Fishbone
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersEugene, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Fishbone does
Fishbone is a sustainable beverage carrier product brand operated by Atlantic Corporation, doing business as Atlantic Packaging, a privately held packaging company headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. Fishbone provides paperboard-based, curbside-recyclable beverage carriers designed to replace single-use plastic rings, caps, and HDPE handles on 6-pack and 12-pack canned and bottled beverages. The carrier uses a 1:8 material ratio relative to a full cardboard carton, is both curbside recyclable and biodegradable (88% of the paperboard breaks down into pieces smaller than 10 millimeters within 12 weeks), and is supported by a patent-pending design. The product is sold to beverage companies and breweries, ranging from small craft brewers to large-scale producers.
The offering is a complete packaging program rather than a standalone SKU. It includes a tiered equipment portfolio — the manual Fishbone Snapper handheld applicator for small breweries and high-speed automated application equipment capable of processing up to 2,000 cans per minute for large production lines — along with installation, training, maintenance, and optimization services delivered through Atlantic Packaging's technical service team. Equipment can be purchased, leased, or amortized into material pricing, lowering the capital barrier for adoption. The program is sold through Atlantic Packaging's consultative direct sales force targeting enterprise beverage accounts and through the A New Earth Project e-commerce storefront, which extends reach to consumers and small businesses.
Fishbone is one of several "Innovative Solutions" product lines within Atlantic Packaging's broader portfolio of stretch, shrink, corrugated, mailer, and other packaging formats. Atlantic Packaging is privately held, founder/management-controlled, and operates 501-1,000 employees. No venture capital or private equity investment, no public listing, and no revenue, ARR, or unit-volume figures are disclosed. The Fishbone brand sits within Atlantic Packaging's broader sustainability and A New Earth Project positioning, which emphasizes plastic-free, curbside-recyclable packaging solutions.
Fishbone firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fishbone
- Legal name
- Atlantic Corporation
- Website
- https://fishbone.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fishbone industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Beverage Packaging
- NAICS
- Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing (322212), Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing (322219), Paperboard Container Manufacturing (32221)
- SIC
- Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Protective Paper Packaging (Honeycomb, Paper Cushioning, Paper Wrap) (IMALACAH)
Keywords
Where Fishbone is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eugene
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fishbone business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Beverage Carrier Sales: Sale of Fishbone sustainable beverage carriers made from paperboard. Curbside recyclable carriers that replace plastic rings and caps.
- Application Equipment: Sale and lease of application equipment ranging from manual handheld applicators (Fishbone Snapper) to high-speed automated machines. Equipment costs can be purchased outright, leased, or amortized into material costs.
- Technical Services: Installation, training, maintenance, and optimization services for Fishbone equipment. Comprehensive technical service support included with the program.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Flexible equipment procurement options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Fishbone product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fishbone manufactures and sells recyclable paperboard-based beverage carriers that replace single-use plastic rings, caps, and HDPE handles for canned and bottled beverages. The offering bundles the fiber-based carrier with a managed applicator system ranging from the manual Fishbone Snapper Handheld Applicator for small breweries to high-speed automated equipment capable of processing up to 2,000 cans per minute, supported by installation, training, maintenance, and optimization services from Atlantic Packaging's technical team.
Product overview
Fishbone is a comprehensive sustainable beverage carrier program offered by Atlantic Packaging. The core offering is the Fishbone Sustainable Beverage Carrier — a paperboard-based carrier that replaces single-use plastic rings and caps for canned and bottled beverages. The program includes complementary equipment: the Fishbone Snapper Handheld Applicator for small breweries and automated high-speed application equipment for operations running up to 2,000 cans per minute. Equipment costs can be leased, purchased, or amortized into material pricing. The product line also includes installation, training, maintenance, and optimization services through Atlantic's technical service team.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fishbone Snapper Handheld Applicator: Manual application equipment for small breweries to apply Fishbone carriers to beverage cans and bottles.
Products and services
- Fishbone Sustainable Beverage Carriers Paperboard beverage carriers for cans and bottles that are curbside recyclable, designed to eliminate single-use plastic rings and caps. Uses a 1:8 material ratio compared to full cardboard cartons, and biodegrades with 88% decomposition into pieces smaller than 10 mm after 12 weeks. Sold to beverage companies and breweries.
- Fishbone Snapper Handheld Applicator Manual handheld applicator equipment used by small breweries to apply Fishbone paperboard carriers to beverage cans and bottles. Sold standalone as part of the Fishbone program.
- Fishbone Automated Application Equipment High-speed automated equipment capable of processing up to 2,000 cans per minute for high-volume beverage production lines. Equipment costs can be leased, purchased, or amortized into material pricing. Sold to beverage companies and breweries.
- Fishbone Technical Services Installation, training, maintenance, and optimization services for Fishbone carriers and application equipment. Delivered by Atlantic Packaging's technical service team in support of the Fishbone program.
Quantifiable outcome
- 88% of paperboard breaks down into pieces smaller than 10mm within 12 weeks of decomposition
Companies that use Fishbone
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Fishbone technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Fishbone partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- A New Earth ProjectcoreA New Earth Project operates the e-commerce storefront (anewearthproject.com/collections/fishbone) where Fishbone Sustainable Beverage Carriers are sold directly to consumers and businesses. This is a strategic distribution partnership that extends Fishbone's reach to end customers seeking sustainable packaging options online.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Fishbone competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pactiv Evergreen: Pactiv Evergreen is a major paper and foodservice packaging manufacturer with a broad portfolio of sustainable paperboard and fiber-based packaging offerings. While it covers beverage-adjacent formats, it is a broader incumbent whose portfolio spans foodservice, foods packaging, and beverage carriers.
- Berry Global Group: Berry Global is a major global packaging manufacturer with growing fiber-based and sustainable packaging offerings serving beverage, food, and consumer goods customers. Competes broadly for sustainable packaging contracts but is a broader incumbent rather than a paperboard carrier specialist.
- Amcor: Amcor is a global packaging giant with extensive paperboard, flexible, and rigid packaging offerings serving the beverage industry. While not specialized in paperboard beverage carriers like Fishbone, it competes broadly for sustainable packaging wallet share with major beverage brands.
- Sealed Air Corporation: Sealed Air manufactures protective and food packaging, including sustainable paper-based alternatives. It is a broad incumbent in protective and sustainable packaging, overlapping with Fishbone's positioning around recyclable, plastic-free formats.
Direct peers
- Sonoco Products Company: Sonoco manufactures paperboard cans, carriers, and fiber-based packaging, including multipack solutions for the beverage industry. Its paperboard converting capabilities and global beverage customer base make it a direct competitor for sustainable beverage carrier contracts.
- Smurfit Westrock: Smurfit Westrock (post WestRock-Smurfit Kappa merger) produces the TopClip paperboard multipack carrier and is one of the most scaled competitors in fiber-based beverage packaging. Both companies target the same beverage customers seeking plastic-free multipack alternatives, with overlapping capabilities in paperboard converting and printing.
- Graphic Packaging Holding Company: Graphic Packaging is a leading global paperboard packaging manufacturer whose KeelClip and PaperBoard Multipack solutions directly compete with Fishbone in fiber-based beverage multipack carriers for brewers and CPGs. Both companies serve global beverage customers with curbside-recyclable paperboard multipack formats.
Emerging players
- Novolex (Eco-Products): Novolex, through its Eco-Products brand, produces fiber-based bowls, clamshells, and carrier products for foodservice and beverage customers. It directly competes with Fishbone in the broader sustainable paperboard packaging space, particularly for brewers and CPGs seeking curbside-recyclable formats.
- Frugalpac: Frugalpac is a UK-based sustainable packaging company producing paper-based bottles and fiber beverage packaging. While focused on bottles rather than cans, it competes in the same plastic-free beverage packaging space targeting sustainability-conscious brewers and beverage brands.
- Notpla: Notpla develops seaweed-based biodegradable packaging and, notably, is partnered with Atlantic Packaging for North American distribution (Sway Seaweed Packaging). It is an emerging competitor in sustainable beverage packaging but uses a different material technology than Fishbone's paperboard carriers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fishbone social profiles
Digital presenceFishbone financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fishbone leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Fishbone funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fishbone M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fishbone
What does Fishbone do?
Fishbone manufactures and sells recyclable paperboard-based beverage carriers that replace single-use plastic rings, caps, and HDPE handles for canned and bottled beverages. The offering bundles the fiber-based carrier with a managed applicator system ranging from the manual Fishbone Snapper Handheld Applicator for small breweries to high-speed automated equipment capable of processing up to 2,000 cans per minute, supported by installation, training, maintenance, and optimization services from Atlantic Packaging's technical team.
Is Fishbone a public or private company?
Fishbone is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Fishbone founded?
Fishbone was founded in 1995. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Fishbone based?
Fishbone is headquartered in Eugene, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fishbone make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Beverage Carrier Sales are the primary driver. The others are application Equipment and technical Services.
Who are Fishbone's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pactiv Evergreen, Berry Global Group, Amcor and Sealed Air Corporation. Direct peers are Sonoco Products Company, Smurfit Westrock and Graphic Packaging Holding Company. Emerging players are Novolex (Eco-Products), Frugalpac and Notpla.
Does Fishbone have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fishbone.
What industry is Fishbone in?
Fishbone's product category is Sustainable Beverage Packaging. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALACAH, Protective Paper Packaging (Honeycomb, Paper Cushioning, Paper Wrap). Its NAICS code is 322212 and its SIC code is 2650.