Cirkla is expanding its manufacturing footprint into the United States with a new molded fiber packaging facility in Gainesville, Georgia, targeting growing demand from meat and poultry processors seeking alternatives to conventional rigid plastic trays.

Production at the facility is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027.

The plant will manufacture Cirkla’s molded fiber products, including modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) trays and overwrap trays, and is expected to employ more than 100 people when operating at full capacity.

The investment brings production closer to Cirkla’s U.S. customers as the company prepares for larger commercial deployments of its fiber-based food packaging.

Gainesville Plant Targets U.S. Protein Packaging Market

Cirkla selected Gainesville partly because of its concentration of poultry and food-processing operations.

The company already manufactures its fiber packaging at scale in India. CEO Vaibhav Goel said growing U.S. demand strengthened the case for establishing domestic production.

The Georgia facility will be located at the Gainesville 85 Business Center in Hall County and serve as Cirkla’s North American manufacturing headquarters.

According to the company, bringing manufacturing to the U.S. is intended to increase production capacity, shorten lead times and strengthen supply-chain resilience for domestic customers.

The facility will incorporate automation, in-house quality laboratories and additional finishing capabilities.

Fiber MAP Trays Target a Difficult Plastic Replacement

Fresh meat packaging presents a demanding application for fiber-based materials.

Packaging must provide sufficient protection while working with established processing, sealing and distribution systems. Modified atmosphere packaging adds another requirement because the package needs to maintain the controlled atmosphere used to support product quality and shelf life.

Cirkla has developed molded fiber MAP trays using a liner system designed to provide the required packaging functionality while reducing dependence on conventional rigid plastic trays.

The company says its technology has already been validated on equipment platforms used by U.S. protein processors.

Its molded fiber products use plant-derived feedstocks including sugarcane bagasse, bamboo and wood pulp.

The U.S. plant will support both MAP and conventional overwrap applications, giving the company access to different segments of the meat and poultry packaging market.

Domestic Production Supports Larger Commercial Rollouts

Cirkla said the expansion follows increasing adoption of its packaging by protein processors and grocery retailers.

Moving production closer to customers could become particularly important as volumes increase.

Large meat and poultry operations require consistent packaging supplies at high volumes, making manufacturing capacity, logistics and compatibility with existing packing equipment important considerations alongside material sustainability.

Goel said Cirkla’s existing operations in India have provided experience manufacturing the technology at commercial scale.

The Georgia investment is intended to transfer that production capability closer to U.S. customers preparing larger rollouts.

More Than 100 Jobs Planned at Full Capacity

The project also represents a new manufacturing investment for Hall County.

Cirkla expects the Gainesville operation to employ more than 100 people at full capacity.

Georgia officials highlighted the region’s existing combination of food processing, manufacturing and logistics infrastructure as a factor supporting the investment.

The recently developed Gainesville Inland Port is also intended to improve connections between northeast Georgia businesses and wider freight networks.

Gainesville’s established poultry sector could give Cirkla proximity to potential users of its meat-packaging technology as production ramps up.

Cirkla Looks Beyond Meat Packaging

While meat and poultry are central to the new facility, Cirkla is developing molded fiber packaging for a broader range of food and consumer applications.

Its portfolio includes packaging concepts for ready meals, dairy products, produce, coffee capsules and other custom applications.

The Gainesville investment therefore represents more than additional capacity for a single tray format.

It gives Cirkla a domestic manufacturing platform from which it can expand molded fiber packaging across U.S. food markets.

Production beginning in early 2027 will provide an important commercial test of how far molded fiber can move beyond relatively simple food containers and into higher-performance applications traditionally dominated by rigid plastics.

Last Updated on 18/08/2026 by Jota Machinery