CREO Group

What CREO Group does

CREO Group is a vertically integrated manufacturer of household container solutions and horticultural products, formed in 2024 as a platform consolidating three legacy plastics manufacturers — Nursery Supplies Inc. (founded 1960), United Solutions (originating as United Comb and Novelty in 1919), and HMS Mfg. Co. (founded 1987) — under the sponsorship of Mill Point Capital. The company operates ten facilities across the United States (Atlanta GA headquarters; manufacturing in Leominster MA, Sardis MS, Kissimmee FL, Chambersburg PA, Little Rock AR, Troy MI, Youngstown OH), plus Rio Bravo, Mexico manufacturing, and a Hong Kong global sourcing office, employing 251–500 people. Its product portfolio spans two segments: Consumer Products (storage totes, laundry baskets, trash cans, buckets, kitchen organization, pet and garden products) sold under licensed brands Hefty and Rubbermaid plus proprietary brands Home Logic, MIGHTY TUFF, and Life is Good; and Horticulture (greenhouse containers, nursery pots, propagation trays, branded growing containers) under proprietary brands JānorPot, NuPot, Forever Forward, and ACCELERATOR.

The underlying technology is grounded in conventional plastics processing — blow molding, injection molding, pressure forming, and vacuum forming — augmented by in-house recycling operations that produce millions of pounds of proprietary reprocessed resin annually and reuse approximately 99% of in-house scrap in select SKUs. Product innovation includes the Forever Forward space-saving container design delivering 60% more product per freight footprint, the ACCELERATOR air root pruning system for horticulture, and custom branding capabilities spanning six-color printing, hot stamping, and dry-offset printing. CREO holds multiple US design and utility patents and registered trademarks across its branded portfolio, plus long-dated inbound licenses for Hefty and Rubbermaid dating to 2009.

Revenue mechanics are entirely B2B: direct sales to enterprise retailers (Target, Lowe's, Walmart — all three have awarded Vendor/Supplier of the Year to CREO or its predecessors), commercial greenhouse growers and nurseries, and industrial distributors, supplemented by licensing royalty streams from Hefty and Rubbermaid. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated through multi-year contracts; no public list pricing exists. The go-to-market motion combines enterprise field sales targeting major retail accounts with channel partnerships through wholesale distributors serving mid-market and commercial customers. The company also pursues adjacent verticals (commercial waste management, janitorial, moving/storage, hospitality) where its container technology applies.

Name

CREO Group

Legal name

CREO Group, Inc.

Website

https://creogroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CREO Group is a vertically integrated US plastics manufacturer of household containers and horticultural products, serving major retailers (Target, Lowe's, Walmart) and commercial growers. The Mill Point Capital-sponsored platform consolidates three legacy firms operating ten facilities across the US, Mexico, and Hong Kong.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Container Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing (322219)

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Coated Recycled Board (CRB) Manufacturing (IMAMAFAE)

Keywords

• Plastic container manufacturing
• Horticulture supplies
• Household storage products
• Greenhouse containers
• Consumer packaging solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Kissimmee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Branded Consumer Products: Sale of branded household container products including storage totes, laundry baskets, trash cans, buckets, and organization products under licensed brands (Hefty, Rubbermaid) and proprietary brands (Home Logic, Mighty Tuff).
2. Horticulture and Nursery Products: Manufacturing and sale of greenhouse containers, nursery pots, trays, flats, inserts, and branded growing containers to commercial growers and nurseries.
3. Licensing Royalties: Royalty revenue from licensing agreements for Hefty (since 2009) and Rubbermaid (since 2009) brands for household storage products.
4. Private Label Manufacturing: Custom manufacturing of containers and products for retail partners under private label brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CREO Group is a vertically integrated manufacturer of plastic household container solutions and horticultural products. The company produces storage totes, laundry baskets, trash cans, buckets, kitchen organizers, and nursery/greenhouse containers under proprietary brands (Home Logic, MIGHTY TUFF) and licensed brands (Hefty, Rubbermaid, Life is Good). Operations include blow molding, injection molding, pressure forming, vacuum forming, and in-house plastic recycling serving retailers and commercial growers across North America.

Product overview

CREO Group is a vertically integrated manufacturer and supplier of plastic household containers and horticultural products. The portfolio operates as a multi-brand platform comprising proprietary brands (Home Logic®, MIGHTY TUFF™), licensed brands (Hefty®, Rubbermaid®, Life is Good®), and core product lines (Forever Forward™, JānorPot®, NuPot, ACCELERATOR). Products span two main categories: Consumer Products (kitchen storage, laundry baskets, trash cans, pet products, garden accessories, moving/storage solutions) and Horticulture (greenhouse containers, nursery containers, propagation trays, branded growing containers). The company offers in-house recycling operations, custom branding services (custom colors, six-color printing, hot stamping, barcoding), and serves markets including retail, commercial growing, janitorial, hospitality, and moving/storage industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hefty: Hefty brand storage totes and products, licensed to HMS Mfg. Co. LLC
• Home Logic
• Life is Good
• MIGHTY TUFF
• Rubbermaid
• JānorPot
• NuPot
• Forever Forward

Products and services

• Hefty® Storage Products Licensed brand featuring MAX PRO storage totes (12-gal and 18-gal) with 5-year limited warranties for household storage; manufactured and distributed by CREO Group under Hefty licensing.
• Rubbermaid® Storage Products Licensed Rubbermaid-branded storage containers including ActionPacker, Roughneck, Cleverstore Clears, and EcoSense lines with limited lifetime warranties; manufactured under license by United Solutions (CREO Group subsidiary).
• Home Logic® Houseware Essentials Proprietary brand of houseware essentials including laundry baskets, hampers, rolling hampers, kitchen storage organizers, flat-lid storage totes, silicone food bags, and vacuum sealer bags.
• MIGHTY TUFF™ Garden, Pet & Storage Proprietary brand of durable garden, pet, and storage solutions including rain barrels, stacking bins, hose storage pots, storage caddies, delivery boxes, and pet food containers with 10-year warranty.
• Life is Good® Premium Buckets Licensed premium 5-gallon utility buckets featuring the Jake & Rocket artwork with 9-gauge metal handles, manufactured in the USA.
• Forever Forward™ Greenhouse Containers Space-saving greenhouse containers that deliver 60% more product in the same footprint, providing freight cost benefits and efficient growing solutions for commercial greenhouse operations.
• JānorPot® Greenhouse Containers Round greenhouse containers with black interiors for ideal rooting and a wide range of exterior colors for branding consistency; designed for commercial greenhouse operations.
• NuPot Square Greenhouse Containers Square systems containers designed for efficient greenhouse growing with various sizes and configurations for commercial nursery operations.
• ACCELERATOR Air Root Pruning System Air root pruning nursery containers (trade sizes #3 through #65) designed to promote healthier root systems through proprietary air pruning technology.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% more product in the same footprint (Forever Forward containers)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HMS Mfg. Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025CREO Group acquired HMS Mfg. Co. in February 2025, bringing expertise in housewares, Hefty brand licensing, and Michigan-based manufacturing capabilities (Innovation Center of Excellence in Troy, MI).
• United SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2024CREO Group acquired United Solutions as part of its growth strategy in September 2024. United Solutions is now part of the CREO Group platform, bringing expertise in household containers and Rubbermaid licensed products.
• Nursery Supplies Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Mill Point Capital acquired Nursery Supplies Inc. in 2023, which later became the founding entity of the CREO Group platform. Nursery Supplies was founded in 1960 in Trenton, NJ.
• TargetcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail partner receiving multiple awards including Partner of Excellence (2004), Bullseye Award (2005), and Vendor of the Year (2020). Products sold include buckets, storage containers, and household products.
• Lowe'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor home improvement retail partner awarded Vendor of the Year (2022). Buckets launched at Lowe's in 2008. Products include storage, organization, and garden products.
• WalmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail partner awarded Supplier of the Year (2017). Products sold through Walmart include household storage, organization, and consumer products.
• Rubbermaid IncorporatedcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRubbermaid Incorporated licenses the Rubbermaid trademark to United Solutions (now CREO Group) for household storage products. CREO Group manufactures Rubbermaid-branded products including ActionPacker, Roughneck, Cleverstore, and EcoSense lines.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Berry Global Group: Berry Global is a large diversified manufacturer of plastic packaging products serving consumer, horticulture, and industrial markets. It is a broad incumbent competitor in injection- and blow-molded containers with similar end markets to CREO Group.
• Newell Brands: Newell Brands owns the Rubbermaid trademark and a portfolio of consumer storage, food storage, and household brands. It is both a licensor to CREO Group and a broad incumbent competing in the same retail aisles through Rubbermaid-branded product lines.
• Pactiv Evergreen: Pactiv Evergreen manufactures food service and consumer packaging, including plastic containers and tableware, sold through retail and foodservice channels. It is a broad incumbent whose consumer-products business overlaps with CREO Group's storage and kitchen lines.
• Spectrum Brands Holdings: Spectrum Brands owns consumer brands in pet care, home and garden, and household products, including categories adjacent to CREO Group's MIGHTY TUFF garden and pet, and Hefty/Rubbermaid-branded household lines.
• Carlisle Companies: Carlisle Companies operates Construction Materials and other industrial segments including specialty coatings and engineered products. While primarily industrial, its scale and breadth make it a broad incumbent comparable to CREO Group in mid-market diversified manufacturing.

Direct peers

• Sterilite: Sterilite is the largest US manufacturer of plastic storage containers, totes, and household organization products sold through mass and club retailers. It is the closest direct competitor to CREO Group's Hefty/Rubbermaid-licensed and Home Logic household container lines.
• The HC Companies: HC Companies is a leading North American manufacturer of horticultural containers, nursery pots, trays, and growing media packaging. It directly competes with CREO Group's Nursery Supplies subsidiary across greenhouse and nursery product lines.
• Tupperware Brands: Tupperware Brands manufactures and distributes plastic food storage, kitchen organization, and household containers globally. It overlaps with CREO Group's kitchen, laundry, and storage consumer products under both proprietary and licensed brands.
• Letica Corporation: Letica Corporation manufactures injection- and blow-molded plastic containers, pails, and housewares for foodservice, industrial, and consumer markets. It is a direct peer to CREO Group's consumer container business across private-label and branded pails and totes.

Emerging players

• IPL Plastics: IPL Plastics (now IPL Group) is a rigid plastic packaging manufacturer serving consumer, horticultural, and industrial markets, including nursery and agricultural containers. It is an emerging specialist competitor overlapping with CREO Group's horticultural and consumer container portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creogroupinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/creogreenhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 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 CREO Group