Our Story | Universal Flexible Packaging Ltd
Founded 1993 · Leicester

Built on the belief that personal service changes everything.

"From day one, my goal was to supply products with a personalised service that meets every customer's needs."

Tinku Durrani, Founder & CEO
30+
Years in flexible packaging
100k+
Sq ft across both sites
90/100
CEO approval (Owler)
Tinku Durrani, Founder & CEO of Universal Flexible Packaging
Tinku Durrani Founder & CEO, Universal Flexible Packaging Ltd.
Diversity Award Winner
The beginning

Where it all started.

In 1993, I started Universal Flexible Packaging with a simple conviction: that the big players in this industry were leaving a gap. They were good at scale. But scale had made them impersonal — long lead times, generic responses, salespeople who didn't know your product. I knew there was a better way.

I began in Leicester, serving local food manufacturers who needed a packaging partner that actually understood their business — not just their SKUs. The focus was always relationships first, capability second. Get the relationship right and the capability would follow.

Thirty years later, that founding conviction hasn't changed. What's changed is everything around it — the facility, the technology, the team, the certifications. But every customer still gets the same thing I promised in 1993: a partner who picks up the phone, knows your name, and takes accountability for your packaging the way you do.

Founded
1993 · Leicester, England
Entirely organic growth, zero external funding
Facilities
100,000+ sq ft across Lunsford Road & Sunningdale Road
20+ production lines
Experience
30+ years in flexible packaging
BCMPA member since 2000
Recognition
90/100 CEO approval rating (Owler)
Diversity Award Winner
The journey

Thirty years of building something worth keeping.

Every milestone in UFP's story was earned through customers who trusted us enough to grow with us. Here's how that journey unfolded.

1993
UFP founded as a sole trader in Leicester
Tinku Durrani establishes Universal Flexible Packaging with a founding philosophy centred on personal service. The first customers are local food and beverage manufacturers who need a responsive, accountable packaging partner.
1995
Incorporated as a Limited Company
UFP transitions from sole trader to Limited Company, establishing the formal structure that underpins three decades of growth.
2000
BCMPA membership confirmed
UFP joins the British Contract Manufacturers & Packers Association, signalling a commitment to industry-standard excellence in contract packing and co-manufacturing. A marker of professional credibility that remains in place today.
2015
Investment into Lunsford Road
A transformational reinvestment in the Lunsford Road site produces a state-of-the-art production facility with 20+ lines — one of the most comprehensive flexible packaging operations in the Midlands. Entirely self-funded from organic growth.
2025
Investment into Sunningdale Road
The Sunningdale Road facility opens, adding significant warehousing capacity with 2,500 pallet spaces, solar power, and a bespoke WMS — taking total operational space to over 100,000 sq ft across both sites.
Today
A complete end-to-end packaging partner
UFP now operates across the full packaging value chain — Design, Print, Pack, Store, Deliver — with certifications, digital printing partnerships, and customers across Food, Pet Food, Healthcare, Personal Care, Construction and Bakery sectors.
BCMPA Campden Food & Drink OPRL SEDEX Kosher — Manchester Beth Din Soil Association
What we believe

Three principles we never compromise on.

These aren't values we wrote for the website. They're the operating system we've run this business on since 1993. Every decision, every investment, every hire, every customer conversation, goes through these three filters.

01
People over process
Processes are tools. People are the point. We have always invested more in getting the right people in the room — people who take ownership — rather than in systems designed to replace that ownership.
"A good system run by the wrong person fails. A good person in an imperfect system finds a way."
02
Quality is non-negotiable
In packaging, quality isn't a differentiator. It's the entry price. But our definition of quality goes beyond specification. It includes how we communicate, how we handle problems, and how we behave when things go wrong.
"Our customers' brands are on our packaging. That's a responsibility we take personally."
03
Long-term over short-term
UFP has grown entirely organically because we have never chased the next deal at the cost of the existing relationship. The investment into our facilities came from retained earnings — from customers who stayed because they trusted us.
"Short-term thinking is the fastest way to become a commodity. We never wanted to be a commodity."
Our values

How values built a business.

Everything we do at UFP is shaped by four core values. They guide how we work with our clients, how we manage our team, and how we think about our role in the wider world.

01
Integrity
We maintain our honesty, directness and consistent nature as well as adhering to our strengths in morale and ethical principles. Our commitment to third-party audit standards indicates our solid commitment to correct ways of working and maintaining food safety at all points of the packaging process.
02
Trust
Our clients admire our honesty and clarity when it comes to developing strong relationships. Our process of trust does not end with the final packing of their product. We continue to support and develop with our clients further so that they gain the very best experience and growth with their products.
03
Sustainability
In an ever challenging world combating human impacts on the environment, our business strives to reduce our carbon footprint, develop recyclable packaging innovations and to support our local community. We strive to reduce our waste generation on a month to month basis and deliver training for all employees in how each individual can help our fight with climate change.
04
Diversity
We are proud and committed to employing a diverse range of individuals dedicated to their roles and the success of our business. The company shall never discriminate against ethnic background, religion, sexual orientation or gender. We protect and encourage our employees throughout the business and always welcome unique individuals with their own stories and experiences to offer.
Ready to talk?

Talk to Tinku's team.

Whether you need flexible packaging for food, pet food, healthcare, personal care, construction or bakery — we can help you find the right solution for your product.

Leicester: +44 116 276 9992  ·  Email: [email protected]

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