Fox Packaging: A US-Based Company Offering Reliability and Innovation

Fox Packaging offers a variety of flexible and breathable packaging solutions for the produce industry, including its signature Fox Fresh Mesh product line, which features a woven polyethylene mesh that allows produce to respire, keeping it fresh and in good condition.

Fox’s packaging options can be used for citrus, apples, mangos, avocados, potatoes, onions, mini-cucumbers, peppers, green beans, and celery, among other fresh produce commodities.

Headquartered in McAllen, Texas, Fox Packaging has been in business for more than 50 years. “Fox Packaging has lent our five decades of expertise to the fresh produce industry through dynamic partnership and innovative packaging designs,” says Craig Fox, vice president at Fox Packaging. “Our operations have expanded with the addition of supporting state-of-the art equipment for competitive lead times and fleets for direct distribution.”

Craig Fox, Vice President, Fox Packaging

Fox Packaging’s bag offerings include the Fresh Mesh, Fresh Mesh Wicketed, Fresh Mesh Combo, Combo Ultra Shield, Stand-up Combo, HD Stand-Up, and Leno. These options have a variety of different features to suit customers’ desired specifications, such as vertical and horizontal labels, quick-lock and draw tape closures, and a range of sizes.

“Fox Packaging has lent our five decades of expertise to the fresh produce industry through dynamic partnership and innovative packaging designs.” - Craig Fox

“Each design in our product offerings represents a chain of events within historic market needs and buying behavior,” says Craig Fox. “Our Fresh Mesh bag served as an alternative packaging solution to that of our Leno bag and offered consumer-size packaging for store shelves. Our Fresh Mesh Combo bag offered a packaging solution that incorporates a combination of PE film and mesh that offers ideal print space for branding. By understanding our customers, retailers, and consumers, we are able to be proactive as an organization to innovate new packaging applications.”

Fox Packaging's Leno bag

Sustainability is important to Fox, and all of the company’s polyethylene bags are recyclable, and its polypropylene Leno bag can be reused. “We’re working in alignment with our customers to streamline the requests that retailers are making, one which is the recyclability of the packaging sitting on store-shelves,” says Victoria Lopez, Marketing at Fox Packaging. “As members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, we’re approved to print the How2Recycle label on packaging of customers who have opted to communicate a universal recycling language.”

How2Recycle label

"By understanding our customers, retailers, and consumers, we are able to be proactive as an organization to innovate new packaging applications.” – Craig Fox

Fox Packaging also has a sister company, Fox Solutions, which offers pouch and wicketed bag machinery. “The collaboration of Fox Packaging and Fox Solutions offers vast options and opportunities to our customer base,” says Aaron Fox, President of Fox Solutions. “We feature in-house capabilities on various fronts of our industry: graphic artists, fleets, product development with sustainable materials, and through Fox Solutions, top-of-the-line machinery—all invested in with our customers in mind, protecting their product and, essentially, their bottom line.”

Aaron Fox, President, Fox Solutions

As a US-based company, “Fox Packaging offers advantages in efficient distribution cycles, compliance and certifications, [and] access to markets, materials, and technologies,” says Keith Fox, President of Fox Packaging. “In this current demand for fresh produce, consumers want food security, and packaging buyers want consistent packaging supply. A US partner offers reduced lead times and reliable communication.”

Victoria Lopez, Marketing, Fox Packaging

“We’re working in alignment with our customers to streamline the requests that retailers are making, one which is the recyclability of the packaging sitting on store-shelves.” - Victoria Lopez

Furthermore, says Keith Fox, “US packaging companies maintain a high level of international acceptance. Whether meeting production standards for sustainability or requesting safety documentation, US-based packaging convertors are prepared to keep projects moving.” 

Keith Fox, President, Fox Packaging

When it comes to developing a packaging solution for organic produce, Fox’s US location is also an asset. “Finding effective sustainable packaging for organic produce may pose itself as a challenge as there are strict guidelines posed by the USDA on how organic produce can be described via its packaging labels,” explains Aaron Fox. “Working with a US manufacturer like Fox allows an organic brand to work in collaboration with their packaging partner according to their organizational needs and USDA organic regulations.”

“As members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, we’re approved to print the How2Recycle label on packaging of customers who have opted to communicate a universal recycling language.” – Victoria Lopez

Dedicated to innovation, reliability, and customer service, Fox Packaging is consistently working to strengthen its supply chain and come up with new packaging solutions. The company maintains a diversified supplier base and stockpiles inventory based on past demand and future forecasts. It is also working on sourcing post-consumer recycled content for some of its bags as an alternative to polyethylene, which has been expensive and in shorter supply over the last couple of years.

Fox Packaging's Fresh Mesh Combo solution

“Fox Packaging’s innovative culture can be attributed to our many years of service to the fresh produce industry,” says Craig Fox. “To be a continued resource to retailers, we have joined our customers in understanding various pain points—such as sustainable design, messaging, distribution, and automation solutions. We have worked diligently to adapt our products to offer greater value-added options to be a direct packaging solution and partner. … Now more than ever, we are continuing to research and develop solutions that serve our customers, retailers, and, ultimately, fresh produce in a positive manner.”