The Cary Company

What The Cary Company does

The Cary Company is a privately held B2B distributor of packaging, containers, and industrial supplies, founded in 1895 and headquartered in Addison, Illinois. The company sells a broad catalog of products organized across roughly 20 categories, including drums and IBC totes, pails and buckets, paint cans, plastic/glass/metal containers, caps and closures, industrial filtration, spill control and containment, temperature control and heaters, flexible packaging, tools and equipment, material handling, safety supplies, shipping supplies, and adjacent facility and niche lines. Customers are organized by 8 primary industry verticals: Food & Food Ingredient, Beverage, Paints & Coatings, Pharmaceuticals & Wellness, Industrial Chemicals, Construction, Manufacturing, and Personal Health & Beauty.

The company runs a sales-led go-to-market with multiple ordering channels: an e-commerce storefront (thecarycompany.com), phone-based direct sales (630.629.6600), live chat, quote requests, and account-based ordering with credit applications and multi-address shipping. Pricing is quote-based with volume-based tiered discounts (e.g., paint can rings priced from $0.706 per unit at small quantities down to $0.415 at 6,000+ units), and the business operates as a wholesale and bulk distributor. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales across the catalog, with no subscription or licensing model.

Operationally, The Cary Company runs five warehouse/distribution locations across the United States (Addison IL, Livermore CA, Charlotte NC, Salt Lake City UT, and Jurupa Valley CA) to minimize lead times and freight costs. The company has pursued inorganic growth, acquiring Three Rivers Packaging in May 2019 and Containers Unlimited in October 2021. Services offered alongside product distribution include design services, bottle design and manufacturing, logistics, product sourcing, warehousing services, and drum and tote disposal/reconditioning. No public financials, funding rounds, or PE/VC ownership signals are disclosed.

Name

The Cary Company

Legal name

The Cary Company

Website

https://thecarycompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Cary Company is a privately held B2B distributor, founded in 1895, that sells containers, packaging, filtration, spill control, and industrial supplies to eight primary industry verticals across the United States via five regional warehouses and an e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Packaging Distribution

NAICS

Plastics Materials and Basic Forms and Shapes Merchant Wholesalers (42461), Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (326199)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Packaging Filling/Discharge Systems & Handling Aids (Spouts, Lifting, Dischargers) (IMALAGAI)

Keywords

• Industrial packaging supplies
• Container distribution
• Filtration products
• Spill control equipment
• Packaging containers

Headquarters

HQ city

Addison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Distribution and Wholesale: The Cary Company generates revenue through distribution and wholesale of packaging containers, industrial supplies, and related products. They sell a wide variety of containers (plastic, glass, metal), closures, filtration products, spill control equipment, and temperature control solutions to various industries. Revenue comes from product sales with volume-based pricing tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Cary Company distributes a broad portfolio of industrial containers and packaging products, including drums, pails, paint cans, plastic/glass/metal containers, caps and closures, and IBC totes. The company also supplies complementary industrial categories such as filtration products, spill control and containment equipment, temperature control/heaters, material handling, safety supplies, and shipping supplies. In addition to physical product distribution, the company offers design services, custom bottle design and manufacturing, logistics, product sourcing, warehousing, and drum and tote disposal/reconditioning services.

Product overview

The Cary Company is a packaging and industrial supplies distributor founded in 1895, offering a comprehensive portfolio of containers, packaging solutions, and industrial products. The product line is organized into a multi-category platform featuring core packaging products (Drums, Overpacks & IBCs, Pails & Buckets, Paint Cans, Plastic Containers, Glass Containers, Metal Containers, Caps & Closures), supplemented by adjacent categories including Industrial Filtration, Spill Control & Containment, Temperature Control & Heaters, and Flexible Packaging. Additional offerings include Tools & Equipment, Material Handling, Safety Supplies, Shipping Supplies, Home Brew, Athletic Field Supplies, Facility Supplies, and Flags. The company also provides services such as Design Services, Bottle Design & Manufacturing, Logistics, Product Sourcing, Warehousing Services, and Drum & Tote Disposal/Reconditioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drums, Overpacks & IBCs Industrial container line including 55 gallon drums (steel, plastic, fiber, carbon steel, stainless steel, composite), salvage and overpack drums, reconditioned drums, IBC totes and tanks (plastic, carbon steel, stainless steel), heavy-duty bins, insulated bins, and UN 4G corrugated IBCs. Used by industrial chemical, food, and manufacturing buyers for bulk material containment and shipping.
• Pails & Buckets 5 gallon buckets and pails in steel, plastic, and hybrid materials, including open head and tight head options, threaded containers, metal buckets, EZ Stor containers, round/square plastic pails, and UN4G combination packaging. Sold to industrial and consumer-product manufacturers.
• Paint Cans Metal, plastic, and hybrid paint cans in sizes from half-pint to gallon, including art-style clear paint cans, plus lids, clips, Armlok and Normlock rings, shakers/mixers, and opening/closing tools. Sold to paint and coatings manufacturers.
• Plastic Containers Plastic bottles (Boston Round, Modern Round, Bullet, Cylinder, Packer, Oblong, Honey, Sauce & Dressing, Growler, Decanters, Spray, Twin Neck, Tip N Measure, Media), jars, jugs, tubs, Cubitainer and E-Tainer products in HDPE, LDPE, PET, and PP materials. Sold to food, beverage, personal care, and industrial chemical buyers.
• Glass Containers Glass packaging including Boston Round, Dropper, Packer, Beer, Growler, Wine, Liquor, Drink & Beverage, Milk, and Hot Sauce bottles; French Square, Economy, Straight Sided, Paragon, and Spice jars; jugs; and vials in amber, cobalt blue, and clear. Sold to beverage, pharmaceutical, and personal care buyers.
• Metal Containers F-Style oblong steel cans, slip cover cans, cone top cans, utility cans, metal tin cans, steel pails, and metal paint cans. Sold to paints, coatings, and industrial chemical buyers.
• Caps & Closures Complete closure solutions including metal caps (threaded, lug, brush, dauber, spout, beer bottle caps), plastic caps (threaded, dome, tamper evident, phenolic, polycone, spice), dispensing caps (flapper, side pour, disc top, snap top, turret, spout, grinder, sifter), child resistant caps, vented caps, dropper caps, sprayers/misters, pumps, lotion pumps, shrink bands, cap liners, and industrial closures (crimp-on spouts, faucets, capseals, poly-vents).
• Industrial Filtration Liquid filtration (filter bags, filter cartridges, basket strainers), dust filtration (dust collector bags, dust collector cartridges, leak detection powder), HVAC air filters, filter vessels and housings, filter bag adapter heads, and conditioning agents. Sold to industrial and manufacturing buyers.
• Spill Control & Containment Spill cleanup products (kits, absorbent powders, socks, rolls, pillows, pads, mats, oil spill booms), spill prevention equipment (decks, pallets, berms, containment trays, drum rack systems, hard tops, drain covers, plugs, diverters), and stormwater management (silt dikes, grate guards, drain guards, curb guards, dewatering bags, filter socks, pipe socks). Sold to industrial, chemical, and facility buyers.
• Temperature Control & Heaters Heating solutions for drums, IBC totes, and pails (heater bands, jackets, insulating covers, base heaters, hazardous area heaters), concrete curing blankets, cooling systems, ground thawing blankets, heating cables, heating tape, insulating quilts, silicone rubber blankets, honey warmers, DEF storage heaters, gas cylinder heaters, and bulk material warmers. Sold to industrial and manufacturing buyers.
• Flexible Packaging Flexible packaging including poly bags, vinyl bags, paper bags, and clear plastic bags. Sold to industrial, retail, and shipping buyers.
• Tools & Equipment Industrial tools including crimping tools, removal tools, screw cap wrenches, induction sealing machines, bottle capping machines, beer/wine cappers and corkers, labeling machines and printers, UV black light lamps, drum tools, pail and drum pumps, and pail and drum mixers.
• Material Handling Material handling equipment including hand trucks, dollies, pallets, pallet jacks, platform trucks, service carts, office carts, plastic box trucks, and tilt carts.
• Safety Supplies Safety equipment including safety showers and eyewash stations, safety cans and containers, and safety and storage cabinets (flammable, combustible, pesticide, hazmat, corrosive, drum, high security, EN safety storage, emergency preparedness).
• Shipping Supplies Shipping and packaging materials including boxes (corrugated, heavy-duty, multi-depth, hazmat, overpack cartons, mailers), pallet wraps, stretch film, inflatable air cushion, bubble and foam wrap, loose fill, and sheets.
• Home Brew Supplies Home brewing products including beer brewing supplies, winemaking supplies (fermentation equipment, bottling supplies, wine barrels, carboys), and beer/wine bottling equipment. Sold to hobbyists and small producers.
• Athletic Field Supplies Field marking and maintenance products including field marking powder, marking machines, texturizer, absorbent, field conditioner, and pitcher's mound and batter's box clay. Sold to schools, parks, and athletic facilities.
• Facility Supplies Facility maintenance products including trash cans, outdoor receptacles, recycling containers, cigarette receptacles, weigh scales, industrial cleaners and degreasers, waterproofing and anti-graffiti products, parts washers, sweeping compounds, and recycling containers.
• Flags Flag products including U.S. flags, military flags, state and territory flags, ISO flags, and specialty flags.
• Design, Sourcing & Reconditioning Services Value-added services including Design Services, Bottle Design & Manufacturing, Logistics, Product Sourcing, Warehousing Services, and Drum & Tote Disposal/Reconditioning. Sold to industrial and consumer product manufacturers requiring custom packaging solutions and lifecycle management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ years in business since 1895

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Containers UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2021The Cary Company acquired Containers Unlimited in October 2021. This acquisition expanded The Cary Company's container business portfolio, adding Containers Unlimited's products and customer base to their existing container and packaging offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TricorBraun: One of the largest North American rigid packaging distributors, offering plastic, glass, and metal containers plus closures across food, beverage, personal care, and industrial end markets — a direct competitor to The Cary Company's core distribution business.
• Berlin Packaging: Global hybrid packaging supplier (manufacturer + distributor) of containers, closures, and dispensing systems across numerous consumer and industrial verticals — directly comparable in product breadth and customer mix to The Cary Company.
• Qorpak: Supplier of glass and plastic containers, bottles, jars, and closures to lab, pharmaceutical, and industrial customers — explicitly named alongside The Cary Company as a key player in the U.S. dispensing caps and packaging market.
• SKS Bottle & Packaging: Distributor of glass and plastic bottles, jars, closures, and packaging components serving food, beverage, personal care, and industrial customers — named alongside The Cary Company as a U.S. dispensing caps market key player.
• Burch Bottle & Packaging: Distributor of glass and plastic bottles, jars, tins, and closures primarily serving the food, beverage, and personal care end markets — a named dispensing caps competitor of The Cary Company.
• U.S. Plastic Corp. Distributor of plastic containers, drums, pails, tanks, and industrial supplies to a wide range of U.S. industrial customers — comparable product mix, customer base, and online distribution model to The Cary Company.
• MJS Packaging: Distributor of plastic and glass containers, bottles, jars, closures, and dispensing systems serving food, beverage, personal care, and industrial customers — closely comparable product range and customer segments to The Cary Company.
• Freund Container & Supply: Distributor of glass and plastic containers, closures, and packaging supplies focused on food, beverage, and personal care end markets — comparable mid-sized U.S. packaging distributor to The Cary Company.

Broad incumbents

• Weener Plastics Group: Global manufacturer and supplier of dispensing caps, closures, and plastic packaging components — larger, more manufacturing-focused incumbent named as a key competitor to The Cary Company in the U.S. dispensing caps market.
• Greif Inc. Global industrial packaging manufacturer (steel, plastic, fiber drums, IBCs, containerboard) — operates both a manufacturing and reconditioning/distribution model overlapping significantly with The Cary Company's drum, pail, and IBC tote categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheCaryCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cary-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Cary Company