Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/74666
CO VER S T OR Y Highlights • With improvements in materials, applica- tion and décor options, customized cap- sules are within reach of every producer. • Costs vary widely depending on materials, ornamentation and order size, so weigh your options carefully. • Colors, finishes, multi-color printing, embossing and easy-open tear-tabs are among the many options to consider. • Customizing takes extra time, so allow a margin to plan ahead. Marion Hoxsey manages the cap- sule business at Napa's Lafitte Cork & Capsule, another source of tin and other capsules. "Factors contributing to the decision include capsule cost, price point of wine, packaging theme, type of bot- tling equipment owned/used for foiling, technology available in manufacturing, type of bottle used, minimum quantity requirements for custom capsules (50,000 pieces is too much for some customers) and personal preference," she said. Prices for tin capsules tend to rise and fall with the commodity price. Currently, stock capsules for orders in the 25,000- unit range are around 20-50 cents. Prices vary by weight of capsule as well as order size. Note: These and other prices reflect general ranges provided by some sources for a minimum order of 25,000 capsules. Prices will vary by supplier, quantity and other variables. "Aluminum capsules are a newer technology," Galvan said. "We use an extrusion process to soften the aluminum before producing the capsule. This allows the aluminum to perform more like tin… artwork is applied the same as tin. They are spun onto wine bottles just as the tin capsules are applied. The final capsule cost is considerably lower." Rivercap and Lafitte also offer alumi- num capsules; typical stock prices are 11.3-11.5 cents per unit for 25,000. Polylam and PVC A few years ago, polylaminate capsules had a dubious reputation as difficult to spin on with standard bottling equipment. Today, "Polylaminate capsules are grow- WINES & VINES AUGUST 2012 25 ing in popularity because of improved quality and also because of the high cost of tin," according to Debbie Jennings, vice president of marketing and sales at C&E Capsules of Fairfield, Calif. "We manufac- ture our own proprietary 'Elite' polylami- nate material that spins extremely well on difficult bottles." Polylaminate is a lamination of alu- minum and polyethylene sandwiched together, explained Marilyn Rohrer at Cortica Benicia of Benicia, Calif. It pro- vides tamper evidence as well as a finished look, she said. "In my opinion, consumers will never know that it is not a tin cap.… It has a high-end appearance." "We're seeing more and more winer- ies…transition to a polylam capsule to save on packaging costs," Maverick's Henderson confirmed. Janson Capsules of Napa, Calif., pro- vides PVC and polylam capsules as well as screwcaps. Melanie Thomas, vice presi- dent of sales for Northern America, noted that Janson has more than 25 different colors in its stock inventory for standard sizes, "which is fun for the customer to play with. Customers choose the material according to the cost, their equipment and the type and range of their product." A Ramondin capsule subtly echoes Sha- fer's label; Lafitte's example for Arnold Palmer flaunts its celebrity pedigree. MALA_Dir11.qxp 11/29/10 4:07 PM Page 1 Prices for stock polylam capsules are dramatically lower than for either tin or aluminum—approximately 3.5-5 cents per unit for a 25,000-unit order.