Graph-Pak

What Graph-Pak does

Graph-Pak Corporation is a privately held, single-site paperboard packaging manufacturer headquartered in Franklin Park, Illinois. Founded in 1976 by John Hewitt with a $5,000 loan, the company designs, manufactures, and distributes folding cartons — both standard and custom — for consumer packaged goods brands and major retailers across food & beverage, household goods, personal care, technology, and entertainment. Manufacturing and distribution run from a 93,000 sq. ft. plant and a 65,000 sq. ft. distribution center, with a 56" large-format printing press and matching die-cutter installed in 2009 to extend the addressable product range. The company's proprietary operational stack includes a Design Level Order Program for demand variability, a Leary Scanning & Ejector System providing 100% inline inspection, an ERP with full lot traceability from raw material to finished goods, and an Inventory Management System claiming 99% accuracy at the case level.

Graph-Pak is ISO 9001:2000 certified for quality management and AIB certified for food safety, both of which are gating credentials for CPG and food & beverage accounts. Its published customer roster spans enterprise names (Walmart, Nestle, Safeway, HEB, Carnation, Arm & Hammer, Walt Disney, Dickies, Moen, First Alert, 5-hour ENERGY) alongside smaller brands (Goose Island, Jones Pure Cane Soda, Elis Cheese Cake, Lifeway, Black Iguana, Brametics). Public pricing is not disclosed; the company runs a quote-based direct sales model with website contact and a customer portal (mygraphpakportal.com) for order management by existing clients.

The revenue model is straightforward custom-manufacturing: one-time production fees per folding carton order bundled with design, manufacturing, and distribution. The business is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no M&A history, and no leadership changes on record. Geographic reach is described globally in marketing copy but physically limited to a single U.S. site serving a North American customer base.

Name

Graph-Pak

Legal name

Graph-Pak Corporation

Website

https://graphpakcustompackaging.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Graph-Pak Corporation, founded 1976 and based in Franklin Park, Illinois, designs, manufactures, and distributes custom and standard folding cartons for consumer packaged goods brands and major retailers across food & beverage, household, healthcare, and other sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Folding Carton Manufacturing: Design, manufacture, and distribution of custom and standard folding cartons for consumer packaged goods brands. Revenue is generated through one-time production fees for custom packaging orders, with manufacturing and distribution services bundled.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Graph-Pak designs, manufactures, and distributes paperboard packaging — primarily folding cartons — for consumer packaged goods brands and major retailers. Offerings include custom and standard folding cartons, retail packaging, and paper packaging, complemented by the Design Level Order Program, which optimizes order quantities and lead times against changing consumer demand. Manufacturing and distribution are performed in-house at the Franklin Park, IL facility.

Product overview

Graph-Pak is a paperboard packaging company that designs, manufactures, and distributes folding cartons for the consumer packaged goods market. The company operates as a single unified product and service offering centered on packaging solutions, with the core products being Folding Cartons (their primary specialty), Custom Packaging, Retail Packaging, and Paper Packaging. These offerings are complemented by the Design Level Order Program, which provides supply chain optimization services. The company serves major brands across multiple retail sectors and has over 35 years of experience in the packaging industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Folding Cartons Standard and custom folding cartons manufactured for consumer packaged goods, serving as a key branding element for products distributed across grocery stores, retailers, and convenience stores.
• Custom Packaging
• Retail Packaging Paperboard packaging designed for retail products distributed across grocery stores and big box retailers nationwide, with industry-best technology and certifications supporting compliance.
• Paper Packaging Paper packaging solutions across product categories including frozen food and personal care, engineered to translate creative vision into well-executed shelf-ready packaging.
• Design Level Order Program A supply chain optimization program that helps CPG customers handle changing consumer demand by optimizing order quantities, reducing traditional lead times, improving working capital through reduced slow-moving inventory, and reducing shelf-level inconsistencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% inventory accuracy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Graphic Packaging Holding Company: Graphic Packaging is the largest US folding carton manufacturer serving CPG brands in food, beverage, and consumer products — a directly comparable competitor to Graph-Pak in product, customer base, and channel.
• Menasha Corporation: Menasha Packaging is a US-focused folding carton and consumer packaging converter serving CPG, retail, and food brands — closest comparable to Graph-Pak in size, geography, and customer mix.
• Diamond Packaging: Diamond Packaging is a specialty folding carton manufacturer producing high-end printed cartons for cosmetics, confectionery, and beverages — comparable to Graph-Pak in product category and direct-to-brand sales motion but more premium-positioned.

Broad incumbents

• WestRock (Smurfit Westrock): Smurfit Westrock is the combined paper and packaging giant with extensive folding carton, corrugated, and consumer packaging operations — overlapping with Graph-Pak on folding cartons for CPG but operating at vastly larger scale across substrates.
• Sonoco Products Company: Sonoco is a global diversified packaging incumbent with consumer packaging (folding cartons, rigid plastics) operations serving food, beverage, and consumer brands — comparable to Graph-Pak in substrate and customer profile but broader in portfolio.
• Pactiv Evergreen: Pactiv is a large food service and consumer packaging producer (paperboard cartons, foodservice products). Overlaps with Graph-Pak on paperboard-based consumer packaging for retail and food brands but is considerably larger and broader.
• International Paper: International Paper is a vertically integrated paper and packaging major with consumer packaging folding carton operations serving CPG brands — comparable downstream, but also upstream-integrated into paperboard where Graph-Pak is not.
• Packaging Corporation of America: PCA is a major containerboard and corrugated producer with consumer products packaging operations — comparable in scale and customer orientation to Graph-Pak but heavier on corrugated substrate.

Regional players

• Smurfit Kappa (Europe-focused, now part of Smurfit Westrock): Smurfit Kappa historically operated folding carton and consumer packaging businesses predominantly in Europe, providing a regional analogue to Graph-Pak in product category but with a different geographic footprint.

Emerging players

• Tekni-Plex / PPC Industries (folding carton arm): Tekni-Plex operates specialty paperboard and folding carton divisions serving consumer products — comparable to Graph-Pak in substrate and customer base, with broader portfolio across healthcare and specialty materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/graphpak

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Graph-Pak