Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/437909
98 Wines&Vines January 2015 PACKAGING 222 Mound Ave. Miamisburg, OH www.technicote.com Phone: 800.358.4446 Selecting the right adhesive is critical to the performance of a label. When the image of your product revolves around the products label, one decision can turn your beverage line into the next leading brand. Technicote's IP400 Ice-Bucket adhesive is specially formulated for use in the premium sparkling wine and champagne label market. Use our wide range of Coated and Uncoated face stocks ranging from Estates and Felts, to Foils and Textured papers, to pair with our IP400 adhesive to get a label that is guaranteed to last 24 hours and be your next big hit. An adhesive that outlasts the party... to occupy a shelf facing alongside other com- petitive wines of the same varietal. Case- stacked wines are often special promotions where added visibility is important. A nice case design will attract more attention. Obviously, Beverages & More is going to have a different strategy than a Dean & DeLuca." Erica Harrop is president/CEO of Global Package LLC, a Napa, Calif.-based supplier of high-end bottles. Her clients' wines tend to sell at premium price points, and in contrast to the mass retailers' recommendations, many choose lay-down cases to display their costly wares. "A lay-down carton can be custom die cut to use the top flap as a pop-up display," Harrop said. "Corrugated die cutting technology opens many doors to designing a unique, usable display." Specialty cartons are most commonly cho- sen by wineries needing more than 3,000 to 4,000 cases in a run, she said. "Otherwise it's too expensive." Given the tight timelines for bottling runs, timing is crucial. "The winery needs to place its (case) orders in advance of the glass run to get the best pricing. Sometimes that's not lo- gistically possible," Harrop said. Cartons are important at the distribution level as well as retail, she pointed out. "Custom cartons are very important for identifying (a specific wine) in a large distributor's warehouse. It is good advertising. Box stores really need this kind of promoting for case stacking. "Smaller, boutique wineries don't feel the need for this type of advertising, because they may not sell multiple cases to one location. But we believe that it is another great brand- ing method for getting out a quality message," she said. Harrop predicts that decorative case designs will become more prevalent. "As the industry becomes healthy again, and we see more con- sistent brand strength again, we will see more investment put into the brands. This includes spending on printed cartons and other packing materials." Get into the box factory The designer may or may not influence who supplies the box, Jim Moon said. "It all comes down to the winery's glass provider. The glass companies have their own relationships with corrugated container printers. He personally favors Packaging Innovators Corp. in Liver- more, Calif., because of its high-quality presses and ability to nail complex designs. Packaging Innovators vice president Mark Mazzoco concentrates on corrugated contain- ers. "We provide multiple-part displays to simple designed boxes. Color is added to the box either by flexo or litho printing," he said. "The number of winery customers requiring many colors and high-end print is growing. Wine cases in BevMo and or Costco need to attract customers," he confirmed. "Higher end wines, reserves and wine carriers are stepping up the quality of packaging sold in the tasting rooms." Although the majority of cases from Packag- ing Innovators use the direct-print method, the company recently purchased a digital printer for use on short runs, which should be available in early 2015. Mazzoco explained the direct-print pro- cess, in which one or more printing plates actually touch the carton material. Not sur- prisingly, simple one-color jobs are the least expensive. "Plates are fairly inexpensive," so a one-color plate reduces cost. "Add-on costs are based on a larger percentage of print in- cluding die-cutting if printing extends beyond scores and/or edges of the top or bottom flaps. "The winery needs to place its (case) orders in advance of the glass run to get the best pricing." —erica Harrop, Global Package llc