Sacks Packaging

What Sacks Packaging does

Sacks Packaging is a leading Southern African manufacturer of multilayer paper sacks, self-opening (SO) bags, and flexible packaging, headquartered 5 km from Durban Port in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The company was established in 2015 through a management buyout from Nampak Products Ltd, funded largely by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and is 100% black South African owned. Its product portfolio spans six core lines — Cement, Industrial, Milling, Sugar, Charcoal, and Flexible Packaging — serving blue chip customers across cement, mineral, chemical, agricultural, sugar, grain milling, and charcoal industries across the entire SADC region. Production capacity is rated at 30,000 tons annually, manufactured on recapitalized equipment including state-of-the-art 8 colour printers, sack lines, SO bag lines, extrusion and adhesive laminators, with water-based inks used for sustainability.

The company operates a B2B enterprise sales motion with direct customer engagement on product customization, supported by a comprehensive certification stack (ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, FSC, BBBEE, SABS, EPR). Pricing is quote-based with minimum order quantities (e.g., 10,000 units for sugar packaging) and no public pricing disclosure. Revenue is generated through one-time sales of customized packaging to enterprise customers rather than subscriptions or licensing. Sacks Packaging has publicly committed to carbon neutral production and recyclable, compostable, or reusable packaging design by 2030, and runs social development programs including supplier development, maize farming, container milling, and community feeding initiatives. CEO Kevin Kistan leads the company, which employs approximately 300 people per the company's own careers page.

Name

Sacks Packaging

Legal name

Sacks Packaging

Website

https://sackspackaging.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Packaging

NAICS

Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing (322220), Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing (326111)

SIC

Plastics, Foil & Coated Paper Bags (2673)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper Bags & Sacks (retail, industrial, multiwall) (IMAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Sacks & Bags (Paper/Plastic/Woven) (IMALAGAD), Paper Bags & Sacks (Multiwall, SOS, Grocery) (IMALACAD), Dry Foods & Staples Packaging (Cereals, Pasta, Rice) (IMALAHAJ)

Keywords

• Paper sack manufacturing
• Flexible packaging
• Industrial packaging
• Kraft paper bags
• Multilayer packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Paper Sack and Bag Manufacturing: Manufacturing and sale of multilayer paper sacks, self-opening bags, and flexible packaging to industrial customers. Products sold directly to blue chip customers and other businesses in SADC region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sacks Packaging manufactures and sells multilayer paper sacks, self-opening (SO) bags, and flexible packaging for industrial customers. Their products serve the cement, mineral, chemical, agricultural, sugar, grain milling, charcoal, and food/personal care industries across the SADC region. The company operates a 30,000-ton annual production capacity from its Durban facility using state-of-the-art 8-colour printing, sack lines, SO bag lines, extrusion and adhesive laminators.

Product overview

Sacks Packaging is a leading Southern African manufacturer of multilayer paper sacks, self-opening (SO) bags, and flexible packaging. The company offers a unified portfolio of packaging solutions that includes Cement Packaging (Kraft paper cement sacks), Industrial Packaging (various industrial paper sacks with valve and open mouth options), Milling Packaging (flour bags for wheat and maize), Sugar Packaging (sugar bags with shelf-ready features), Charcoal Packaging (bags for charcoal and briquettes), and Flexible Packaging (sustainable flexible solutions). These products are sold across diverse market segments including cement, mineral, chemical, agricultural, sugar, grain milling, and charcoal industries, serving the entire SADC region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cement Packaging Kraft paper cement sacks providing fit-for-purpose packaging solutions with enhanced durability and print quality for leading South African cement brands and distribution operations.
• Industrial Packaging Paper sack and bag solutions for industrial applications including pasted valve bags, pasted sleeve valve bags, open mouth bags with handles, HDPE liners, and high gloss poly coated variants, used for mining powders, chemicals, agricultural products, and mineral products.
• Milling Packaging Wheat and maize flour bags designed for maximising shelf life and on-shelf display, featuring rectangular bases and innovative folds to minimise sifting, serving flour milling customers.
• Sugar Packaging Sugar bags featuring rectangular bases for upright shelf display, available in white, brown and High Wet Strength kraft paper with single ply and multi-ply structures, ranging from 250g to 25kg with various closure options (minimum order quantity of 10,000 units).
• Charcoal Packaging Packaging solutions for charcoal and briquettes in sizes from 2kg to 15kg, including open mouth sewn, self-opening sachets, pasted sleeve valve, open mouth pasted bottom bags, and high gloss poly coated bags with world-class print capabilities for brand awareness.
• Flexible Packaging Sustainable flexible packaging solutions including spiral-wound composite can labels for stacked chips and individual film bags for FFS (form-fill-seal) application, using water-based inks, with commitment to carbon neutral production by 2030.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity of 30,000 tons annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 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.

• Nampak Products LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginally a division of Nampak Products Ltd. In 2015, Sacks Packaging was acquired from Nampak through a management buyout. The company retained decades of experience in marketing and manufacturing of packaging from this heritage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Huhtamaki: Global food and consumer packaging manufacturer with flexible packaging, paper bags, and laminates across emerging markets. Comparable in flexible-packaging, paper-bag, and food-grade end markets, with growing presence in Africa.
• Mondi Group: Global paper and packaging group with significant kraft paper and industrial bag operations in South Africa. A broad incumbent with overlapping paper-sack and flexible-packaging products but at much greater scale and geographic diversification.
• Sealed Air: Global packaging company specializing in protective and food packaging with flexible-film technology. Comparable in flexible packaging and lamination capabilities, though primarily serving food-safety and protective-packaging niches.
• Berry Global Group: Global plastic and flexible packaging manufacturer serving consumer and industrial markets. Comparable in flexible-packaging film and bag products, though primarily plastic-focused rather than paper sacks.
• Smurfit Kappa: Global paper-based packaging leader with operations across multiple continents, including industrial bag and sack formats. Comparable in paper-conversion manufacturing and blue-chip customer base, though primarily corrugated-focused.
• Sonoco Products: Global diversified packaging manufacturer with industrial and consumer paper-container products. Comparable in paper-conversion industrial packaging and similar blue-chip customer base across multiple verticals.

Regional players

• Bidvest Packaging: South African-based distributor and converter of industrial and commercial packaging materials. Comparable as a regional player in the Southern African packaging market with industrial and consumer packaging offerings.

Emerging players

• Coveris Holdings: European packaging converter producing flexible and paper-based packaging for food and industrial customers. Comparable in flexible packaging and coated/laminated paper products, with overlapping end markets.
• LC Packaging: European-headquartered specialist in industrial packaging including FIBCs, paper sacks, and bulk packaging for chemicals, agriculture, and minerals. Direct overlap with Sacks Packaging's industrial sack product line and end markets.

Direct peers

• Nampak: Former parent company of Sacks Packaging's division and Africa's largest packaging manufacturer. Directly comparable in paper sacks, flexible packaging, and rigid containers across the same Southern African end markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 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 Sacks Packaging