ePac, Middleton, Wis., announced plans to expand into 15 major U.S. markets by 2019. The next two locations selected are Houston, Texas, and Miami, Fla., which will open in early 2018.

“Our Wisconsin plant has exceeded all of our growth expectations since opening just 18 months ago,” says Virag Patel, chief operating officer. “To accommodate our growing customer base, we’ve doubled our space and are adding assets to meet demand much sooner than we had anticipated. Based on our early results, our plan is to accelerate expansion throughout the United States.”

Sales will begin immediately in Houston and Miami, with manufacturing done in other ePac locations while the plants are under development. Each plant will focus on brands of all sizes in local markets, in particular small and medium-size businesses (SMBs).

“We’ve really seen our relationships with SMBs flourish since we first started ePac; we approach each engagement as an opportunity to help an entrepreneur bring his or her vision to life with great packaging,” adds Carl Joachim, chief marketing officer. “The natural and organic food market is a good example. The market is growing at over 8% per year, driven largely by small and medium-size businesses.”