Kari-Out invests $10M in sustainable paper manufacturing

Kari-Out Co., a Tarrytown, New York-based manufacturer, importer and distributor of paper, aluminum and recyclable packaging products in the restaurant takeout industry, has announced a significant move to bolster its line of sustainable packaging solutions.  

The company says this is its largest investment to date and will expand manufacturing capabilities in its specialty quality packaging (SQP) facility in New York, where Kari-Out’s popular Food Trays, Eco Box and Eco Earth paper food containers are produced. SQP, founded in 1981, has been a Kari-Out company for more than 15 years and has helped Kari-Out drive innovation.  

“State-of-the-art machines with new die-cutting, folding and forming technology will allow Kari-Out to double its capacity for paper containers, producing innovative new shapes and sizes to accommodate the changing carry-out industry,” says Dominick Fontana, head of operations for Kari-Out.   

He adds that the investment also focuses on six-color printing and photo processing, with the goal of delivering high-quality graphics for Kari-Out’s branded and private-label products.  

“We’ve seen a considerable increase in demand for our single-slice pizza boxes and closed food containers for hamburgers and hot dogs,” says Kimberly Cassar, Kari-Out head of marketing. “Another area of growth is chicken boxes. The chicken wars across the national chains are real. This key investment will help us better serve this segment.”  

According to Edison Trends, overall spending on chicken sandwiches grew 420 percent between 2019 and 2020. Chicken sandwiches appear on 48 percent of total U.S. restaurant menus, and Americans consume more chicken than any other meat, surpassing beef, pork and fish.  

“As the chicken trend continues, Kari-Out continues to develop perfect containers to move America’s favorite type of food with Chicken Boxes, Eco Boxes and sandwich boxes,” Cassar says. “We also make a full assortment of portion control sauce packets to go with these great sandwiches.”  

Cassar says the company plans to meet the demand for to-go packaging by expanding its manufacturing footprint by 340,000 square feet this year.  

While about 80 percent of all the food packaging the company makes is paper-based, it will increase output of responsible products, such as the Eco Earth closed container, which is made from 100-percent-recycled board and is both recyclable and compostable. Additionally, ramped-up operational efficiency is expected to reduce waste by from 5 percent to 10 percent.