Reflections after our 10-year anniversary in 2025
Mark Zhou
When I started MTPak in 2015, or MT Packaging as we were then known, it was a simple coffee bag trading company. There were three of us in total, calling people, emailing clients, and sourcing the packaging ourselves. It was great at the time, but it soon became clear that we needed to scale up our branding and operations.
Initially, I wasnβt sure whether to invest money into a rebrand and a new website. I was worried it was too expensive. So, I spoke to my mother. βJust try everything,β she told me. βYou never know whatβs going to happen, so just try it.β I took her advice, and in 2018, we expanded into international sales and took charge of the entire operation, manufacturing our packaging as well as selling it. At this point, though, we didnβt have a definitive brand or our own full-fledged factory.
Business was going well for a year or so, but the specialty coffee industry was expanding fast. More roasters than ever were using custom-printed bags, and we didnβt want to be left behind while the industry grew. We knew that significant investment was essential if we wanted to grow further, so in 2019, we took our biggest risk yet. We invested in a new factory and upgraded our branding, renaming the company MTPak Coffee.
We also wanted to work closely with the roasters we sold to, and position ourselves as a force of good. We hired ambassadors, ranging from barista champions to roasters and tasters, to spread our message and increase our visibility across the industry.
It was around this time that we also became major sponsors of events like the Producer Roaster Forum, which we continue to partner with to this day. I still love supporting new and meaningful initiatives in the industry, like the Global Coffee Awards, to add value to the supply chain and demonstrate our commitment to roasters.
Of course, the pandemic then hit in 2020. Everything was locked down, and we werenβt allowed to go outdoors. To make the most of a bad situation, we worked hard on expanding our digital presence to promote the business.
It was easier than ever to communicate with roasters from around the world, which helped us realise that businesses of all sizes wanted high-quality custom packaging. It wasnβt just medium-sized roasters, but huge commercial roasteries and independent coffee shops as well. So, in 2022, we increased our budget again, investing significantly in our social media presence and website and opening a factory in Shanghai specifically for takeaway cups.
Once lockdown restrictions lifted, we started attending as many trade shows as possible. Every country where thereβs an exhibition, youβll find MTPak Coffee. We attend all World of Coffee events, all SCA events, and other expos like CafΓ© Show Vietnam. This visibility is crucial: people from East Asia come up to us and say, βI saw you in New York!β To me, thatβs a real company.
More than anything, our digital marketing and trade show appearances help us build trust with roasters. Weβve got a decade of experience behind us now, and our reputation speaks for itself, but weβre human. We arenβt above making mistakes. If we do, we take care of our customers: weβll pay for the shipping, weβll pay for the reproduction, everything. Thatβs how to keep customers happy and build long-standing relationships.
One thing we never want to do is stand still, so Iβm constantly looking for new investments and opportunities to support roasters. In 2022, we invested in a digital printer to offer lower minimum order quantities, helping roasters of all sizes customise their packaging. The next year, we expanded into LATAM and Saudi Arabia, hiring dedicated representatives for each region to assist roasters as they ordered packaging. Then in 2024, we invested in a new 50,000 square metre factory, which weβre hoping to launch by the middle of 2026.
The same goes for my own development as a business owner: Iβm currently halfway through an Executive MBA at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, and canβt wait to put everything Iβve learned into practice.
What really makes us stand out is our willingness to take risks. Once I get a new idea, I like to implement it straight away. I know sometimes it wonβt work, but youβll always regret the things you donβt try. Thatβs one of my personal beliefs.
Itβs also part of the reason why weβve launched so many successful sub-brands in the past ten years. We started with Cold Brew Pak in 2024, focusing on pouches, cans, and cups for cold brew coffee. Then, we launched PureLock later that year, specialising in hermetic bags and jute sacks for green coffee. It helps to diversify our business and show companies across the supply chain that weβre here to support them.
Most recently, weβve completely relaunched our core MTPak brand, offering flexible packaging for everything from food to medical products. Weβre incredibly proud of our versatility across industries, with the same values of customer service and quality running through them all.
The years of effort and experimentation have made MTPak Coffee the company it is now, but weβre only getting started. For now, I want to thank the suppliers, distributors, and customers who have helped us get this far in our first decade. Without you, we wouldnβt be the company we are today, and I canβt wait to see what else we can all achieve together.
What does quality coffee packaging really mean?
During β¨the Producer & Roaster Forum’s Sourcing Trip Experience (STE) in 2025, we interviewed coffee professionals to hear their thoughts on the importance of high-quality packaging β and their experience with MTPak Coffee.
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