BiOrigin Specialty Products is made up of six paper mills in the US and Canada and each one plays an important role in our tissue and paper production. Each mill is rich in its own history and has a myriad of accomplishments that we want to proudly showcase. 

The mill in Menominee, Michigan sits on a little peninsula a stone's throw from the Wisconsin border. Nestled between the Menominee River and Green Bay, this 250,000 sq. ft mill has a lovely view of the lighthouse at Ann Arbor park and Tourist Beach.

The Menominee Mill was built by Menominee Paper Company in the 1920’s by Hoskin’s Moranville with the construction of #1 paper machine where they produced white board grades. Over the next few decades it would flourish and evolve under the ownership of a few different companies before joining our family of mills in 1998 when we were then called Cellu Tissue. 

This mill houses one paper machine and other converting assets and is home to over 100 BSP employees who produce machine-glazed papers, such as aluminum foil laminate backing, hamburger patty interleaving, waxed paper base, deli sandwich wrap, and medical products such as table covers. In 2022, Menominee had a new headbox installed on #2 PM that increased the paper machine’s production and ability to produce a higher quality sheet. 

With all of the changes BiOrigin Specialty Products has undergone recently, Menominee, along with our five other mills, continues to thrive and deliver some of the best specialty paper products on the market today. 

Want to learn more about our Menominee mill? Below is a timeline of major events in the mill’s history.

It’s time for The Talk. We want to make sure you are practicing safe packaging; that means your products are not only eco-friendly, but also safe for consumers. 

As consumers, we look for packaging that is convenient, functional, and ideally, sustainable; but it has to catch our eye first. As brand owners, you want your packaging to ooze shelf-appeal and make it almost impossible for end-users to ignore while leaving the smallest impact as possible on the environment. The question is how? 

You start at the beginning. Paper is inherently sustainable, but the chemicals that are added to increase its functionality are what diminish its environmental benefits. 

Enter BiOrigin Specialty Products.

We've taken paper and rebuilt it from the ground up. Starting with nothing but fiber and water, flipping traditional chemistry on its head, then using bio-based methods to enhance its performance. Our paper technology is free from harmful chemicals, opting for specialty paper coatings that meet certification requirements for renewability, recyclability, and compostability. 

We practice safe packaging around here. That means not only are our specialty paper products safe for consumers, but also safe for the environment. It’s no secret that single-use plastics (SUPs) are harmful to our ecosystem. Plastic packaging takes years to break down in the ocean – leaving chemicals and toxic particles (microplastics) behind. Plastic alternative products such as BSP’s specialty paper are changing the game. Fully recyclable, reusable, biodegradable, and landfill-safe, you can feel good about the products that you put on the shelf.

So our sustainable paper technology is renewable, recyclable, and compostable. But to consider something a viable option for plastic packaging replacement, it has to be functional. 

Let’s get technical: BiOrigin Specialty Products utilizes bio-based polymers as a sealing agent and provides protection from outside elements while promoting product freshness. If we dissect this paper technology, each layer provides functional benefits to create a sheet that performs exactly how you need it to every time. The base sheet provides good formation, high opacity, and low porosity and can be customized for target properties of oil/grease resistance. On basis weights above 34#, a back-side Fluorocarbon-free treatment can be applied for oil/grease resistance on both sides.

“It was important to us to create an eco-friendly paper grade that was free from harmful chemicals and still delivered performance for all types of flexible packaging,” said Joe Doyle, VP of Sales and Marketing, “We used the latest technology in coated paper and paired it with our state-of-the-art grease, moisture, and oxygen coatings and created this second-to-none product that will benefit our customers and the environment alike.”

The first rule of practicing safe packaging is that your food products are protected from the outside world and non-food items are contained without worry of leakage. BSP’s barrier technology provides food service, food processing, and food packaging companies with protection and functionality that doesn’t rely on harmful chemistry.

If only this amazing, sustainable technology was printable. Well, dreams do come true! Our paper technology is highly print receptive, so it’s the perfect substrate for high quality, head-turning graphics. This technology creates a surface that achieves both functional oil/grease barrier and the print surface needed for demanding graphics. So it is not only a massive leap forward in quality and sustainability but also provides brand owners with the opportunity to utilize eye-catching graphics and increase shelf-appeal that provides a viable alternative to plastic. Say hello to packaging that consumers won’t be able to keep their hands off of.

Many brands have committed to most or all of their packaging to be fully recyclable or compostable by the year 2025. Not sure if you've noticed but that deadline is creeping up fast! No need to panic, if you’ve read this far you know now that paper is the perfect solution for many applications. For example, our specialty paper technology is perfect for the food service and retail/grocery industries, for products like sandwich wraps, clamshell paper food containers, stand up pouches, retail bags, and so much more. No matter the coating, your packaging design will stand out and capture the eye (and heart) of your consumers and they won’t be going home alone. 

About BiOrigin Specialty Products
With a focus on eco-friendly specialty paper, packaging, and tissue, BiOrigin Specialty Products is a trusted wholesale paper supplier, continuing to thrive, grow, and manufacture some of the finest sustainable paper and tissue products in North America. Visit us at www.BiOriginSP.com 

Media contact: 
Kara Wojnowski
Marketing Manager, BiOrigin Specialty Products
(770) 596-0868
Wojnowskik@bioriginsp.com

_{Written by: Dave Barr}

When you walk through a store and look at all the flexible packaging on the shelves, do you know how many are made of paper? It’s hard to tell sometimes because a lot of packaging is actually plastic that’s just made to look like paper, but we’ll tell you: not enough packaging is made out of sustainable material. While it may look like paper, it doesn’t function like paper and is harmful to the environment.

From product concept to end-of- life, the lifecycle of our paper and tissue is designed with specific intentions (and the planet) in mind. Renewable, recyclable, and compostable are three key words that describe many of our products.

All packaging has three primary functions: Appearance, Barrier, and Containment. Here at BSP, we have taken that fundamental concept and applied it to our product development pipeline and technology. Our technology stands out in the appearance category; their smooth and ink receptive surface provide the perfect blank canvas for any eye-catching graphics. For barrier and containment, we have a myriad of bio-friendly layers and coatings that work to keep your product in, and the outside world, out. 

Product development is a strategic initiative at BiOrigin Specialty Products and our pipeline of new products is aligned with the needs and wants of the segments we serve. Keeping up with market trends and developing innovative customer specific projects is our mission and creating a cleaner, safer earth for generations to come is why we exist.

Functionality is critical to sustainability which is why all our current products and developments are designed with function in mind. A product that meets all the environmental attributes but sacrifices function is not a sustainable product. At BiOrigin SP, we are focused on both. First, making sure our paper meets the functional requirements and secondly, meeting the desired environmental benefits.

Want to hear more about our product development initiative? Check out our podcast: Where Sustainability Meets Function and hear from our product development team about what we're doing now and some exciting projects coming up.

About BiOrigin Specialty Products
With a focus on eco-friendly specialty paper, packaging, and tissue, BiOrigin Specialty Products is a trusted wholesale paper supplier, continuing to thrive, grow, and manufacture some of the finest sustainable paper and tissue products in North America. Visit us at www.BiOriginSP.com 

Media contact: 
Kara Wojnowski
Marketing Manager, BiOrigin Specialty Products
(770) 596-0868
Wojnowskik@bioriginsp.com

March is Women’s History Month and we’re shining the spotlight on some of the amazing women here at Dunn Paper. Meet Cindy West, senior buyer, and Renee Bond, logistics manager.

How long have you been in the paper industry? What drew you to it?

Do you have any women that you have looked up to or have been like a mentor to you in your professional career?

West: I would say my best mentors in the industry were the people I worked with when I started buying at the Menasha mill.  I spent time out on the production floor and in the scrap-warehouses learning the grades of scrap paper and the basics of how the papermaking and deinking systems worked.  Having that knowledge when I went out on the road buying paper was invaluable in giving me the credibility I needed with the suppliers.

Bond: My family has been my greatest support group and has always stood behind me in whatever challenges I have embarked upon.

What advice would you give women in this or other predominantly male industries?

West: Don’t be afraid to try new things. Jobs are always changing, so it’s good to keep an open mind. Know your job, but always be willing to listen to the people you work with inside and outside the company. Understanding other people’s challenges and maintaining good relationships can really help make everyone’s job easier.

Bond: Always keep a positive attitude and an open mind. Never back down from a good challenge, and always be willing to accept “change”. In the paper industry specifically, changes are always on the horizon.

What books/podcasts are you reading/listening to right now?

West: I’m reading The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles.  It was recommended by Terri McDonald at the Natural Dam mill.

Bond: Currently reading Kathie Lee Gifford’s It’s Never Too Late.