Who Said Working In Packaging Was Dull?

As an employee-owned company, Kite’s staff always find ways to celebrate and get into the festive spirit, and the past few weeks have been no exception. There’s a common misconception that packaging distribution firms are stiff, corporate environments with monotonous routines. However, Kite proves otherwise—remaining true to its entrepreneurial roots since its inception in 2001. Our focus remains on innovation, employee ownership, and maintaining the excitement that comes with being part of a forward-thinking business.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how we’ve celebrated Halloween, Diwali, and Movember, along with some new initiatives. Is your company joining in on the festivities this month? We’d love to hear from you! Share your photos with us on Twitter—@kitepackaging.

Halloween Fancy Dress

Our telesales team truly shines when it comes to costumes, and this year they didn’t disappoint at Halloween. We had a fantastic mix of characters, including witches, vampires, and even a few nods to pop culture. Leading the pack was the scariest clown anyone has ever seen! The entire team participated in the Halloween Trick or Treat Challenge, where every order generated gave them a chance to pop a ‘Ghostly Balloon’ and collect ‘Poisonous Points’ for their coven. But beware—the Ghost of Kite had cursed some balloons, meaning points could be lost or gained unexpectedly!

Congratulations go out to Count Dracula’s coven, which took home the prize for ‘Best Dressed.’ Their ensemble featured vampires, a witch, a brutal shooting, and even a cockroach for good measure. Of course, there were plenty of treats floating around the Kite offices, including a ‘Pumpkin Pail’ filled with sour apples and edible body parts (yum!). Who do you think had the best costume? Check out all the photos on our Facebook page to see for yourself!

Diwali

For those of you who celebrated the Festival of Lights this weekend, we had a wonderful lead-up to the event last Friday with a special treat from some of our employees—fresh samosas! A delicious snack to keep everyone energized during the 4 p.m. slump and a fantastic way to kick off the weekend. While we considered lighting fireworks, we decided against it given the warehouse full of cardboard.

Diwali holds significant importance for our Hindu and Sikh colleagues, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and the joy of family and friendship. Similar to New Year celebrations in England, small clay lamps are lit to represent knowledge and inner peace. Sweets and gifts are exchanged to strengthen bonds among loved ones. It was heartwarming to share these Indian delicacies with the Kite Packaging family!

On Monday morning, we also saw some incredible henna art, with many staff members sporting intricate designs. Here’s a look at a stunning piece created by our very own Kiran from Telesales.

Movember

Movember has grown into a global movement over the years, encouraging men worldwide to grow mustaches to raise funds for crucial causes such as Men’s Health Awareness and Prostate Cancer UK. Prostate cancer affects one in eight men at some point in their lives—a staggering statistic that often goes unspoken. Movember began in 2003 in Australia and now boasts more than 3 million participants across 21 countries.

Kite supports its employees in their personal fundraising efforts and is proud to contribute to local causes close to our hearts. Recently, several of our employees ran a marathon to support charitable initiatives, and our business actively promotes sustainability through products like Envirotape and Envirobox, while recycling as much as possible.

This year, seven of our employees have joined the Movember movement, and we’re excited to rally behind them throughout the month. Last year, participants raised over £1.1 million, and we hope our team raises just as much—or more! Head over to their fundraising page to show your support. For now, here’s a ‘before’ photo of our Mo Bros in their pre-mustache glory. Stay tuned for the ‘after’ photos as they unveil their creative styles over the coming weeks!

Company Celebrations and New Products

Beyond the fun, Kite has experienced impressive growth, with substantial investments totaling £5 million. These funds went toward expanding our branches in Coventry and Sheffield. To celebrate, we indulged in some wine and chocolates—a well-deserved reward for all our hard work!

We’ve also introduced some exciting new products to our website, including a comprehensive range of standard labels designed specifically for fragile items or products requiring special instructions. This project has been a labor of love for us, and we’re thrilled to offer you the best prices and selection available. Let us know what you think of the new additions, and feel free to suggest further expansions—we love hearing from our customers!

These new releases follow hot on the heels of the Kite Mini Air machine, which has been a hit with businesses. Additionally, we’ve added vermiculite, a versatile material that works both for packing hazardous goods and non-packaging applications like horticulture.

Thank You!

A heartfelt thanks goes out to our partners, including customers, suppliers, media outlets, and especially our employees. You’ve helped make Kite what it is today—here’s to an even brighter future!