who we are
We are a fully integrated custom folding carton/paper box manufacturer located in the beautiful west coast city of Vancouver, BC, Canada. We design and manufacture paper boxes (also known as folding cartons) in all designs, shapes, and sizes – to meet the needs of each individual customer. Established in 1955, we are a family-owned company that has been serving Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest for over half a century. Yeah
As we are fully-integrated, we are capable of doing all processes in-house: graphic design, structural design, printing, diecutting, folding, gluing and assembling the finished carton. With over 50 years of experience in the packaging industry, we bring our marketing and production expertise to help our customers achieve creative – and functional packaging solutions.
Our mission
- To help our customers fully maximize packaging to communicate their products in new and different ways
- To produce quality packaging products that help customers manage overall business costs
- To provide top notch personalized service by translating our expertise and understanding in design and production into added value for our customers
- To be committed to promote and support green packaging choices and solutions
Our history: why the packaging business?
The company was incorporated in 1955 by Cy Saimoto and his partner. This was only six years after Japanese Canadians were allowed to return to the West Coast after their internment during World War II. Cy, like many who were interned during the War, wanted to start a new business to rebuild.
At the time, most products like butter and peanut butter were sold in bulk and wrapped in brown paper when one bought it at the local store. Cy’s father foresaw that eventually, most products would require individual packaging to be mass marketed, so advised that packaging would be a steady business to get into. He told his son that though companies and products would come and go, everyone would still need their product to be packaged.
It was sound advice. Starting with one letterpress, Great West Paper Box Co. started to custom manufacture paper packaging for small businesses in the Vancouver area. Over the decades, Great West has continued to focus and innovate to solve the needs of its customers with custom design and production solutions. While we have upgraded our production processes with new technologies, Great West has always maintained that it is our people, their great wealth of knowledge, experience, creativity and care, that continues to support our customers’ successes over the years.
Great West Logo
The inspiration for the Great West logo consists of the blue sky (G) and green trees on the bottom (W). The trees represent the source from which paperboard is made and together with the sky symbolize the natural beauty of the west coast of British Columbia.