Stearns Packaging Corporation is a full-line compounder of liquid and powder cleaning products for the food plant, janitorial, institutional, dairy and household sanitation markets. Our packaging sizes include single portion sizes, quarts, half gallons, gallons, 5 gallon pails, and 55 gallon drums for liquids and a variety of sizes for powders too. Our specialty is portion control packaging of liquid and powder concentrates for a variety of end-users. We feature water soluble packaging for powders.

A Brief History of Stearns Packaging Corporation

The company was founded as Stearns Chemical Corporation in 1951. The founder, George Stearns, was employed at the time as a research chemist at Oscar Mayer, Inc. His area of expertise was the development of improved methods and materials for cleaning the food processing areas to U.S.D.A. standards. Oscar Mayer had always been a fully integrated manufacturer, but drew the line at getting into the chemical business. George Stearns started his business with Oscar Mayer, Inc. as his first customer.

His expertise in food plant sanitation gave him insight into the needs of Wisconsin’s many independent meat packers, cheesemakers, vegetable canners, and breweries. When George L. Everitt bought the business in 1963, he was the fourth owner.

In 1964, George Everitt shifted his sales efforts to the food service and retail sides of the chemical business. In that same year, he began a relationship with the fleet and farm stores. The success of the dairy farm sanitation line led to the development of a complete household detergent line. The present farm store line at Stearns Packaging Corp. encompasses over 150 individual items.

In 1965, Stearns joined forces with Kroger Stores to modernize their system of store floor maintenance. The central idea to the modernization effort was the portion control packaging of the detergents and floor finishes. The traditional 5 gallon and 55 gallon packages only facilitated the wasteful practice of “overpour.” That same year, Stearns had acquired the technology and machinery to package liquids in a leak proof flexible pack at low cost; from as little as two ounces all the way to a quart. The line of portion-controlled janitorial products has expanded to over 60 items, and many industry leaders in the sanitary supply industry come to Stearns to have their own products packaged in our portion-control packs.

John Everitt took over as President of Stearns Packaging in 1996. Before then, John had worked side by side with his father since coming aboard full-time in 1980. After receiving his Masters in Management from Northwestern in 1985, John helped his father, George, take Stearns Packaging to the next level. With the help of a dedicated staff, John has been able to improve the company’s manufacturing capabilities while controlling costs, implementing quality systems and expanding research and development. Since John has taken over the company, Stearns Packaging has emerged as a leader in “Green Cleaning” products and One Packs Dispenser-Free Control Systems®.

Some products do not lend themselves to being liquefied, and since 1992, Stearns has been providing a full line of products and packaging services utilizing water-soluble film for the portion-control packaging of powders. This is called the Stearns “Water Flakes®” line. In 2010, Stearns introduced water-soluble powder packets that dilute in one quart of water. This is called the "Quart'r Packs®” line.

Stearns Packaging Corporation has over 60 years of service to the food plant sanitation, janitorial, consumer and specialty chemical markets. Our facility has been inspected by Green Seal, Inc. and is currently approved for the production of formulas under Green Seal’s GS-37 standard. Stearns offers 27 products meeting NSF Registration Guidelines for Proprietary Substances and Non-Food Compounds which is based on meeting regulatory requirements including FBA 21 CFR for appropriate use, ingredient, and labeling. Stearns is licensed by the DNR and EPA as a manufacturer of sanitizers and disinfectants as well as registered with the FDA for veterinary topical drugs and antibacterial hand soaps.