by admin | Mar 9, 2017 | Beer Wine Spirits, Customers/Examples, Technical
Wine Symposium Networking
The Oregon Wine Symposium is a great event for Rose City Label. This event is packed with people following their dreams. They are passionate about making the best possible wine – they want to earn a good living, but for most producers, it is calling to make great wine. There are three main parts to this Wine Symposium Networking:
- To connect with current and future customers
- To stay current on the issues, pressures, and trends facing the overall industry
- To network with others that serve the wine community
In a previous post we talked about the amazing, grass roots marketing advice from Clare Carver – check out that post by clicking here. Besides that fantastic, motivational session, we got several other good ‘nuggets’ of information from the Symposium.
Keeping Up with TTB to get a fast, easy COLA
This presentation falls under reason number 2 above – Demaris Brown from the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is actually one of the people on the other end of the label approval process. She and her colleagues sign off to award a Certificate of Label Approval (COLA). Ms. Brown gave a fast paced presentation about the required (and non-required) elements on a label. She also gave great tips about common errors – if wine label designers can just eliminate these common errors, their approval rates will go way up. These slides have current, important information about wine label approvals.
Band Together – The Power of the Wine Industry
Our customer, Pattie Bjornson of Bjornson Vineyards, gave a wonderful testimonial about the power of joining and supporting your industry association. Some time ago, Pattie and her husband Mark learned about plan by a national company to build an asphalt plant right down the road from her vineyard and tasting room. They contacted the prospective ‘neighbor’ to express their concern about the aesthetic (and ultimately financial) impact that this smelly, loud plant would have on their vineyard and business. The company, she said, was very polite but also very candid, stating – ‘nobody wants a plant of ours near them – we fight this everywhere we build, and we never lose’. Since her direct contact approach didn’t work, Pattie turned to the collective power of the industry.
Through smart connections and advocacy, Pattie and the industry were able to convince the permitting and zoning authorities of the tremendous negative affects the asphalt plant would have on the region. With this collective voice, the pressure and the economic facts were strong enough to get things done that Bjornson couldn’t do on their own and the plant was never built. This real life example was a compelling reason to support your trade and advocacy groups, regardless of your industry.
Click here to visit the website for Bjornson Vineyards – it shows their beautiful setting that would have been greatly impacted by this industrial asphalt plant.
Wine Symposium Networking – The Social Sip
Since our business has been around since 1928, we have built up some great relationships. We have connections and vendors in nearly every area connected to print or marketing. We love to connect our clients to good resources. This almost never results in direct business for us, but it serves our customers and it gets repaid over time.
One great new resource we met at the Symposium is Brooke Huffman of The Social Sip. This is a boutique marketing agency based in Seattle that really understands and caters to the wine industry. Brooke and I spent some time on the phone and she really knows her stuff – she loves wine, loves helping people grow their brand, and has the technical smarts to make it happen. Check out the Social Sip by clicking here.
Why give her a try? Besides being good at her craft, she makes it easy! I love the simplicity of monthly packages with a fixed, predictable price. Working by the hour, a project can quickly get out of hand. With a fixed monthly budget, you know what you get and what you pay – no surprises. Packages are even themed specifically around the different point ratings applied to wines – you can get the 85 point value package, the 90 point, or the 95+ point ‘extraordinary quality’ package. If she has this clever marketing twist for herself, I’m pretty sure she does a great job for her clients,, too! Check out the affordable packages by clicking here.
That’s a Wrap!
Wine Symposium Networking is a valuable part of how we grow this part of our label printing business. Hopefully we will see you there next year. In the meantime, if you need advice or suggestions about your labels, we would love to help. For anything in a bag, box or bottle, we can print a high quality label, delivered on time, at a fair price – call us today!
by admin | Mar 3, 2017 | Beer Wine Spirits, Customers/Examples, Technical
What is it all About?
The Oregon Bottle Bill was created in 1971 and was a groundbreaking way to encourage recycling in our state. In fact, it was the first bill of its kind in the country. Though we continue to innovate in the area of recycling, we haven’t been meeting our goals the past few years. As a result, the bottle deposit is going up.
Because the redemption rates for 2014 and 2015 were below 80%, ORS 459A.705 requires the refund value to increase to 10¢.
Read the full text of the OLCC explanation by clicking here.
Read a related post on this site about the bottle reuse by clicking here.
OLCC Enforcement
The best practice for all affected beverage companies is always to be in full compliance with the law, but we know it isn’t always easy to hit every deadline. Industry sources have speculated that the year 2017 will likely be a transition year and the OLCC won’t be aggressively going after people with outdated information on their bottles. Resources are tight and the OLCC has many other issues to deal with, like regulating marijuana and it’s packaging.
Don’t Wait Too Long
Presumably most mass merchant stores are going to automatically impose the 10c deposit at the check stand on April 1st, regardless of what the label says. The fee will be collected and the refund will be offered in accordance with the new law right away, even if the label still says 5c redemption in Oregon. Even with that in mind, it is a good time to look at your labels and see if there are other revisions you need. If you need help, we have a great selection of graphic designers that can help – just ask.
Make it an Opportunity for a Facelift
Nobody likes legislation to force them into spending money on label updates. That’s no fun for anyone. But, if you use this change constructively, it can be an opportunity for a brand review. Labels don’t last forever – our most successful beverage brands refresh their labels every 3-5 years. Make it a part of your annual business review to ‘audit’ your branding to make sure it is still telling the story you want. Your target consumer may have shifted over time and you want to make sure your message is still resonating with those core customers. You have to tweak the redemption value, so you might as well get some value out of the process, right?
We Can Help
We aren’t regulatory or compliance lawyers, and we don’t do much true graphic design from scratch. What we do have is a wealth of practical knowledge – we have our finger on the pulse of the beverage market every day. Please call us today – we can help with a simple text change or a full brand refresh. Cheers!
by admin | Mar 1, 2017 | Beer Wine Spirits, Business Tips
Based on a talk by Clare Carver, Big Table Farm – From Oregon Wine Symposium February 2017
The Oregon Wine Symposium was again packed with useful content for wineries and suppliers alike. Technical information about wine making, soil, and marketing were all covered. Among the best sessions was about building your brand and telling your story in an authentic way. This was a panel discussion but the piece that resonated with me was presented by Clare Carver of Big Table Farm in Gaston, OR. Clare was very clear on her own story – she has been repeating it for years:
“we are a winemaker and an artist, we grow and produce what we love to eat and drink”
From that base, Clare provided real, tactical suggestions that all of us can use to build our own brands. She talked about how a BRAND, more than a company or a product, is a cumulative connection that is built over time. The brand story should, ‘feed what we are hungry for – connection and community’. A solid BRAND will resonate with the right people and make them feel like a part of something bigger than themselves.
Clare also touched on the very important need for all brands/wineries/businesses to have a current, mobile friendly website, preferable with an active blog and online store. The website should also be integrated and linked with all your social media properties to reinforce the story in all the different places your customers are hanging out. Finally, we were reminded that it is important for people to engage, comment, and reply to their ‘tribe’ on social media. Rather than broadcasting a message, we are starting and sustaining a conversation with people online.
To close her presentation, Clare left us with five amazing, tactical tips that we can all use as we grow our brand and connect our people with our purpose. These are Clare’s Tips:
Clare Tip #1 – Love the One You’re With
When you are at an event, don’t race to shake every hand in the room. Don’t try to talk to 20 people, strive to make a real connection with 2-3 people
Clare Tip #2 – Find Common Ground to Make Real Connections
Talk about what is real for you. Don’t try to be someone else or try to make connections based on things that don’t apply to you. Be authentic and tell your own story.
Clare Tip #3 – Say Yes! Just Show Up
Volunteer, give back, speak, pour wine. Go to auctions and industry events. All the events and activities you participate in are cumulative. Everything builds in layers as your story develops.
Clare Tip #4 – Do the Work – aka – Hustle!
Follow up, send story ideas to reporters, send photos. Stay with it and don’t give up. Media contacts and influencers are busy, but they are always looking for compelling content – make it easy for them to tell your story.
Clare Tip #5 – Collaborate and Cooperate
Be active in your local AVA association. Promote Brand Oregon. Collaborate with other wine makers and growers. Work together to build and grow the whole industry together.
I was thoroughly impressed with this presentation. I am fan and follower of Clare and Brian and I can’t wait to try their amazing wine. Learn more at www.bigtablefarm.com. From there you can connect with Clare on social media and follow what is happening with their brand.
Want more help Building YOUR Brand with Amazing Labels?
Please call us today – we look forward to helping you find the right selection of materials, design, and printing process to connect with your audience and grow your business. We have been doing this since 1928 and we know what it takes to make you successful. Call us today – we can help.
by admin | Feb 24, 2017 | Beer Wine Spirits, Technical
As the demand for more natural, relatively healthy products continues to grow, we are happy to pass along this guidance from TTB regarding Organic claims on your labels. Organic wine labels require special approval. The requirements to call your wine, beer, or distilled spirits ‘Organic’ are very strict. This is a serious designation, and a big commitment for producers. If you want to go down the road to Organic certification for your product, here are some good resources to start with:
Cooperating with Department of Agriculture
Because the regulation of Organic products generally falls outside the scope of the TTB (which provides label approvals for alcoholic beverages) there is a very detailed agreement between the two agencies. That memo, along with other guidelines, are published on this page:
Click here to see this page. There is also an excellent FAQ section to get the basic concepts on this topic. This page covers all types of Organic alcohol products, with specific guidance on beer, wine, and spirits.
Examples for Organic Wine Labels
Click here to see this page. Thankfully, this 8-page PDF provides many good examples of correct (and incorrect) Organic wine labels. Sometimes seeing the wrong examples is almost as helpful as seeing the correct ones. There are very specific requirements to make sure you are making correct, approved claims about the ingredients, the production techniques, and the finished product.
Trust the Experts – Find Good Examples
It is always wise to begin surveying the market leaders – what do their labels look like? What logos and certificates do they provide on their labels? Are they in your local area or AVA? Perhaps you could meet them and talk about their journey to Organic Wine Label certification? Also, lean on your vendors – suppliers of equipment, glass, labels and other items can often provide a wealth of knowledge in specific areas. Don’t try to learn everything alone – connect with your peers and learn from their experience. Most people are happy to share knowledge.
We Can Help!
If it is a label printing question, we can help. If it is regulatory or design related, we can probably direct you to the proper resource. Experience and a strong network are very helpful when you are starting down a new path. Call us today – we can help. Cheers!
by admin | Feb 11, 2017 | Beer Wine Spirits, Technical
We Know Complex Prepress Graphics
Prepress is the very detailed, vital work that happens between a graphic designer and a printing press. Just having a beautiful design on a computer screen doesn’t ensure it will look beautiful on the printed label. This is where the magic of complex graphics prepress comes in. Prepress includes color correction, image manipulation, trapping, step and repeat, and even spell checking and UPC code verification. It is very complex! Trapping is one major aspect of prepress that was on display with this label. Trapping is the critical adjustment and alignment of adjacent colors, as shown in this graphic. If presses were perfect, we wouldn’t need trapping, but in the real world, we do. Read more about trapping in this previous blog post.
Some Things are Still Better on the Traditional Press
Despite the massive growth of digital printing the past 2 years, we still know that some projects print better on the traditional printing press. We are fortunate to have the depth of understanding to help find exactly the right tool for your job – not just the latest buzz word. In this case, Alan from Hair of the Dog was collaborating with a European designer and they wanted to make a massive impact with their beer and their label. Bright, loud, fluorescent colors were their vision. We could get 80% of their vision – for less money – on the digital press, but they rejected that option. They wanted the best possible display on the bottle – they didn’t want simulated colors. For that effect, traditional press printing with expensive fluorescent inks was required.
Skill Takes Time to Develop
Traditional press printing takes much more complex file preparation. Much of this is done by computer on the newer machines, but for this job we had to rely on our over 30 years of complex graphics prepress expertise. They are true experts at making complex graphics come alive on the printed label. Not all colors are created equally – trapping requires a true ‘vision’ of what each color will look like when it is laid down on the substrate, and how it will look printed next to and over the top of adjacent colors. This experience comes with time – this isn’t the kind of job you learn about in art school. No fear here – just great results for the client.
Details Matter
Pushback is OK. Part of our depth of knowledge is knowing when to push back on design elements that will really NOT work well on press. Because we have the experience and the confidence, we are much more likely to give a professional, well reasoned suggestion to avoid a problem. We have seen train wrecks before – and we don’t like them! When an unprintable design comes in – or one that won’t end up with a pleasing result to the designers – we are ready and willing to put up a cautionary hand. In the end, we are sometimes surprised when our (amazing!) designer clients push us to do something we don’t think we can do, but there is always a healthy, professional discussion to make sure all the options are considered to get the best result. In complex graphics prepress, the details matter.
We Have All The Options
Because we offer very high quality printing in traditional and digital printing, we don’t have an agenda in the decision. We have all the tools and we will educate you to make the best possible decision. Consulting and showing options is always where we start. We consider cost, timeline, finished product quality, visual appeal, durability, and anything else that may be relevant to a particular project. Unlike companies with a more limited equipment lineup, we don’t have to try to fit your project into a narrow window.
Succeed with Us and Sell More Beer!
Ultimately, we don’t succeed unless the customer does. While we love beautiful, complex labels, we love profitable customers even more! Your success is the ultimate measure of our success.
by admin | Dec 9, 2016 | Beer Wine Spirits
When our customers collaborate, everyone wins! We were pleased to provide some very high quality wine labels to our favorite neighborhood retailer, New Seasons Market, that they prominently displayed in all their stores.
Right Wine – Right Chanel
The wine was actually produced by John Grochau from Grochau Cellars. We have been in contact with John about some additional labels for his winery, but this was a great opportunity for us to all collaborate together since we have done many other labels for different food products for New Seasons in the past.
Getting a top wine maker and a very high quality retailer working together made this a wonderful project for us.
Quality Wine Labels
Having a great product and excellent placement within the store are certainly the main reasons for this wine’s success, but having a great label helps the process too. Here is what we added to the mix:
- Very high quality HP Indigo digital press printing
- Textured paper to provide an upscale feel in the consumers’ hand
- Deep debossing to highlight the wine name with a clean design
- On time production, delivered per the bottling specifications
We are proud to be a part of this team. It takes a partnership to bring this vision to life.
Partner with a Leader
If you want your wine, beer, or food labels to stand out and get noticed on the retail shelf, we can help. Call us today to discuss your project. We continue to grow and prosper because we keep our commitments to important people like you. Thanks in advance for your trust and confidence.
