our history
In 1955, Cy Saimoto, a 2nd generation Japanese Canadian, decided to start a packaging business to prosper from the new era of mass marketing
Great West Paper Box Co Ltd. was incorporated just six years after Japanese Canadians were allowed to return to the West Coast after their internment during World War II. The family fishing boat business had been confiscated and sold, so Cy wanted to start a new business to rebuild.
Why the packaging business?
Pizza box - 1960's
Woodwards boxes - 1970's
At the time, most products like butter and peanut butter were sold in bulk and wrapped in brown paper at the local store. Cy’s father foresaw that eventually most products would require individual packaging to be mass marketed. He realised that even though companies and products would come and go, everyone would still need their product to be packaged, so he advised Cy that packaging would be a steady business to get into.
It was sound advice. Starting with one letterpress, Cy and a partner started to custom design and manufacture paper packaging for small and medium size businesses in the Greater Vancouver area. Over the decades, we have grown to a 55,000 square foot facility that is now being run by the second generation.
Great West Paper Box continues to focus and innovate to solve the needs of its customers with custom design and production solutions. While the company has upgraded its production processes with new technologies; we believe that the main reason we have been able to help so many customers succeed over the years is the wealth of knowledge, experience, creativity and care of our people.
The Great West name and logo
The original Great West logo, at left, was inspired by the beauty and promise of the west coast of British Columbia, with its tree covered mountains and the ocean. The ‘G’ at the top of the triangular logo represents the blue sky and the green triangles at the bottom forming the 'W' represent tree covered mountains, the source of paperboard. Our logo was recently revised to the one on the right, which retains the iconic elements of the old logo, but adds some dimensionality.