Reusable Packaging: A Startup’s Startling Success
Bopaq unlocks the key to reusable packaging with a proven track record for more than a million containers in the challenging food and beverage market.
At a Glance
- Stacks of single-serve packaging inspired Mishel Wong to found Bopaq reusable food and beverage packaging
- Product line of clear polypropylene cups for drinks and food boxes can withstand 1,000-plus washes
- Optional app-based reward system incentivizes returns and promotes sustainability
Making the best of a bad situation is in Mishel Wong’s DNA as much as an entrepreneurial spirit.
That was made clear several years ago while working in Quebec for Servicelab Canada, a supplier of dining ware-washing equipment and products including soap for restaurants and related food service operations.
Then the pandemic hit and suddenly dining out turned to dining in at home, a sharp shift that swept through her sales area and across the globe. Restaurant reservations dried up along with her company’s main source of revenue.
“Almost overnight, no one was buying our soap as restaurants pivoted to takeout,” Wong recalls.
Why not ride the wave of change? Wong’s epiphany prompted her to lead the charge to offer single-use packaging.
“I researched conventional packaging and began to sell a limited selection to restaurants to generate revenue,” she says.
The tide would eventually change as the pandemic waned and, over time, restaurants gradually returned to pre-COVID operations.
It was during this time she had another epiphany, this one at a Servicelab warehouse that would build on that first realization.