Lombard The Paper People

What Lombard The Paper People does

Lombard The Paper People is an Australian family-owned packaging distributor founded in 1969, headquartered at Keilor Park, Victoria, with a workforce of 51–100. It supplies disposable catering products, packaging, tableware, cleaning/hygiene supplies, food service consumables, and party/events merchandise to hospitality businesses (hotels, restaurants, cafes, catering companies, clubs, conference centres), franchise and takeaway chains, bakeries and patisseries, event planners, back-of-house operators and retail businesses across Australia and New Zealand.

Its core offering is a broad product catalogue organised across cups and accessories, bags, food packaging, cake packaging, food supplies, tableware, and cleaning/hygiene, complemented by three higher-value extensions: a low-minimum-order custom printing service across disposable products, an Enviro Range (Lombard Ecology and Planet Saver tree-free bamboo lines) addressing single-use plastic regulation, and a licensed Party & Events range covering AFL, Cricket Australia, Australian Olympic Team, State of Origin, Spring Racing Carnival, Football Australia and Mardi Gras merchandise. Technology components include bamboo-based fibre inputs, in-house custom printing capability on multiple media, and the LOOP B2B online ordering portal that provides account customers with custom catalogues, order tracking, invoicing, statements and multi-user management.

The business operates a hybrid B2B/B2C model. B2B revenue is generated through quote-based trade pricing, a national field sales force attached to four distribution centres (Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia) and the LOOP portal for account customers. B2C and walk-in trade revenue comes from 15 retail party stores and the lombard.com.au online shop. Distribution is domestic-focused with a New Zealand extension, complemented by e-commerce, organic social (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), and direct sales channels. Customer concentration is broad, and the historical Sydney 2000 Olympic Games contract — distributing 120 million items to 5 million visitors in 40 days — remains the largest single engagement on record.

Name

Lombard The Paper People

Legal name

Lombard The Paper People

Website

https://lombardthepaperpeople.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lombard The Paper People is an Australian family-owned distributor founded in 1969 that supplies disposable catering products, packaging, tableware, cleaning supplies, and licensed party merchandise to hospitality, franchise, bakery and event customers across Australia and New Zealand via four distribution centres and 15 retail party stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Packaging Supplies

NAICS

Industrial and Personal Service Paper Merchant Wholesalers (424130), Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (3222)

SIC

Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110), Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Paper Tableware (Plates, Cups, Bowls) (CRAJAFAE), Disposables & Single-Use Foodservice Products Wholesale (AFAIALAC), Paper-Based Packaging & Single-Use Paper Products (Paper Bags, Wraps, Cartons) (CRADALAL)

Keywords

• Disposable food packaging
• Hospitality catering supplies
• Custom printed packaging
• Sustainable packaging products
• Party and event supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Keilor

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Disposable Catering Products: Sale of disposable food packaging products, cups, bags, food containers, tableware, cleaning supplies and hygiene products to hospitality businesses. The company also sells to retail consumers through their party stores and online portal. Products include paper cups, plastic containers, food packaging, cake packaging, and cleaning/hygiene supplies.
2. Custom Printing Services: Custom printing on disposable catering products with low minimum order quantities, managed from design through to distribution. Provides branding solutions for businesses.
3. Party & Events Products: Sale of party decorations, event kits, theme kits, custom balloons, and licensed promotional merchandise including AFL, Cricket Australia, State of Origin, Australian Olympic Team, and other sports event merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lombard The Paper People supplies disposable food and beverage packaging, tableware, cleaning and hygiene products, cake packaging, and party/event merchandise to hospitality and food service businesses across Australia. The company also offers custom printing on disposable catering products with low minimum order quantities and operates a separate consumer-facing division with 15 retail party stores and licensed sporting merchandise.

Product overview

Lombard The Paper People is an Australian-owned packaging company established in 1969, operating as a single unified product portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their offering consists of comprehensive product categories for the hospitality and food service industry: Cups & Accessories (paper cups, plastic cups, ice cream/milkshake cups, bottles, straws), Bags (paper bags, plastic bags), Food Packaging (trays, containers, wraps, foils, pizza boxes), Cake Packaging (boards, boxes, patty pans), Food Supplies (syrups, sauces, condiments, tea/hot drinks), Tableware (cutlery, plates, bowls, napkins), Cleaning & Hygiene (gloves, detergents, garbage bags), plus service features including Custom Printing on disposable products, the Enviro Range sub-brand (Lombard Ecology and Lombard Planet Saver tree-free bamboo products), Custom Events & Theme Kits (licensed merchandise for AFL, Olympics, etc.), and the LOOP B2B online ordering portal. The portfolio is organized around the hospitality supply chain, from front-of-house dining needs to back-of-house cleaning requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lombard Ecology: Environmental brand designed to meet Environmental Standards with products for all waste streams, including degradable wooden cutlery and PET disposable cups.
• Lombard Planet Saver

Products and services

• Cups & Accessories Paper cups, plastic cups, ice cream cups, milkshake cups, hot chip cups, bottles, straws, stirrers, and carry trays for beverage service in hospitality and food service operations.
• Bags Paper bags and plastic bags including singlet bags, poly bags, freezer bags, produce rolls, and snaplock bags for retail, hospitality, and food service use.
• Food Packaging Trays, clams, containers, greaseproof paper, food wraps, foils, food picks, skewers, labels, register rolls, and pizza boxes for food service operators.
• Cake Packaging Patty pans, moulds, piping bags, cake boards, cake boxes, cake trays, and doyleys for bakeries and patisseries.
• Food Supplies Syrups, toppings, sauces, condiments, sugar, and tea and hot drink supplies for food service operators.
• Tableware Cutlery, plates, bowls, napkins, and napkin dispensers for dining service in hospitality settings.
• Cleaning & Hygiene Gloves, paper cleaning products, detergents, soaps, garbage bags, and cleaning accessories for back-of-house operations.
• Custom Printing Service Custom printing capability on almost any type of disposable catering medium with low minimum order quantities, managed end-to-end from design to distribution for hospitality and food service brands.
• Enviro Range Environmentally friendly packaging range comprising the Lombard Ecology brand of products meeting environmental standards and Lombard Planet Saver tree-free bamboo products including food containers and coffee cups, providing sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics.
• Custom Events & Theme Kits Event kits, theme kits, custom balloons, and custom display kits for retail and hospitality promotions. Includes official licensed merchandise for AFL, Cricket Australia, State of Origin, Australian Olympic Team, Spring Racing Carnival, Football Australia, and Rainbow Mardi Gras.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed 120 million items in 40 days during Sydney 2000 Olympics

Named customers7 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLombard The Paper People are proud members of the Australian Packaging Covenant and use Covenant Performance Objectives. They follow guidelines for better packaging design, increased reduction, reuse and recycling of used packaging materials, reduced use of non-recyclable materials, and reduced amount of packaging going to landfill.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Confoil: Australian manufacturer of dual-ovenable and disposable foodservice trays and containers, serving a similar bakery, foodservice, and hospitality customer base across Australia and New Zealand.

Direct peers

• Detmold Group: Australian packaging manufacturer with paper-based foodservice, retail, and industrial packaging products, including a sustainability-focused range, serving overlapping hospitality and FMCG customers in Australia and selected export markets.
• BioPak: Australia/NZ-headquartered sustainable foodservice packaging company offering compostable cups, containers, and cutlery with a sustainability-first brand positioning that closely mirrors Lombard's Planet Saver and Lombard Ecology ranges.
• Detpak: Australian paper-based foodservice packaging manufacturer with a comparable product range of paper cups, containers, bags, and custom-printed solutions serving the same hospitality and quick-service restaurant customers in Australia and New Zealand.

Broad incumbents

• Sabert Corporation: Global foodservice packaging manufacturer offering plastic, paper, and sustainable foodservice solutions including custom printing, with overlapping customer base in QSR, hospitality, and event catering.
• Bunzl plc: Global distribution and supply-chain specialist with an extensive foodservice, hospitality, and cleaning/hygiene portfolio; operates in Australia via Bunzl Australia, distributing many of the same disposable product categories as Lombard.
• Pactiv Evergreen: North American foodservice and beverage merchandising packaging leader with broad foodservice disposables (cups, containers, cutlery, tableware) competing for the same hospitality and QSR customers in markets where both companies operate.
• Dart Container Corporation: North American foodservice packaging incumbent with a broad range of cups, containers, lids, and tableware for the same hospitality, QSR, and institutional foodservice customers Lombard serves.
• Huhtamaki: Global foodservice and consumer packaging incumbent with a large foodservice disposables portfolio (cups, containers, tableware) operating in 30+ countries, overlapping with Lombard's core hospitality packaging categories but at significantly broader scale.

Emerging players

• Vegware: UK-based specialist in compostable foodservice packaging with a sustainability-led product range directly addressing the same single-use plastics regulatory shift that drives demand for Lombard's Enviro range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lombardthepaperpeople
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lombard-the-paper-people
• Instagraminstagram.com/lombardthepaperpeople

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Lombard The Paper People