Carton Pack is a leading Italian player in the development, production and supply of packaging products for the food industry with a specific focus on fruit & vegetable packaging solutions and over 50 years of experience in its industry.

The company, headquarted in Bari (Italy) has a relevant international presence, with 30% of turnover coming from export and offers a wide range of products realised with sustainable materials: from recycled PET to paper & carton and moulded pulp. In 2021, aggregate sales stood at about €M 100 and Ebitda margin reached 20%.

Acquired by 21 Invest in mid-2018, throughout the holding period Carton Pack experienced a strong top line growth (+33%) thanks to the reinforcement of its leadership in the domestic market, the improvement of the penetration of existing foreign geographies and the entrance into new markets such as USA, New Zealand and Morocco, among others. In the same time period, Carton Pack has also completed three add-ons (one in Italy, one in Spain and one in Germany) in order to both enlarge its product range and to improve its international footprint. In addition the company completed its managerialisation, with the hiring, among others, of a CFO and a Head of Foreign Sales and substantially increased its workforce which reached approx. 400 employees in 2021 (+25%).

Moreover, Carton Pack has also established a partnership with Plastic Bank for the supply of “social plastic”, specifically R-PET deriving from recycled bottles collected in developing countries by people with economic difficulties.

21 Invest Italy has identified AMCE as the ideal partner to continue the international expansion of Carton Pack, sharing the same industrial approach and strong development path.

Alessandro Benetton, Founder and Managing Partner of 21 Invest, stated “I am very pleased with the great results achieved by the company, both in Italy and abroad. We supported Carton Pack in completing its managerialisation process, in enlarging its geographic footprint and in focusing on sustainable packaging solutions, also through selected add-ons. I believe that now Carton Pack is ready, under the guidance of the Leone Family, to pursue a further phase of growth alongside Alvarez & Marsal Capital Europe”.

Gianni Leone, CEO and Enterpreneur of Carton Pack, stated “Thanks to 21 Invest, Carton Pack has been able to further reinforce its leadership in Italy and to significantly expand its presence in foreign markets, becoming a true international player in its reference market. We believe that our partnership with Alvarez & Marsal Capital Europe will allow Carton Pack to complete its development path and to pursue further M&A opportunities”.