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Butterfly Equity has completed the acquisition of ePac Flexible Packaging, a producer of digitally printed flexible packaging, from an investor consortium that included Amcor and Indevco North America.

Founded in 2016, ePac Holdings supplies flexible packaging to consumer packaged goods companies, with a strong focus on food and beverage brands.

The company operates 14 facilities across the US and Canada and is built around its proprietary ePacONE platform, which enables short-run, order-to-demand production with automated quoting and rapid turnaround times.

ePac’s existing leadership team, led by CEO and co-founder Virag Patel, will continue to run the business and has retained a significant ownership stake.

Patel said: “Over the past decade, ePac has redefined the packaging model by putting the most advanced technology in the hands of the world’s most innovative brands. By partnering with Butterfly, we enter a new phase of acceleration."

"This partnership allows us to continue disrupting the industry while leveraging Butterfly’s connectivity throughout the food and beverage ecosystem. Together, we will continue to evaluate and deploy next-generation technologies and platforms, like ePacONE, to deliver unmatched value and brand growth for our customers, regardless of their size or scale.”

Butterfly's partner and head of investment team, Vishal Patel, commented: “We’re thrilled to partner with the ePac team as Butterfly’s first platform investment into the packaging market – a critical component of the food value chain".

"Our deep and specialized expertise in food end markets will enable ePac’s growth while reinforcing its commitment to outstanding customer service for the leaders and innovators in food and other categories. ePac has already established itself as a market leader, and together we aim to build on that success.”

Butterfly's managing director, Eric Tommarello, added: “We have been deeply impressed with ePac’s specialisation and their ability to lead the market. The company’s visionary management team has demonstrated a strong track record of execution, and we believe the combination of seamless technology, speed of service and an obsessive focus on the customer experience has created a scalable foundation for continued growth in the digitally printed packaging category.”

Butterfly said the deal marks its first platform investment in the packaging sector. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Top image: © ePac Holdings