Paper products maker, MOD-PAC Corp. (Nasdaq: MPAC) reported a sharp increase in third quarter profit driven by cost restructuring initiatives to improve operating leverage, and increases in the company’s folding carton sales and custom folding carton sales, offset by lower stock packaging and print service sales.

For the quarter ended October 3, MOD-PAC reported profit of $1.01 million, or 29 cents per share, compared with profit of $14,000 and flat EPS in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue for the quarter decreased to $12.59 million, from $12.64 million a year ago.

“Our custom folding carton sales have grown exceptionally well,” said MOD-PAC’s president and chief executive officer, Daniel Keane in a statement. “Many of our customers produce private label products for the consumer staples market. Consumers in this economic environment are highly cost conscious and tend to buy more store brands which drives sales for our customers. Importantly, as our customers are realizing stronger sales, we are also capturing a greater percentage of their business and adding new accounts.”

Sales of folding cartons, which include custom folding cartons and stock packaging, were up 11.2 percent, or $1.18 million, to $11.65 million in the 2009 third quarter from $10.47 million in the prior year third quarter. Custom folding carton sales drove the product line increase. Custom folding carton sales for the third quarter of 2009 were $9.41 million, up $1.21 million, or 14.8 percent, from 2008 third quarter sales of $8.19 million. Greater sales from two large existing customers and the addition of one new customer, more than offset reduced sales from customers impacted by the economy and decreased waste sales due to a drop in the recycled paperboard market.

Gross profit for the 2009 third quarter was $2.52 million, or 20 percent of total revenue, compared with gross profit of $1.98 million, or 15.6 percent of total revenue, in the same period a year earlier.

Shares of MOD-PAC surged 73 percent touching on a high of $4.25 after the Company announced third-quarter earnings of 29 cents a share on revenue of $12.6 million.