Laura Ashley
Senior Channel Marketing Manager - Packaging, Specialty, and Envelope Papers
Strong supplier-customer relationships in the specialty packaging world tend to be built through collaboration, technical expertise, innovation and a shared commitment to performance. That’s exactly what defines the relationship between Domtar and Setterstix.
For nearly a decade, Domtar and Setterstix have worked together to develop specialty paper solutions that help the world’s leading paper stick manufacturer deliver performance, consistency and innovation across a growing range of applications.
If you are wondering what a paper stick is, think of a lollipop stick. How the paper stick was invented is part of the Setterstix company origin story that happens to begin with an injury. Setterstix traces its roots to the Setter brothers, who operated a carpentry business in Germany in the late 1930s. According to the company’s history, the idea of a paper stick emerged when one of the brothers’ children was injured by a wooden lollipop stick while eating a lollipop. The incident highlighted the risk of splintering and injury associated with traditional wooden sticks.
Motivated to create a safer alternative, the Setter brothers developed a rolled paper stick that would be:
- Splinter-free
- Safer for children
- Strong enough for confectionery applications
From that initial safety-focused innovation in 1938, Setterstix spent the next 6 decades as a family business continually innovating the paper stick and gaining a reputation for quality before joining GESCO AG in 2004. Today, Setterstix is the world market leader in paper sticks used for multiple end uses including:
- Lollipops
- Cotton swabs
- Beverage stirrers
- Cake pops
- Ice cream novelties
- Fragrance and industrial applications
Engineering Performance Together
From the start of the relationship almost ten years ago, the Domtar specialty papers team and Setterstix’s manufacturing experts worked side by side to develop paper solutions that perform where it matters most: on the production line and in the final product.
High-speed manufacturing demands consistency, strength and reliability. Together, the teams worked to refine paper specifications to ensure smooth runnability, minimal breaks and optimal forming performance—helping Setterstix maintain efficiency at scale.
But performance doesn’t stop at speed.
Designed for Real-World Demands
Every application brings a unique set of challenges, and Setterstix products must deliver across a range of functional requirements. Through close collaboration, Domtar developed papers engineered to help meet Setterstix’s specific requirements, including:
- Strength for winding and forming processes
- Consistent performance on high-speed production lines
- Water resistance during use
- Color matching and consistency across global brands
- Printability for branded applications
- Food-contact suitability
- Responsibly sourced fiber
These critical performance attributes were put to the test in 2025 when market conditions required production to be transferred to Domtar’s mills in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, and Hawesville, Kentucky. Working closely with Setterstix, Domtar technical teams at both locations successfully replicated the paper’s specifications, rapidly scaling production while creating valuable manufacturing redundancy. This combination of properties is not off-the-shelf—it’s the result of deliberate formulation, testing and ongoing refinement between both teams.
Setterstix Expanding Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics
The partnership has also enabled Setter Group to bring new, fiber-based solutions to market—particularly in regions where plastic sticks for the confectionery market have long dominated.
As Aleksandra Wojdyn, Managing Director, LATAM of Setter Paperstix México, explains:
“In the Mexican and LATAM paper sticks application market, the norm has long been plastic, single-use sticks. We wanted to provide our customers and consumers with clear alternatives to single-use plastics.”
“With Domtar’s specialty paper, we’re able to provide a fiber-based alternative that helps customers move away from single-use plastics—and they’re embracing it.”
That same spirit of innovation has extended beyond lollipop sticks into new applications:
“We’ve expanded stick paper into additional end uses, including stick paper coffee stirrers that can replace both plastic and wood-based options.”
“For many coffee drinkers, wooden stirrers can impact taste. Paper stirrers made with paper material are tasteless, don’t splinter and eliminate the risk of sharp edges or injury.”
Turning Challenges into Custom Solutions
At the core of this partnership is a shared mindset: challenges are opportunities to innovate.
As Aleksandra Wojdyn explains:
“Our relationship with Domtar is truly collaborative. Their team takes the time to understand our manufacturing requirements, and together we’ve developed solutions that balance performance, sustainability and product quality. That partnership has been instrumental in helping us grow our business.”
The Domtar specialty paper development team thrives on solving complex problems—whether it’s improving machine performance, enhancing product functionality or creating new capabilities altogether. Setterstix brings real-world insight from the manufacturing floor, and together, the teams translate that insight into customized paper solutions that deliver measurable results.
Need a Domtar customized specialty paper solution?
The relationship between Domtar and Setterstix is rooted in more than materials—it’s built on trust, collaboration and a commitment to continuous improvement.
As product requirements evolve and manufacturing demands increase, both teams remain focused on what they do best: working together to create high-performing and reliable solutions tailored to Setterstix’s needs. The collaborative innovation has not stopped as Setterstix looks to Domtar’s stick paper to enter new categories and applications. Stay tuned for more to come.
While the products may be small, the impact of collaboration has been significant. By combining Setterstix’s application expertise with Domtar’s specialty paper development capabilities, the two companies continue to create solutions that support performance, innovation and evolving customer needs around the world.
A Partnership That Keeps Moving Forward
Do you have a specialty paper of any kind that needs a customized solution? Reach out to us at SpecialtyPaper@Domtar.com. To find out more about Domtar’s specialty paper solutions, visit Technical and Specialty Papers – Domtar
To find out more about the innovation at Setterstix, visit (10) Setter Paperstix México: Posts | LinkedIn
