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Gunther Mele Ltd. is a Canadianmanufacturer and supplier ofretailpackaging. The company's headquarters are located inBrantford,Ontario. Gunther Mele isprivately owned and has operations in the United States, China and Canada.
Gunther Mele was established in 1857[1] by twoGerman immigrant brothers and was originally named the E&A Gunther Company. The company’s mission statement was "Everything for the Jeweler except Jewelry". They supplied jewelry packaging, watch materials, and workshop tools to independentjewelers, jewelry chain stores, and largedepartment store jewelry departments.
In 1962, a great-grandson of the founders was killed in an automobile accident after leaving a trade show. His widow sold the company to Mele Manufacturing Company ofUtica, New York. In 1987, Douglas M. King, who is the current owner and CEO, purchased Gunther Mele from Mele Manufacturing. Mele Manufacturing was a major jewelry case manufacturer which owned Farrington Packaging, which itself made cases for Cross Pen, Schick Shavers and many consumer product companies. His son, Darrell King, joined the company in 1995 and now serves as the company's president.
Over the years, the company has evolved into one of the largest suppliers of packaging and packaging-related products in North America. The company employs over 250 people in two facilities including a 108,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) manufacturing plant inBrantford, Ontario, Canada, and an 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) operation inBuffalo, New York, United States.
The company manufacturescotton-filled paper boxes as well as poly bags,paper bags, reusable bags, and a variety of printed ribbon, seals and packaging accessories. Gunther Mele has been an early adopter of environmentally friendly packaging, licensing TDPA oxo-biodegradable technology from epi-global and utilizingFSC approved suppliers of papers for it shopping bags. Reusable non-woven fabric style bags have become a major category for Gunther Mele.
In addition to manufacturing capabilities, the company has more than thirty years experience working with manufacturers in Asia and established a "working venture" with several overseas manufacturers. Product volume with these three manufacturing companies in China is substantial and allows the company to control production schedules, quality and delivery. Gunther Mele also owns a Chinese company called KDI Limited, located in Hong Kong, which acts as a sourcing agent, liaises with factories in quality, delivery and production methods and facilitates the company's importing activities.