Kadakia International was founded in 1984 by Sailesh O. Kadakia. An accountant at that time, Sailesh faced a critical decision whether to move away with his family for work or be in New York and pursue his own business. He soon discovered an opportunity selling plastic carrier bags. Placing 10 boxes every day in his trunk after work, Sailesh would travel around Manhattan and New Jersey attempting to sell shopping bags to prospective grocery stores. From the very beginning, there was a dual obsession with quality and value. Customers were impressed with the high quality and unbelievable price they were being offered.
Over the next 5 years, Kadakia International expanded dramatically, moving into a warehouse in Elizabeth, New Jersey. As customers became familiar with the products, new lines were added for distribution. Packaging bags, garbage bags, and produce rolls quickly became new items that were familiar for customers and business expanded throughout the tristate area.
The 1990s presented tremendous growth for Kadakia International. Working with major importers throughout the world, a brand was established – KI. KI bags were sourced from China, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States and distribution expanded to Illinois, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, and the broader northeast area. During this time, also came a revolution in packaging bags. Customers were tired of using simply polypropylene bags for packaging that would break or lose product freshness. Through the experiences that the staff at KI gained from working with packaging bags, they launched KI-LAMI – a revolutionary way to package spices, nuts, and other products while preserving freshness.
Business continued to grow in double-digits through the downturn of the early 2000s, as new product lines from rubber bands to clear food bags were added. Geographically, KI reached California, Canada, Tennessee, Florida, and many other locations. Working closely with manufacturers, KI launched KI-COMBO, providing a complement to other packaging bags with exceptional strength. In 2007, Kadakia International Group further expanded into new lines of Sigma® Stretch Film and NCR® Register Rolls, providing great name brands at a great value to customers.
In 2010 we started manufacturing our own KI Brand flexible packaging bags. We increased our production capacity further in 2015 by adding a wider web Totani pouch making machine. We also added a 77 inch wide slitter to custom slit the substrates according to the unique needs of our customers. Subsequently we added state of the art Epson Surepress to custom print labels and our packaging bags.
Today, our company continues to expand the KI brand and we look forward to the growth that the future holds.
Sailesh is the founder of the Kadakia International Group. Prior to starting Kadakia International, Sailesh was founder of a large fiberglass tape manufacturer in India. He also served as a Professor of Business Management at Kundalia College in Rajkot, India. Upon arriving to the United States in 1980, Sailesh worked as Assistant Comptroller for Izod, Inc. in New York City. He then started the Kadakia International Group. Sailesh holds a Master of Commerce, as well as a Law Degree from Gujarat University.
Prior to joining Kadakia International, Prital worked for McKinsey & Company and KKR Group, a leading international management consulting firm, working on a variety of issues in strategy, marketing, and sales with major consumer goods clients. He also spent time as the interim Director of Strategy for Mars Chocolate North America. Prital holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University.
