by Scott Pillsbury | Jul 14, 2020 | Beer Wine Spirits, Company News, Customers/Examples
Black Is Beautiful Beer
Rose City Label is proud to be a part of the solution – using BEER as a force for GOOD! With great leadership from a wonderful brewery in Texas, we were able to partner with the Oregon Brewers Guild to support this wonderful program. We offered FREE labels to the first five OBG member brewers that wanted to brew this beer, but we got 10 fantatsic breweries signed up that same day so we decided to print FREE labels for all 10. What an amazing outpouring of support here in our own community – well done Oregon Brewers!
Thank You Weathered Souls!
Big thank you to Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antino, TX for getting this project moving so quickly. Just a short time after the public outcry about police brutality toward people of color, the team at Weathered Souls had a dedicated website built to help all of us use beer as a force for good. Check out Black is Beautiful – the hub for this project that has attracted over 1,000 breweries in all 50 states and 19 countries. Well done!
Their website gave label artwork, recipe, and a description of the cause. All they ask is that you donate the proceeds to any good cause that benefits justice for people of color.
Amazing Oregon Brewers that Stepped Up Big!
These 10 were the first to jump in for free labels, but several others have joined in later. (** For anyone who still wants in on the program, we are offering the labels at a wholesale cost basis from here on out).
Thank You Sasquatch Brewing
This is the first amazing Black is Beautiful label I got to drink personally, and it was wonderful – the flavor, the color, the brewer, and the cause it supported! Thank you Sasquatch.
by Scott Pillsbury | Jul 10, 2019 | Customers/Examples, Technical
Premium Label Foil Stamping and Embossing
Premium labels can be enhanced with foil stamping and embossing. Rose City Label is a premium label foil stamping and embossing expert. We can help with all kinds of premium labels. The image above shows the deep, impact-producing effects of an embossed label. The back of the label and the brown label backing show this deep impression – that is the magic of embossing.
Clear Foil Makes an Impact
Nothing makes an impact quite like clear foil. The two-tone gloss/matte contrast makes a label catch your eye on the store shelf. Some printers use a spot varnish, but clear foil is generally more effective and impactful. Read this previous post about amazing clear foil
Foil Stamping – Make it Shine!
Premium gourmet foods can benefit from foil stamping. Gold shows a very specific message in the minds of our customers.
Silver, copper, bronze – all of these foils look good in their own way. Work with your designer to make sure your branding is consistent. If you are providing a premium product, your packaging has to measure up. Small details can’t be printed with a foil plate, and overdoing the use of foil can ruin the effect. Use it sparingly, and foil stamping will help your label shine (literally!).
Read our previous premium Foil Stamping Post
Foil Stamping in Action – YouTube!
Reading is great, but seeing the press in this 4 minute video will also help you understand the technology. The results of embossing can be seen in this wine label. The main company name and the icon is raised on the label. You can feel the texture and quality when you touch the bottle. Look for it in a wine shop near you!
Check out the press in action Foil Stamp Press Video
Call Us Today
Rose City Label has been foil stamping since the 1980s – we have the experience, expertise, and equipment to upgrade your label. Foil stamping and embossing are great ways to show off your product on the retail shelf. Call 503-777-4711 to schedule a consultation today.
by Scott Pillsbury | Sep 5, 2018 | Customers/Examples, Technical
Keeping Consumers Safe with a Prop 65 Label
There is a huge new burden on manufacturers that sell products to consumers in California – and it may require a label update:
All manufacturers, producers, packagers, importers, suppliers, and distributors, regardless of whether they are located in California or out of state, must provide a warning if their products cause exposures to any listed chemical to individuals in California.
If you are selling anything with ingredients on the prohibited list, you may need to update the language on your labels. The NFIB has an excellent summary of the newly updated law on their website. According to NFIB,
More specifically, a warning label is required if the chemical included has either a 1 in 100,000 chance of causing cancer over a 70 year period, or unless it may be said that exposure to 1000 times the amount of the chemical within the product has no observable effect on reproductive health
The update effective in August 2018 is actually just a more strict interpretation of the law passed in 1986 – Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act This law requires disclosures if any of 900 listed chemicals are present in your product. Read the full NFIB article by clicking here.
California even has a specific website dedicated to the new law. Check more on that site by clicking www.p65warnings.ca.gov
We are All About Full Disclosure
This law seems onerous, but it is no more so than the mandate 20+ years ago to provide nutrition facts on all food packaging. Now, this consumer information seems standard, but at one time, it was a big change for all food producers. This will be the same. Besides marketing and branding, your labels need to give consumers clear and complete information.
Easy Redesign
We aren’t a graphic design company, but we can help with basic layout changes. Editing your label to be compliant and still be attractive – we can do that. We are experts at fitting lots of information onto a small label. The cost for this redesign is very affordable in most cases. And, if you need a full rebranding, we can refer you to some excellent design agencies. Adding a separate Prop 65 label to your packaging is another option – we can help with that too.
Other Label Questions? We can help
As always, we are here to help with any and all label questions. We can help with technical, aesthetic and financial questions related to your label project. Please call us today. We would be happy to help.
This article is intended to provide Oregon and Washington businesses with general information and is not intended to serve as legal advice regarding any specific matter; information should not be acted upon without legal advice.
by admin | Jul 27, 2018 | Beer Wine Spirits, Customers/Examples
Can Labels Pop!
Bright colors catch consumer eyes. You only have a few seconds to grab them and entice them into picking up your product. Can labels pop off the shelf. Printed cans have their place at times. Look at the vibrant color you get with a label! Once the consumer locks onto your can, it’s up to the beer (or other product) to sell them the second time. The first time is very dependent on your packaging. Can labels pop and they help new consumers try your product.
Simplify your Life (and Inventory)
How great would it be if you only had to inventory ONE can? If you didn’t have to tie up cash and warehouse space for 200,000 EACH of 5 different SKUs, your life would be much simpler. Can labels pop, but that is only one of the advantages. Having a more responsive, nimble inventory management can allow you to focus on making more great beer!
The Shelf Image is Dramatic
Check out this previous post to see the vibrant colors – click here
There is a VALUE to the cost
Yes, premium can labels from 7c up to 25c or more for low volume specialty labels. This is significant, but what is the value that comes with this cost? What is the additional shelf impact, the lifetime value of customers that find you for the first time? There is tremendous value in a simplified inventory system, right? What is the value of giving your brewer the flexibility to try new, exciting recipes? The actual financial cost is easy to measure, but the value gained from this packaging upgrade is difficult to quantify – but it is real.
Call us Today
We delivered these can labels in less than a week when a good customer was in a jam. Going with can labels adds flexibility and speed to your production. We have the material and the technology to help you with 12oz, 16oz, and crowler can labels. Call us today!
by Scott Pillsbury | Jul 20, 2018 | Customers/Examples, Food Beverage
We Label The Winners
Two of our favorite customers were recently honored in their respective industries for the best product in the nation! In national food competitions and blind beer tasting, Great Notion and The Bitter Housewife both came out on top. We are proud to call these companies great customers, but also friends of Rose City Label. We label the winners!
Great Notion Ripe IPA
Great Notion has been very, very popular recently. They have won numerous national and international awards. Their small batch beer releases sell out quickly when shared on social media. This award is further proof of their success. Paste Magazine recently spent 17 days doing blind tasting on the best 324 IPAs in the country – 17 days of beer tasting! The results are summarized here, but the punchline is that out Great Notion was voted #1 out of all these beers! Among other things, the reviewers said:
it’s the beer that everyone can agree on. It’s the beer that everyone wants to drink more of. And in these 324, that was Great Notion’s Ripe, hands down. … Ripe is simply everything that you want in a NE-IPA. Loaded up with Citra, it presents a hugely tropical hop nose, with notes of mango, papaya, pineapple and more musky, exotic fruit notes that are difficult to put your finger on.
Way to go Great Notion – we are proud to have you as part of the Rose City Label family. Cheers!
The Bitter Housewife Cardamom Bitters
The next big winners were Genevieve and Dan Brazelton founders of Improper Goods – The Bitter Housewife. Their Cardamom Bitters not only won their individual category in the Specialty Foods Association national competition, they were actually picked as PRODUCT OF THE YEAR in all categories! Read the full story by clicking here. This is a huge accomplishment for a relatively small company that is competing with all types and sizes of business around the United States. Way to go!
Call Us Today
Do you want to be labelled by the company that labels big winners like this? We label winners and we want to label you, too. Call us today for a free consultation to see how we can help your product stand out in a crowded market.
by Scott Pillsbury | Jun 11, 2018 | Business Tips, Company News, Customers/Examples
Extra Mile Service – Whatever it takes!
When we determined that a critical shipment wasn’t going to make it for an important trade show, we reran the order and boarded a plane. We flew the labels (in 
suitcases) to the venue in Chicago so the customer could have them for the show. The customer loved the labels. The stickers were a big hit at the event. Whatever it takes, we are here to provide extra mile service. Here’s the full story:
Friday Night
At about 10pm Friday night, we figured out that this shipment would be delivered Monday, not Saturday as requested. We contacted UPS and tracked the packages, but with no luck. The packages were stuck in Louisville, KY and nobody would get to them in time.
Saturday at Noon
By noon saturday we had an emergency crew in the shop to re-run the job. While the job was running, we explored DHL, FedEx Freight, and continued to look for ways 
to retrieve the job from the UPS facility in KY. The customer was willing to drive from Chicago (297 miles) to pick up if this would be an option. Unfortunately, the only viable option was to buy an airline ticket and fill suitcases with labels. Saturday afternoon we were out buying suitcases to make this happen.
Saturday Night at PDX
The gate agent checked the overweight bags onto the United Airlines direct flight to Chicago. The staff was very cordial and helpful – it isn’t very often that a person only checks their bags one way! The passenger was just there to escort the bags, but it was faster and less expensive to have a human getting a free ride to Chicago.
Sunday 5am in Chicago
After a nice relaxing night on the airplane, I was in Chicago by 5am and ready to hand off the bags to my customer contact. Labels aren’t always sexy or exciting, but this handoff seemed like a monumental achievement to keep the free world safe. Very exciting to see the labels in the proper hands.
Later, we got notice from the trade show that the labels were a big hit. Finally, by the end of the day the trade show staff gave away the entire 200 lbs. (4 suitcases) of hand delivered labels. Success!
Sunday 10am – back in Portland
About 95 minutes after the big handoff, I was back through security and eating breakfast at the airport. Sadly, I didn’t see any of Chicago on this trip! The flight back was easy, and with the time change, I was back before lunch time. In less than 12 hours I covered 3,500 miles and made a huge impact on an important customer.
Extra Mile Service – Anything for Labels!
This is, admittedly, the craziest delivery story that I can recall in the last 24 years, but it’s really just an extension of our daily way of doing business. Customers come to us with crazy problems all the time and we go out of our way to fix them. Extra mile service – that’s what we are all about. Call us today!
