Ten years ago, a small team opened the doors to ePac Flexible Packaging’s very first production facility in Madison, Wisconsin. What started as one plant and one big idea – that digital printing could make custom packaging faster, more accessible and more local for brands of every size – has grown into a global network spanning four continents.
Today, that early hustle has scaled into something remarkable: all 50+ digital presses across 22 global locations now run as one giant, interconnected virtual printer, powered by cutting-edge HP Indigo 20000 wide-web presses.
That scale never came at the expense of connection. Every ePac plant operates as a hyper-local hub, creating manufacturing jobs nearby while supplying regional food and retail brands in its own community. Growing bigger, for ePac, has always meant showing up closer to home, in more places at once.
A decade of growth has been matched by a decade of firsts. Paper-based flexible packaging became a fan favourite sustainable choice across ePac’s locations in France, proving that eco-conscious options could be just as popular as they are practical. The company’s digital, all-solvent-free printing process has done its own quiet work behind the scenes, dramatically cutting water and electricity use with every run.
Then there is the pouch itself, which has become something more than packaging. Through ePacConnect, powered by Scantrust, bags now carry dynamic QR codes for real-time track-and-trace and direct consumer engagement, turning a simple scan into ingredient checks, authenticity verification, and rewards sign-ups – all from the panel a shopper is already holding. Tying it all together is ePacONE, the network that connects every plant, every order, and every customer under one standard, so a brand gets the same print fidelity and the same lead time no matter where in the world the job runs.
And for the sharp-eyed few who have noticed: the pixelated ‘P’ in the ePac logo is intentional. It represents the individual pixels that make up printed material. In practice, the printing resolution is so high, and the pixels are so small, that they are imperceptible to the human eye – a small, precise detail hiding in plain sight, much like the technology behind it.
“From day one, ePac was built to empower brands at every level,” said Virag Patel, CEO and co-founder of ePac Flexible Packaging. ‘Whether providing low-minimum agility for a startup’s flagship launch or high-capacity production for a global enterprise’s national rollout, we remove manufacturing constraints so our partners can focus on scaling their business.
As it enters its second decade, ePac is accelerating investment in high-barrier materials, sustainable film options, expanded production capacity and next-generation digital print technology.
“Our best years are ahead of us,” Patel added. “We are doubling down on next generation print technology that allows us to seamlessly scale alongside our brands, whether they need hyper local runs or massive national distribution. We are leveraging technology to simplify the entire packaging process, while keeping the fast response times and personal, hands-on touch that our community-based brands have relied on since day one.”