Omar Khalid
The plastic bread clip, also known as a bread tag, bread tab, bread tie, bread buckle, bread-bag clip, or occlupanid, was invented by Floyd Paxton in 1952. Paxton, a manufacturer of ball bearings during World War II, founded the Kwik Lok Corporation in 1954 in California after conceiving the idea for the bread clip on a flight. Bread clips are now used worldwide to seal bags of bread and other products, and Kwik Lok remains the main manufacturer of these clips.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Floyd G. Paxton |
| Date invented | 1952 |
| Inspiration | Paxton wanted to reseal a bag of peanuts while flying |
| Location | On a flight |
| Prototype | Hand-carved from an expired credit card |
| Company founded | Kwik Lok |
| Company location | Yakima, Washington |
| Year company founded | 1954 |
| Founder's political views | Very conservative |
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What You'll Learn
The inventor: Floyd Paxton
The inventor of the plastic bread clip, Floyd Greg Paxton (1918-1975), was a manufacturer of ball bearings during World War II. In 1952, while on a flight, Paxton opened a bag of peanuts and realised he had no way of resealing the bag. Using a pocket knife, he carved out a prototype closure device from a plastic credit card. This invention was later adapted for commercial use, as it could be used to easily seal and reseal bags.
Paxton founded the Kwik Lok Corporation in 1954 in California, and the company quickly set out to popularise the tabs, initially using them to close bags of apples. The company eventually moved to Yakima, Washington, where their headquarters are still located. Kwik Lok continued to grow over the decades, as did the demand for their little clips, which became popularly known as "bread clips" or "bread tabs". Paxton also began developing new packaging machinery, including one to manufacture Kwik Lok Closures, and another to put them on bags automatically.
Despite repeated attempts, Paxton never received a patent for his invention. However, he received numerous patents for the die-cut machine that he designed to make the clips faster. Kwik Lok secured a patent for their innovation in the early days of the company, and to this day, it remains one of the only manufacturers of bread clips, with factories in Canada, Japan, Australia, and Ireland.
The simple invention of the bread clip revolutionised how food is packaged, as it provided a cheap, reusable, and effective way to seal bags. The clips are made with polystyrene, although some manufacturers make them with cardboard to be more eco-friendly. They are designed to be easily used and reused, providing an amazing service that is often taken for granted.
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The company: Kwik Lok
Kwik Lok Corporation is a global leader in package closures and the originator of the first bag closure. The company was founded in 1954 by Floyd Paxton, an engineer and manufacturer of ball bearings during World War II. Paxton is credited with inventing the first bread clip, also known as a bread tag, bread tie, or occlupanid, in the early 1950s. The idea for the bread clip came to him while he was on a flight in 1952 when he opened a bag of peanuts and had no way to close them. With a pocket knife, he carved out a prototype closure device from an expired plastic credit card.
Kwik Lok's unique closure system quickly became popular, initially as a method for keeping bags of apples fresh and safe. Today, the company has six factories, employs over 300 people, and its products are used by billions of people worldwide. In addition to bag closures, Kwik Lok also offers bag closing equipment, labels, and printing solutions for a variety of bagged packages, including sustainable options. The company is dedicated to creating high-quality, innovative, and sustainable solutions for the baking, produce, and other industries.
Kwik Lok's closures are designed to be easy to reseal, lengthening the useful life of products and reducing waste. They are also 100% traceable, reusable, and recyclable. The company's mission is to ensure that food is kept fresh and safe, and it continues to innovate reliable and sustainable packaging solutions.
In 2015, a new generation of the Paxton family took over the business, with sisters Stephanie Paxton Jackson, Kimberly Paxton-Hagner, and Melissa Steiner recognizing the importance of global food safety and sustainability. Kwik Lok has come a long way from its humble beginnings, and its closures have become a convenient and familiar part of people's lives all over the world.
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The design: a notched plastic tag
The plastic bread clip, also known as a bread tag, bread tab, bread tie, bread buckle, bread-bag clip, or occlupanid, is a notched plastic tag used to seal bread bags. The design consists of a flat piece of semi-hard plastic formed into a barbed U-shape. The U-shape allows the neck of a plastic bag to be threaded through, creating a nearly hermetic seal that preserves the contents of the bag for longer.
The bread clip was invented by Floyd Paxton, a manufacturer of ball bearings during World War II, in 1952. Paxton founded the company Kwik Lok in Yakima, Washington, to produce the clips. The idea for the bread clip came to him while he was on a flight and opened a bag of peanuts, only to realize he had no way to close the bag if he wanted to save some for later. He took out a pocket knife and carved the first bread clip out of a plastic credit card (in some accounts, an expired credit card).
Paxton's invention revolutionized food packaging by providing a cheap, reusable, and easy-to-use solution for sealing and resealing bags. The simple design of the bread clip required minimal dexterity to operate and did not require stressing the piece, allowing it to rival other closure methods such as twist ties and sticker tags. The clips were initially used to close bags of apples, but soon became popular for sealing bread bags, earning the name "bread clips."
Over time, Kwik Lok grew into the main manufacturer of bread clips, with factories in Canada, Japan, Australia, and Ireland. The company continues to sell billions of bread clips each year, making them a ubiquitous presence in bread aisles worldwide. The clips are also popular among collectors due to their variety of shapes and colors. Despite the widespread use of bread clips, Paxton never received a patent for his invention. However, he received numerous patents for the die-cut machine he designed to mass-produce the clips.
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The origin story: a bag of peanuts
The plastic bread clip, a device used to seal bags of bread worldwide, was invented by Floyd Paxton in 1952. Paxton, a manufacturer of ball bearings during World War II, founded the Kwik Lok Corporation in Yakima, Washington, after creating the bread clip.
The idea for the bread clip came to Paxton while he was on a flight. As the story goes, he was eating a package of complimentary nuts and realised he had no way to close the bag if he wanted to save some for later. He took out a pen knife and carved the first bread clip out of a credit card (in some accounts, an expired credit card).
From this humble beginning, the bread clip as we know it was born. Paxton's invention was later adapted for commercial use as an easy way to initially seal and then reseal bags. As the use of polyethylene bags to package food rapidly increased, Paxton realised he had invented a cheap, reusable solution to sealing open-ended bags.
The bread clip was developed in the early 1950s to meet a growing need to close plastic bags on the packaging line very efficiently. Manufacturers, using more and more automation in the manufacture and packaging of food, needed methods to increase production volumes and reduce costs. At the same time, consumers wanted a fast and easy way to open and effectively seal food bags. The simple bread clip sufficed. In addition, re-closability became a selling point as smaller families and higher costs slowed consumption, leading to a potential for higher rates of spoilage.
Today, Kwik Lok continues to be the main manufacturer of bread clips, with Schutte as their European competitor.
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The manufacturing: billions produced annually
The manufacturing of plastic bread clips is a massive operation, with billions produced annually. This ubiquitous product is used worldwide, and yet, remarkably, there is just one company that makes almost all of them: Kwik Lok.
Kwik Lok, based in Yakima, Washington, has been making these clips since its founder, Floyd Paxton, invented them. The company has been making bread clips since the 1950s, and they are still found in bread aisles everywhere. The clips are made from polystyrene, a cheap and durable plastic. However, some manufacturers are now making cardboard bread clips, which are more environmentally friendly.
The scale of Kwik Lok's production is staggering. A sales coordinator for the company, Leigh Anne Whathen, has stated that they produce "billions" of bread clips each year. This huge output is due to the demand for the product, which is used to seal bags of bread and keep the contents fresh. The clips are an improvement on previous methods such as tying or folding over the bag, as they provide a nearly hermetic seal.
The process of manufacturing bread clips has been refined over the years. Initially, Paxton carved the first clip by hand from a credit card. He then designed a die-cut machine to speed up production. Today, Kwik Lok uses automated machinery to mass-produce the clips, supplying bakeries worldwide. With such a dominant position in the market, Kwik Lok has been able to expand its operations, with factories in Canada, Japan, Australia, and Ireland.
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Frequently asked questions
Floyd Paxton invented the plastic bread clip.
He invented it in 1952.
He came up with the idea while flying in 1952. He had opened a bag of peanuts and wanted to reseal it, but he didn't have a way to close the bag.
He took out a penknife and carved the first bread clip out of a credit card.
He founded the company Kwik Lok in Yakima, Washington, and the company continues to be the main manufacturer of bread clips.
