDPE film extrusion and its foodservice focus make it a direct comparable to Handgards' El Paso manufacturing operations.
• Hoffmaster Group: Hoffmaster is a leading North American manufacturer of foodservice disposable products including tableware, napkins, and foodservice supplies, serving the same foodservice, hospitality, and institutional customer base as Handgards. Its portfolio overlaps directly with Handgards' pan liners, tableware, and foodservice disposables.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/handgards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HandgardsINC
• Facebookfacebook.com/handgards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/handgards
• Instagraminstagram.com/handgards

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Handgards