Founded in 1910 by Osias Berk in Newark, New Jersey, O.Berk originated as a supplier of bottles and jars serving local chemical plants and ethnic food suppliers. In 1925, the company was sold to Isaac Goldstein, beginning a new era of family-based ownership. Under the leadership of Norbert Gaelen, previous President from 1951 until 2006 and father of current owners, Marc Gaelen and Meryl Japha, O.Berk helped pioneer a new era of rigid packaging during the introduction and commercialization of plastic bottles and closures. O.Berk’s success continues today under fourth-generation owners, President and CEO, Marc Gaelen, and his sister Meryl Japha. Like his father, Norbert, Marc has served as President of the National Association of Container Distributors (NACD), the national trade association. Over its 100+ year history, the company has expanded steadily through organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
Today, the O.Berk Company has multiple locations across New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Southern California, offering packaging solutions to beauty, personal care, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, household, food, beverage, and other end markets. Complementing its vast portfolio of packaging solutions, O.Berk also operates an e-commerce platform, BottleStore.com, that supports small businesses, entrepreneurs, and emerging brands as the one-stop-shop for their packaging needs. O.Berk’s additional value-added services include design and innovation, custom tooling, decoration, warehousing and logistics management, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance support.
