Kari-Out's Largest Investment Yet To Help Improve Sustainable Paper Manufacturing

Kari-Out has invested more than $10 million in environmentally friendly papermaking.

FREMONT, CA: The paper industry's goal is to guarantee that paper manufacturing conserves precious resources and does not impose an extra burden on the environment through adverse air quality, water resources, or waste generation. Additionally, it is about guaranteeing safe working conditions for our employees and providing safe products to the consumers. Kari-Out Company, a market leader in the restaurant takeout sector as a manufacturer, importer, and nationwide distributor of paper, aluminum, and recyclable packaging goods, has expanded its creative portfolio of sustainable packaging solutions.

"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," states Dominick Fontana, Head of Operations for Kari-Out "This investment will also focus on 6-color printing and photo processing such as printing both inside and outside packaging" to deliver high-quality graphics for Kari-Outs branded and private label products."

The company's most significant investment will be expanding production capabilities at its Specialty Quality Packaging (SQP) facility in New York, which produces Food Trays, Eco-Box", and Eco Earth" paper food containers. SQP was created in 1981 and has been a Kari-Out firm for over fifteen years. With a highly-skilled manufacturing staff, SQP has assisted Kari-Out in driving innovation.

"We've seen a considerable increase in demand for our single-slice pizza boxes and closed food containers for hamburgers and hot dogs," states Kimberly Cassar, Kari-Outs 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."

Between January 2019 and December 2020, overall spending on chicken sandwiches increased by 420 percent, according to Edison Trends. Chicken sandwiches appear on 48 percent of all restaurant menus in the United States, and Americans consume more chicken than any other meat, surpassing beef, hog, and fish consumption.

"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. We also make a full assortment of portion control sauce packets to go with these great sandwiches," adds Ms. Cassar.

According to FORBES, Ghost Kitchens are the third trend on its list of the Four Hottest Food Trends to Watch in 2022. Additionally, Euromonitor predicts that Ghost Kitchens will grow to be a trillion-dollar market in ten years. They are expected to reach more than $139 billion by 2028.

“With the incredible growth, the demand of to-go packaging is rising just as quickly, and KARI-OUT is working to accommodate that demand by expanding our manufacturing footprint to over 340,000 square feet this year,” comments Ms. Cassar.

Significantly, the investment is consistent with Kari-recent Out's association with the United States Composting Council, and it demonstrates Kari-commitment Out's to a sustainable future. While around 80 percent of the company's food packaging is made of paper, they will increase the production of environmentally conscious items such as the Eco Earth" closed container, which is made entirely of recycled board and is both recyclable and compostable. Additionally, increased operational efficiency is predicted to result in a 5–10 percent reduction in waste.

“Our goal is to make each food occasion we serve friendlier to the environment,” concludes Cassar.