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 22 locations. This is the story of that decade, told through the milestones, the innovations, and the people who made it happen.
The Early Days: Fast, Bold, and Sold Out
ePac’s origin story moves quickly. The Madison launchpad opened in 2016, and the momentum never let up: 13 plants were built in the first five years alone. The second facility, in Boulder, Colorado, sold out its full production capacity within its first few months — proof that the market was hungry for exactly what ePac was building. Fast forward to today, and 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.
Innovation That Keeps Packaging Moving Forward
A decade of growth has been matched by a decade of firsts. Paper-based flexible packaging became a fan favorite 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: yes, 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.
Ten Years, Told by the People Who Built It
Numbers and milestones tell one side of this story. The people who showed up every day for a decade tell the rest, and their voices are what make this anniversary feel like a celebration rather than just a recap.
From our early startup days, everyone here pulled together to make ePac what it is today. That spirit is why we continue to disrupt the market, lead industry trends, and put our customers first. From day one to year ten, I’m grateful for every challenge, every victory, and every teammate along the way.
Max Prichard, Technical Operations Manager, Middleton plant
Russell Stogbauer, a Manufacturing Engineer at the Madison plant — one of ePac’s original locations — remembers the energy of those early years just as fondly:
My favorite part of the last 10 years has been meeting and working with so many different people. During the early growth period, it was crazy how much everything constantly changed and how quickly new people were added. It was special to be a part of.
Russell Stogbauer, Manufacturing Engineer, Madison plant
They are joined in this milestone by Michael Shiffer, Print Technology Manager, and Kyle Malaney, Account Specialist — four employees who have been part of ePac since the very beginning. Thank you, all four of you, for a decade of showing up, building, and believing in what this company could become. Here’s to the next ten.
Ten Facts to Celebrate a Decade
- 2016 — The very first production facility opened its doors in Madison, Wisconsin, in April 2016.
- QR — Through ePacConnect, bags carry dynamic QR codes for real-time track-and-trace and direct consumer engagement.
- 13 — ePac built its first 13 plants in its first 5 years alone.
- Paper — Paper-based flexible packaging quickly became a fan favorite sustainable choice across ePac’s locations in France.
- 50+ — All 50+ digital presses across 22 global locations are networked to run as a single, interconnected virtual printer.
- 20000 — ePac built its digital model around cutting-edge HP Indigo 20000 wide-web presses.
- Local — Each plant runs locally, creating nearby manufacturing jobs while supplying regional food and retail brands in its own community.
- Sold Out — The second facility, in Boulder, Colorado, sold out its full production capacity within its first few months.
- Zero — An all-digital process eliminates chemical solvents while dramatically reducing water and electricity use.
- The Pixelated Logo Secret — The pixelated “P” in the ePac logo represents the individual pixels that make up printed material, so fine in practice that they’re imperceptible to the human eye.
Here’s to the Next Decade
Look back across these ten years — from a single facility in Madison to a 50-plus press global network, from solvent-heavy printing to a zero-chemical digital process, from a static pouch to a smart, connected one — and a clear pattern emerges. ePac has never chased growth for its own sake. Every plant, every innovation, and every new capability has been built to make packaging work harder for the brands and communities it serves.
That is what ten years of building smarter, not just bigger, actually looks like. Here’s to the next decade of innovation, one pouch at a time.