Everpack Ghana: Manufacturer of Food Packaging, Paper Ware and Plastic Disposable Products

Interview with Karim Achkar, Managing Director at Everpack

What is your assessment of the sector? What are the latest trends? Is the market competitive?

It is definitely very competitive. The markets now are totally different than in the past. The world has become smaller and people are more aware. You have access to anything you want. Especially in industry, it used to be more closed and that is not the case anymore. It is an open market. People are looking for something to do so the market is much more competitive these days.

What are the major challenges for the sector?

The major challenges are many. In this sector, electricity is a big challenge for us. Some of the competition is not only from Ghana but also from the Far East. They have a lot of advantages. They come and dump a lot of products locally, which is a big challenge for us.

Do they pay taxes on these imports?

We always hear that our products are very good and people like to buy them. This is something that we are very proud of.

Sometimes, they do not. Sometimes, they add products which are light into other products which are very heavy. The containers cannot exceed a weight of 24 or 28 tons so all the gaps are filled with light products which they do not add to the freight and they end up paying less duty. It becomes very challenging for us to compete with.

What about the supply side?

Most of our raw materials are imported which is very challenging. Because of where we are in the world, the time for freight is quite long. No matter where we order our raw material from, either from the Far East or Europe or the Middle East, it takes at least 40 to 45 days.

What makes Everpack different from the rest of the competition?

We are always trying to be more creative and advanced with new products. We travel to see what the new technology is in our field. We have a big range in our line of business. We have many products which go together. That makes it easier for people to order or to buy because they can find many things at the same time. They do not have to move from one place to another to get what they want. This is a good advantage for us.

What are your competitive advantages?

We understand how the business works, how people prefer to work, and we try to make it easy for them and support them in the beginning. Gradually, things get much better and we get to improve the business.

What lines of product do you have? Which do you want to develop?

Our line of business includes food packaging items. We also have a line of tableware. For example, at a restaurant or a party, you need plates, forks, knives, spoons, cups, and we put all these items together. If somebody wants to buy a plate, he also needs a fork, cup, and napkin. This is one of our advantages.

Are there any products you would like to promote more?

Of course, but it is also what the market requires. You can introduce some products and they will move once they are available. Availability of the product makes it more in demand. We try to have our products everywhere and accessible to everyone so it makes it easy to move and be in more demand. If you have a very good product that is not accessible to people, it does not mean anything. Distribution is very important to spread the goods everywhere. We also create awareness for people and share what the benefits of our products are. For example, keeping the food neater because hygiene is very important for protecting food.

What qualifications or certificates do you have to guarantee your hygiene?

There is a certificate which many big companies and well-known franchises in the world request. It helps them to buy the products under a certain specification. Food items and food products especially have to be in very good condition and hygiene. So, we have worked on this certificate so that we can supply to franchises such as Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut. Most of the big fast food industry players request this certificate. It is an advantage for us also to supply the same companies around all of West Africa, not just in Ghana.

What is your international market reach? Are you looking to export to other countries?

Every manufacturer is looking to export. This is a very good step forward for the company itself and for the country. The government always does a lot of things to help with exporting because it brings up hard currency to the country.

Have you already begun to export?

We export to Ivory Coast, Togo and Burkina. So far, we are looking at the closest countries that neighbor Ghana. We are planning to move forward and go a bit further into countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and other West African countries in the ECOWAS.

Who are your clients?

Our clients vary from supermarkets and many large restaurants, mini shops in petrol stations like Underrun or Bonjour, to big, well-known hotels like Mövenpick, Kempinski, Golden Tulip, and many others. The mass market is also a big volume for us. We try to go everywhere and spread our products.

What success stories have you achieved?

In the beginning, it was not easy. We started to import some of our products which were quite bulky like paper napkins and facial tissue. Facial tissue is a growing product. People did not know much about it in the beginning. They wanted to use cloth handkerchiefs. We introduced our product, Akwaba, which means “welcome” and has a beautiful Ghanaian cloth design that people really appreciated. That has made people more used to using facial tissue. It was a very good thing for us. We are happy now that people are using the product more. It has become a part of the Ghanaian culture as a brand.

What is the most interesting product that you want to push?

We have many products in different lines. We have tissue paper, our napkin is very well known, our kitchen towel, and our toilet paper brand, Fluffy, is very famous.

What CSR activities are you active in?

Many of our products are biodegradable, such as our trash bags. We also do paper and plastic versions of our products. A new trend now is paper straws because many countries are banning plastic straws. We also have paper cups. Some of the items have to be made out of plastic, but we have biodegradable plastics now as well.

What is different about this company being a family business versus a large shareholder company? What is the advantage?

Being a family business does not mean that it has to be not well-organized. You still have to be on top of your work and do follow up. You cannot just do business and then leave and go elsewhere and rely on other people to handle the business. In Africa, you have to be aware on a daily basis of how things are going and know what the weak points of the company are and what to improve on as well as how to improve. So far, it has been successful. In the long run, we may go into partnership or joint venture with other bigger companies or multinationals. All doors are open for that.

What is your vision for the company in three to five years’ time? What do you want to achieve?

Every single day we think of new things to push the company ahead. We thank God that we have been successful and that most of the investments we have done were successful. So far, we are doing well with our revenues and we are also planning to expand into different countries. We do not want to open factories somewhere else, but rather export from Ghana. In Ghana, people really appreciate quality products which we are able to offer at very affordable prices. Ghana is known throughout the neighboring countries to have good products and good quality items. We are happy about that and so far, all the feedback is really appreciated. We always hear that our products are very good and people like to buy them. This is something that we are very proud of.

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