PLANTING OUR ROOTS: 1899-1969
The paper cone is a rather basic invention, right? Maybe not. The thing about innovation is that seemingly simple solutions can solve complex challenges when guided by industry experts.
We saw the potential and took action.
Originally, the textile industry relied on wooden cones. Our founder, Major James Lide Coker, wondered if there was a better way. Wood was expensive and heavy, while paper was far lighter and more cost-effective—and by 1896, our first paper mill was successfully in production.
Having helped launch the Darlington Manufacturing Company, a successful mill in Hartsville, South Carolina, the Major knew that paper cones better stored and transported the tremendous amounts of yarn needed for textile looms.
So we went all-in on paper.
In 1899, in an unused tobacco warehouse, Sonoco’s first employees began producing paper cones using hand-operated foot-powered machines, producing at least 7.5 million cones the following year.
When our paper cone patent arrived in 1908, we led production in the U.S.
For the first half of the 20th century, the paper cone was a key driver of our business. A Sonoco pamphlet from 1958 says: “Paper cones were first a novelty. Sonoco’s objective was to make inexpensive high quality paper cones suitable for every winding operation. … Today’s thoroughly dependable paper cone is a product of unending Sonoco research and study.”
If there’s anything Sonoco has always understood, it’s that innovative packaging solutions are born from packaging challenges—and there is always room for improvement.
Speaking to investors in 1983, Charles Coker said the paper cone was “in many ways a symbol of the company.” Inspired by a top-down view of a paper cone, our “S” logo reflects our innovative spirit.
“The paper cone was a revolutionary product, replacing wooden cones, which were both cumbersome and expensive,” Charles told investors. “That product was an answer to a very specific packaging problem.”
Another thing about innovation? One solution often unlocks another. Paper tubes and cores, paper containers, protective packaging—in a sense, everything we produce today is wrapped around that first paper cone.
The paper cone has been the ultimate testing ground for quality and sustainability across industries.
It serves as a key to open all kinds of possibilities. That’s what we’re known for—listening to the industry and our customers to create better solutions.