Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/383377
W i n e s & V i n e s O C T O b e r 2 0 1 4 35 The other Guys, a 20,000-case opera- tion from Sonoma, Calif., has used the Zork Closure for seven years on four of its six brands including Plungerhead, Hey Mambo and Moobuzz, which account for about 80% of its sales, according to Ryan Wycoff, marketing manager. The other Guys are proudly edgy; their motto is, "Laid-back guys, stand-out wines." All the wines are sold solely through distribution, with a careful bal- ance of off- and on-premise accounts. "Zork is a marketer's dream: a product that is unique within an industry, cost- effective, offers a competitive advantage and provides numerous benefits to the consumer," Wycoff said. Well-received by the trade and consum- ers, "For the most part, the trade is well aware and informed about the features and benefits of the Zork," Wycoff said. "on the other hand, we find that the Zork is relatively unknown to consumers, but once they see it in action, they are excited and engaged. We are continuously educating consumers through comprehen- sive marketing strategies that include dia- grams, videos, events, social media and advertising. Word of mouth has also proven to be very successful." Within the always-sensitive bottling process, "Initially there were some difficulties regarding how it fit onto a wine bottle, but those have been resolved. Now our bottling sessions go as smoothly as one can hope for in this industry," according to Wycoff. With a cost comparable to corks and screwcaps, the Zork Closure is also fully recyclable. "I suspect that more wineries are not using this closure because, as a whole, our industry has been known to resist change. over time, I believe more consumers will be looking for Zork, and as a result, other wineries will take notice and adopt the closure," Wycoff predicted. The related company, Don Sebastiani & Sons produces 1.3 million cases per year in Napa. In early 2012, Don & Sons released a new package design for its Pepperwood Grove, using the Zork Clo- sure. With a production exceeding 210,000 cases annually, Pepperwood Grove "has been growing strongly every year since we switched to Zork," said Mark Feinberg, vice president of market- ing. Most is sold off-premise, although, he said, "Some on-premise and catering operators love the easy-to-open and reseal feature of the Zork." Consumers also love the Zork Closure, he added. "They intuitively understand to peel at the tab to open. When we first launched Pepperwood Grove with Zork, we created and applied at the winery neckers introducing the closure. These demonstrated how to open and reseal the Zork Closure, as well as the recyclability." With all bottling performed at the win- ery, "We worked closely with Zork to ensure the proper application of this clo- sure. We made the necessary modifica- tions to our bottling line and rarely experience any issues in the application," Feinberg explained. s mall to medium-sized wineries are harnessing their creativity to reach the millennial market (ages 21-35), for whom social media is the lingua franca. C O V E R S T O R Y