News Archives
Be Bold. Break the Mold!
May 31, 2017
It’s well documented that Millennials—79 million Americans ages 21 to 38—have become a prime market segment for wine producers. Last year, this cohort drank 42% of all wine in the US, according to research from the Wine Market Council. Because of their growing influence, Millennials, 
especially women, are driving trends in nearly every area of wine making and packaging. For example, while Boomers have 
traditionally bought California wine, Millennials are more experimental, purchasing wines from a variety of producers, from Oregon to Chile and even New York, and are “rabid cross-drinkers, drinking not only wine, but beer, spirits, and sparkling drinks. When buying wine, they tend to select more eclectic wines that may cost $20 or more.
This same appetite for experimentation also holds true in wine packaging. Many Millennials purchase wine based on the design of the label alone, according to a study led by Nicholas E. Johnston at Texas Tech University; they are attracted to simpler, modern, and sophisticated design elements, and they like to have information about the wine, producer, and eco-friendly programs on the label, since the environment is important to this cohort. In general, Millennials are “willing to purchase new or unfamiliar products, if there’s a perception of value,” so packaging that touts value and tells a winery’s local, ecological story would be appealing. You can find the study here: http://bit.ly/2rP6mrR.
In addition, a January 2017 PRNewswire survey found that “95% of wine drinkers prefer drinking wine that comes in a glass bottle, with taste (80% 
total/78% Millennials) and quality (81%) leading as the top reasons consumers prefer wine packaged in glass. Younger generations don’t rely on the style of the bottle when purchasing a wine. (Interesting footnote: 55% of wine drinkers surveyed noted that single-serve glass containers were “just the right size.”)
So why not meet the Millennial challenge and be as bold as they are with your packaging? Why not experiment with conventional factors like weight versus shape or what has been deemed appropriate for your varietal? Perhaps a Pinot Gris in a hock, or in a Burgundy or Bordeaux bottle? Maybe a Chardonnay in a Burgundy Antica? As “The Glass Bottle Specialists” my team at Global Package will search the world over for the glass shape that’s perfect for your wine and the story you want to tell.
Give us a call at 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information.
Small Production Wineries
May 17, 2017
While conventional wisdom holds that customization is only for wineries producing 10,000 or more cases, Erica Harrop of Global Package LLC, recently opposed that perception: “Forget the belief that you can’t customize a bottle for a run of less than 10,000 cases. You can! Our specialty in 
wine and spirits glass allows us to source worldwide to find custom solutions for nearly any production quantity.”
Global Package has customized 250 cases of unique spirits bottles, 700 cases of cartouche wine bottles, as well as customizing cartons, assisting with custom decoration, and managing entire custom projects from start to finish. Known as “The Glass Bottle Specialists,” the company has a team of experienced packaging and branding professionals who work with even the smallest wineries to reinforce wine brands with custom bottle shapes and decoration, including gloss or matte coatings, fine metals, enamel or organic silk-screening, and handmade details.
“We are as committed to our work as you are committed to your wine,” says Harrop. “Just give us a call and we’ll help make your brand a stand out!”
Contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information.
Global Package Salutes Pewter Label Supplier: Etiq’Etains
April 05, 2017
Since its founding in 2006, Global Package LLC has been working with Etiq’Etains, a long-established pewter casting company located in the picturesque town of Nontron in the Perigord region of France, a region famous for its cuisine, especially foie gras; its truffles; and its Bergerac and Monbazillac wines. As a family-owned artisanal business, headed by brothers Jacques Vandenbosch and Olivier Vandenbosch, Etiq’Etains has 
developed unique metallic self-adhesive labels that are used in a wide range of industries. However, pewter label application to wine and spirits bottles, has become its fastest growing market segment over the past few years.
The company has developed technology that colors the pewter to gold, bronze, and even standard shiny colors, such as blue. The company’s research and development team continues to advance new ways to enhance color effects and labels with ever more varied colors and patinas, allowing even more interesting designs to be possible. The company also offers flexo coloring, foil application, and metallization with very high gloss, and huge variety of different cutting shapes.
European bottlers have been applying the pewter labels automatically for years, and US wineries are increasingly interested in acquiring the fast application roller label method to bottling lines.
A new generation in the family is continuing to work on expanding design and technical possibilities to this old world technology. Global Package is proud to partner with this dynamic company!
Ask us what we can offer you to boost your brand!
Contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information.
Global Package Salutes Its Super Supplier: Estal
March 21, 2017
Arriving at creative solutions to packaging challenges is a top priority at Global Package LLC, which is why the company works with some of the most innovative packaging companies in the world. This month, we’d like to thank one of our long-standing partners: Estal.
For many years, we have partnered with this cutting-edge Spanish company as their sole distributor in the U.S. This provides our wine and 
spirits companies with comprehensive packaging solutions, including a wide range of premium glass bottles and customized bottles, closures, and decoration options, resulting in an enriched brand appearance. Here are just a few of the ways in which Global Package can embellish your brand:
Coatings:
- Pantone color coating, including opaque or translucent finishes.
- Partial Pantone color coating, with sharp limits or gradual effect.
- Metallization with Pantone color coating with an opaque, mirror effect finish translucent finish. This technique provides a premium metallic appearance with high brightness.
- Glass surface treatment for a frosted appearance, with standard or Pantone color finish with gradual effect or transparent window.
- Transparent window effect on coated glass, giving visibility to content.
Printing:
- Screen printing on glass (ink printed logo or text with a wide range of colors and brightness).
- Screen printing on coated glass (ink printed logo or text with a wide range of colors and brightness on coated surfaces).
- Metallic screen-printed logo or text with high brightness.
- Hot stamping thermal transfer technique for text or logo with high brightness level on glass or coated glass, in a wide range of colors and finishes.
- Hand-applied decals, a decorative element for irregular bottle shapes that provides a high definition graphic result.
Innovative Printing Techniques:
- Laser etching: engraved logo, text or effect directly on glass or coated glass. This technique can create relief.
- Direct inkjet: high definition (photo quality) direct printed image directly on glass or coated glass. 360º continuous printing process on squared shapes.
Our Estal relationship also allows us to offer a wide range of closures, including Bartop Stoppers for bottles with a cork opening and Thread Finish Closures, including GPI, PILFER and STELVIN styles, which can be customized with color, material, markings, etc.
Estal’s portfolio also includes the unique Doble Alto, a leading-edge bottle design that guarantees a double-take by customers:
(http://www.globalpackage.net/wine-bottles/customization-wine-bottles)
Please Note: Global Package will be exhibiting:
April 3 – 6, Booth #520 ADI Show in Baltimore, MD
April 18 – 21, Booth #1414, WSWA show in Orlando, FL
On display will be Estal products, including the distinctive collection of Doble Alto carafe line of European bottle styles, new custom shapes, and decoration. Our have team of experts will be on hand to answer questions. Contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information.
Global Package Celebrates Women of the Vine & Spirits
March 07, 2017
Global Package Founder and CEO, Erica Harrop, announced she will be attending the conferences at the upcoming Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium next week, which will be held March 13th through 15th at the Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa, CA.
“As a woman business owner in the industry and a Corporate Partner of the Women of the Vine & Spirits Alliance, I am committed to support other women-owned businesses, which is the mission of the Alliance,” says Harrop. “The presenters are top industry leaders who also happen to be women.”
To celebrate just some of the contributions women have made in the industry, Harrop offers this summary of a 2015 American Association of Wine Economists’ Working Paper #178 http://bit.ly/1LEdrxz:
- In the US today approximately half of all medical degrees and degrees in the life sciences are awarded to women. Similar increases have occurred in the field of enology, the science and study of wine and winemaking.
- While close to half of graduates of premier enology program in California are women, only 9.8% of California wineries have a woman as a main or lead winemaker.
- Recent statistics indicate that women in the U.S. constitute 59 percent of regular wine purchasers and 50 percent of occasional wine purchasers, who are especially attracted to wines crafted by women winemakers. In addition, “only wines by women” are now featured in well-known restaurants and wine bars.
- Proportional to their representation in the field, the wines from California wineries having lead women winemakers are more highly acclaimed in comparison to those of their male counterparts, as evidenced by their inclusion in Jim Gordon’s Opus Vino, a widely cited and credible source of winery quality.
Other studies have found that women “who persist and achieve in male-dominated fields indicate that their success is related not only to high achievement motivation, ability, and self-efficacy, but also to performing better under working conditions of challenge, collaboration, and autonomy and doing better at managing risk …all factors associated with the challenges of winemaking.”
Another study, commissioned by American Express and entitled The State of Women-Owned Businesses in 2016: Summary of Key Trends, http://bit.ly/2bexPKN has some more compelling facts:
- As of 2016, it is estimated that there are now 11.3 million women-owned businesses in the United States, employing nearly 9 million people and generating over $1.6 trillion revenues.
- Over the past nine years, the number of women-owned firms has grown at a rate fully five times faster than the national average.
- Employment in women-owned businesses has increased by 18% since the recession, while among all businesses employment has declined 1% since 2007.
- Business revenues among women-owned firms have increased by 35% since 2007, at a rate that is 30% higher than the national average.
One of the most remarkable trends over the past decade has been the phenomenal growth in the number of firms owned by women of color, more than doubling since 2007, increasing by 126%. Also, there’s this from a 2015 San Francisco Business Timesarticle: “According to studies conducted by BNY Mellon Wealth Management, some 80 percent of women are solely responsible for their household’s financial decisions, and 42 percent of those women are the primary breadwinners in their house. Women make up almost half — 45 percent — of today’s millionaires, control $11.2 trillion of investable assets in the U.S., and make up 47 percent of the workforce.
“As a 100% woman-owned business, Global Package is very proud of the important contributions and the many inroads women have made in the wine industry,” says Harrop. “But we still have a way to go. Despite the extraordinary achievements our winemaking and wine management cohort have made, we still hold only 10-14% leadership roles in the industry. It’s been proven that exceptional talent and drive define these women, so working with them and/or hiring them is a clear win-win.”
As harvest time approaches, Global Package encourages customers to remember this important demographic when designing wine’s packaging. The company is also available to discuss appropriate bottles for a brand, including lots of inventory, including European fancy glass (which is quite affordable these days given the favorable exchange rate), a wide variety of magnums, as well as gorgeous, lightweight bottles for every wine category.
Call Global Package to order samples: 707-224-5670 - globalpackage.net - sales@globalpackage.net
Global Package Salutes Its Super Suppliers: Part 1
January 25, 2017
Because arriving at creative solutions to packaging challenges is a top priority at Global Package, we work with some of the most innovative packaging companies in the world. This month, we’d like to thank one of our long-standing partners: Estal. As we are the primary partner in the US for this cutting-edge Spanish company, we are able to offer clients a wide range of premium glass bottles, closures, and decoration options for wine and spirits companies wishing to enrich their brand’s appearance.
At Unified we will be showing off the Doble Alto ™ bottle line along with high end decoration solutions. 
Here are just a few of the ways in which we can embellish your packaging:
Coatings:
- Pantone color coating, including opaque or translucent finishes.
- Partial Pantone color coating, with sharp limits or gradual effect.
- Metallization with Pantone color coating with an opaque, mirror effect finish translucent finish. This technique provides a premium metallic appearance with high brightness.
- Glass surface treatment for a frosted appearance, with standard or Pantone color finish with gradual effect or transparent window.
- Transparent window effect on coated glass, giving visibility to content.
Printing:
- Screen printing on glass (ink printed logo or text with a wide range of colors and brightness).
- Screen printing on coated glass (ink printed logo or text with a wide range of colors and brightness on coated surfaces).
- Metallic screen-printed logo or text with high brightness.
- Hot stamping thermal transfer technique for text or logo with high brightness level on glass or coated glass, in a wide range of colors and finishes.
- Hand-applied decals, a decorative element for irregular bottle shapes that provides a high definition graphic result.
Innovative Printing Techniques:
- Laser etching: engraved logo, text or effect directly on glass or coated glass. This technique can create relief.
- Direct inkjet: high definition (photo quality) direct printed image directly on glass or coated glass. 360º continuous printing process on squared shapes.
Our Estal relationship also allows us to offer a wide range of closures, including Bartop Stoppers for bottles with a cork opening and Thread Finish Closures, including GPI, PILFER and STELVIN styles, which can be customized with color, material, markings, etc.
Come see Estal’s portfolio and their leading-edge bottle design that guarantees a double take by customers:
(http://www.globalpackage.net/wine-bottles/customization-wine-bottles)
Reminder: Global Package will be exhibiting this week at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium on January 25 & 26, in Booth #207. To register use Promo Code GP2017E4005.
On display will be our distinctive collection of Elegant Light™ line of European bottle styles, Estal’s unique Doble Alto bottles, our new 1.5L and 750ml Flint glass bottles in both Bordeaux and Burgundy styles, as well as a wide variety of adhesive pewter labels. Our have team of experts will be on hand to answer questions.
Contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information.
Detroit Takes “World’s Best Vodka” Prize from Russia
January 10, 2017
Erica Harrop, CEO of Global Package LLC, was overjoyed to see that Detroit’s Valentine Distilling Co—a Global Package client—won the World’s Best Vodka award at London’s TheDrinksReport.com’s World’s Best Spirits 2016 last March. To celebrate the award, Valentine created a spirits 
advertisement, using all-local talent and showing Lenin's reaction …it's a must see.
“Poor Lenin,” cajoles Harrop. “It must have been quite a shock to lose this top vodka honor to an American company. Of course, we are thrilled for our client!”
In making the commercial, the hunt for a ‘dead Lenin lookalike’ took weeks, until Jeremy Verdusco, who lives in Detroit and is a fan of Valentine Vodka, was spotted riding his bike down Stewart’s street. Rifino hired writer Jon Stewart of Huntington Woods, art director Bill Whitney of Oxford, director. All post-production was completed in Detroit. Stewart made Verdusco the awkward proposition: “You look like dead Lenin, how would you like to play him in a commercial for Valentine Vodka?” Verdusco ended up spending 10 hours in preparation for his day on the shoot, applying facial prosthetics and makeup. “It was a long day,” he says, “but worth it for a product I believe in.”
Rifino Valentine, Founder and President of Valentine Distilling Co, added: “Valentine is well known for its dedication to making quality products using American craftsmanship. We wanted to show the world that Detroit arts and manufacturing is alive and well.”
“I was really happy to learn about Valentine’s award,” says Harrop. “And even more fun to view their first-ever commercial …it’s a witty masterpiece!”
To view the commercial, click here: http://bit.ly/2iSEImT And here’s a link to a mini-documentary about Valentine Distilling: http://bit.ly/2jigEsH.
Reminder: Global Package will be exhibiting in Booth #207 at the upcoming Unified Wine & Grape Symposium on January 25 & 26. On display will be its distinctive collection of Elegant Light™ line of European bottle styles, its unique Doble Alto bottles, its new 1.5L and 750ml Flint glass bottles in both Bordeaux and Burgundy styles, as well as a wide variety of adhesive pewter labels. The company will have team experts on hand to answer questions.
You can contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information.
Global Package Showcases Innovation at Unified Booth #505
December 27, 2016
Erica Harrop, founder and CEO of Global Package, is pulling out all the stops for a spectacular display of custom bottles and innovative packaging solutions at the upcoming Unified Wine & Grape Symposium on January 25 & 26. On display will be the company’s unique Doble Alto bottles, an 
original design that was released in 2015 by Estal, a long-term supplier of premium packaging to Global Package. The Doble Alto line includes several Bordelaise designs, including the Cognata, Cognata Eco, and Lause, as well as sparkling wine bottles: Opera, Opera Roseta, and Gala.
The company also will be showcasing its new 1.5L and 750ml Flint glass bottles in both Bordeaux and Burgundy styles, as well as bottles Opera, Opera Roseta, and Gala.
New pewter labels in a wide range of sculptural styles, shapes, and colors will also be on display. Global Package partners with Etiq’Etains, the French manufacturer known worldwide for innovative and beautiful tin and pewter labels. The adhesive labels are supple and easily applied to any surface, including glass, ceramic, even wood and cardboard
In addition, the company will have samples of its distinctive Elegant Light™ line of European bottle styles, including the recently unveiled Bordelaise Fiona Carrée bottle …all at affordable prices.
“Unified is the not-to-be-missed show of the season,” says Harrop. “We’ll have our experienced team at the booth to answer questions and to provide expert guidance to help you create the perfect package for your wine.”
You can contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information.
Global Package Displays Pewter Labels at Upcoming Shows
November 29, 2016
Global Package is celebrating its 10th anniversary partnership with pewter label maker, Etiq’Etains. The French manufacturer is known worldwide for innovative and beautiful tin, pewter, labels. At upcoming shows—WIN Expo on 12/1/16 (Booth #230) and the Unified Show on January 25 & 26 (Booth #505)—Global Package will be showcasing examples of these unique labels for producers, marketers, and designers.
"These adhesive labels are supple and easily applied to any surface, including glass, ceramic, even wood and cardboard,” says founder and CEO of Global Package, Erica Harrop. “They are lead-free and come in a range of styles and colors to help products stand out on the shelf. It is a quick way to customize a bottle or package with lower costs and smaller runs.”
According to a Jim Gordon of Wines and Vines,knowing your market and tailoringlabel design to that market is essential in today’s crowded market: “Driven by increased sales and consumption, and fueled by the proliferation of wineries and brands across the continent, growth of the market means that packaging wines for instant shelf-appeal is vital.”
The pewter label models and stamped casts are all developed in-house at the Etiq’Etains workshop, including a roller label production line for which the company was 
awarded the “dynamic handcraft prize” from the Chamber of Trade and the Populaire Bank. The company offers a huge quantity of different cutting shapes in many metallic colors.
“We invite everyone to visit our booths at the shows to see the incredible variety of styles, shapes, and colors of these tin and pewter labels,” adds Harrop. “From patterns in full labels to neck wraps and cork tops, you’ll find a label that speaks to your market and positions you above the fray.”
For a preview of what will be on display, visit: http://www.globalpackage.net/other-products/pewter-labels or contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpckage.net for more information.
New European Bottles Show Big at WIN Expo in Santa Rosa
November 18, 2016
Global Package will be showcasing hot new bottles in Booth #230 on Thursday, December 1st at the upcoming WIN Expo in The Hall of Flowers at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa— all at competitive prices. Featured will be new stocks such as its new 1.5L and 750ml Flint glass bottles in both Bordeaux and Burgundy styles, as
well as beautiful new bottles for the dynamic new rosé market.
"We have seen an incredible interest in quality and variety that we haven't seen since 2008," says founder and CEO of Global Package, Erica Harrop. “We are tapping into all our European resources to ramp up the selections that are our hallmark.”
Also on display will be the company’s unique Doble Alto bottles, with their original double-punt design, which was released in 2015 by Estal, a long-term supplier of premium packaging to Global Package. The Doble Alto line includes several Bordelaise, sparkling, and spirits bottle designs, such as the Cognata, Tramo Alta and Clarior ®.
Visitors will also be able to pick up samples of attractive metallic pewter self-adhesive labels in a range of new colors, which are becoming integral to new creative designs in the industry.
“The Expo will give producers an excellent opportunity to view our impressive range of in-stock products, as well as samples of some gorgeous custom bottles,” says Erica Harrop. “Since this is the ideal time to order, I and my knowledgeable staff will be on hand to answer questions and discuss specific packaging needs. We look forward to seeing you there!”
Contact 707-224-5670 or sales@globalpackage.net for more information. Globalpackage.net
Global Package Introduces Rosé Bottles and Two New Magnums
November 07, 2016
If you’ve been paying attention to wine trends, Rosés have taken a leading role in America’s wine production and consumption. Today, the US is the world’s 3rd largest producer of Rosés, after France and Italy. And Americans drink 13% of the world’s Rosés, second only to France. In fact, Rosés have become so popular that producers are challenging traditional bottles with beautiful and unique custom shapes to boost their wine’s shelf appeal.
Global Package is proud to introduce elegant, custom bottles for Rosé producers. The company has many sophisticated and fun specialty shapes, all at reasonable prices. You can choose from curvy or sleek, with or without embossing, and screw cap and cork finish. Also new this year is the Extra Flint glass Magnums in both 
Bordeaux and Burgundy styles.
Flint glass comes in various shades of transparency, from Extra White Flint to Industrial Flint. The Extra White Flint is also used for spirits, which showcases its brilliance, clarity and highly refractive quality, making it a stand-out choice for Rosés. According to Master of Wine, Elizabeth Gabay, there are 353 shades of Rosés: http://bit.ly/2em0vjP, and each one has its own characteristic taste and color. A bottle choice can enhance or diminish this distinctiveness.
“We offer glass from around the world to give you the best selection in the US market,” says Erica Harrop, Global Package’s founder and CEO. “Standard bottles for Rosés are no longer sufficient in the increasingly crowded Rosé market. If you are a Rosé producer, now is the time to order.”
Call us today to order your samples: 707-224-5670 Global Package
Global Package’s Erica Harrop Makes Annual Inspection of China Glass Factories
October 04, 2016
At least once every year, Erica Harrop, founder and CEO of Global Package LLC, travels to China to inspect the glass factories, from which she has purchased wine and spirits bottles for over 7 years. She also regularly visits factories operated by her European suppliers, with whom she has relationships lasting as long as 30 years. In China, it’s well known that building trusting relationships is key to doing business, and her regular visits to the offices and shop floors of her suppliers have cemented these strong alliances.
“In-person contact with all our suppliers is critical to confirming that US- required quality standards are being precisely followed,” she says. “Having worked for 11 years inside a glass factory environment has give me a respect for the limitations of manufacturing, and also the ability to communicate with owners and workers in a constructive way.”
Customized glass packaging in the US lags behind both Europe, which specializes in high-end decoration and smaller glass plants that have greater flexibility, and China, which has taken off due to Baijiu, the world’s largest selling spirits products made in China and priced at thousands of dollars. “Understanding the uniqueness of customization and the reasons for variations between factories is important for us to know, which lets our customers reap the benefits,” Harrop stresses. “European glass remains at the top of the premium market,” she adds, “but Chinese glass is closing in terms of quality, with the added plus of value. Our specialty is that we work with all factories and know all of their unique capabilities. We have personal connections with all of them.”
Harrop’s intensive factory inspections include tracking ISO quality controls, from selection of raw materials through all production processes, including automated production lines and the design of molds, as well as warehousing of the finished product, and shipping procedures. Together with her partner company, Estal Packaging and their Asian office, she works directly with product development personnel at the factories to ensure customized products meet customers’ and quality conformance requirements. Within these stringent quality demands, Global Package’s alliances with both European and Chinese factories also focus on production efficiencies, which allows the company to control costs and pass on savings to customers.
Global Package’s Harrop Attends AGR Institute Seminar on Testing and Fracture Diagnosis
September 07, 2016
Napa, CA September 7, 2016 — This month Global Package LLC’s founder and CEO Erica Harrop will be attending an advanced seminar at the prestigious American Glass Research Institute (AGR) on glass fracture analysis and defects that affect loads and stresses related to bottle production and design.
Throughout Harrop’s career, she has continued her education in glass production and packaging, including AGR seminars on subjects integrally related to the products Global Package provides through custom productions. Having graduated from Audit of Glass Plant Operations, she is able to more clearly identify origins of quality that are important to her clientele.
While Global Package LLC is well known for supplying a wide range of custom, European glass, and lightweight Elegant Light™ bottles for the wine and spirits industries, it’s solid reputation has also been built on its expertise in all facets of glass manufacture. “We are not just buyers of glass,” stresses Harrop. “We are experts at what we do. And it is earned expertise you can trust.”
Harrop has a long history in the business, beginning her career in post-graduate international wine studies at the University of Bordeaux in the Department D'Oenologie and later earning her Enology degree from the University of California at Davis. After heading up some major US glass companies through the 1990s and early 2000s, she earned her MBA from Sonoma State University and then set her sights on starting her own import glass and packaging company. “Everyone hopes to find their passion in their work,” says Harrop. “I am so lucky to have found mine in my love of beautiful glass making.”
The American Glass Research Institute offers wide ranging seminars in locations around the world —many of which Harrop has attended—including fracture diagnosis; defect identification; the effect of design on bottle performance; coating technology; and cord, annealing, and batch and furnace operations.
Women of the Vine / Women in Wine
August 24, 2016
WOMEN ROCK!
As a female business owner in the wine industry, I make it my business to be supportive of other women-owned businesses. This is just one reason Global Package LLC recently joined Women of the Vine as a Corporate Partner www.womenofthevine.com/. This membership alliance is dedicated to the support and advancement of women in the alcohol beverage industry, and advocates for the industry at large to support gender-diverse teams and talent development.
We thought this would be a great opportunity to review women’s progress in business, and to highlight some of the amazing contributions women are making in the wine industry. Here are a few interesting statistics, pulled from the May 2015 American Association of Wine Economists’ Working Paper #178 http://bit.ly/1LEdrxz
- In the US today approximately half of all medical degrees and degrees in the life sciences are awarded to women. Similar increases have occurred in the field of enology, the science and study of wine and winemaking.
- While close to half of graduates of premier enology program in California are women, only 9.8% of California wineries have a woman as a main or lead winemaker.
- Recent statistics indicate that women in the U.S. constitute 59 percent of regular wine purchasers and 50 percent of occasional wine purchasers, who are especially attracted to wines crafted by women winemakers. In addition, “only wines by women” are now featured in well-known restaurants and wine bars.
- Proportional to their representation in the field, the wines from California wineries having lead women winemakers are more highly acclaimed in comparison to those of their male counterparts, as evidenced by their inclusion in Jim Gordon’s Opus Vino, a widely cited and credible source of winery quality.
Unsurprisingly, studies have also found that women “who persist and achieve in male-dominated fields indicate that their success is related not only to high achievement motivation, ability, and self-efficacy, but also to performing better under working conditions of challenge, collaboration, and autonomy and doing better at managing risk …all factors associated with the challenges of winemaking.”
Another study, commissioned by American Express and entitled “The State of Women-Owned Businesses in 2016: Summary of Key Trends,” http://bit.ly/2bexPKN has some more compelling facts:
- As of 2016, it is estimated that there are now 11.3 million women-owned businesses in the United States, employing nearly 9 million people and generating over $1.6 trillion revenues.
- Over the past nine years, the number of women-owned firms has grown at a rate fully five times faster than the national average.
- Employment in women-owned businesses has increased by 18% since the recession, while among all businesses employment has declined 1% since 2007.
- Business revenues among women-owned firms have increased by 35% since 2007, at a rate that is 30% higher than the national average.
- One of the most remarkable trends over the past decade has been the phenomenal growth in the number of firms owned by women of color, more than doubling since 2007, increasing by 126%.
Finally, there’s this from a 2015 San Francisco Business Times article: “According to studies conducted by BNY Mellon Wealth Management, some 80 percent of women 
are solely responsible for their household’s financial decisions, and 42 percent of those women are the primary breadwinners in their house. Women make up almost half — 45 percent — of today’s millionaires, control $11.2 trillion of investable assets in the U.S., and make up 47 percent of the workforce.
As a 100% woman-owned business, Global Package is very proud of the important contributions and the many inroads women have made in the wine industry. But we still have a way to go. Despite the extraordinary achievements our winemaking and wine management cohort have made, we still hold only 10-14% leadership roles in the industry. It’s been proven that exceptional talent and drive define these women, so working with them and/or hiring them is a clear win-win. We at Global Package encourage all our colleagues—male and female—to open the door to this incredible talent pool. Not only have we proven our value over the past decade, we just may be the key to your success in the future.
Also, as harvest time approaches, don’t forget that women are an important demographic to consider when designing your wine’s packaging. And don’t forget to contact Global Package to discuss appropriate bottles for your brand. We have lots of inventory, including European fancy glass (which is quite affordable these days given the favorable exchange rate). We also carry a variety of magnums, and unique, gorgeous, lightweight bottles for every wine category.
Call us today to order your samples: 707-224-5670
Global Package LLC is pleased to introduce a new addition to its Estal line of bottles: the Clarior Doble Alto
August 12, 2016
Napa, CA August 10, 2016 — Global Package LLC is pleased to introduce a new addition to its Estal line of bottles: the Clarior Doble Alto (see photo). This is a beautiful original 
design, with refined lines and a double base height that acts like a podium. The effect increases a brand’s shelf presence without increasing the amount of glass used in manufacturing. Released in 2015 by Estal—a long-term supplier to Global Package of premium packaging—the Doble Alto bottles have won 
numerous awards, including the 2015 Presentation Award Hall of Gourmets for the UNICO Vermouth Zarro, which used the handsome Tramo Alto bottle from the collection (see photo).
“During a recent trip to Spain, our good friends at Estal introduced me to this gorgeous Clarior Doble Alto bottle,” says Erica Harrop, founder and CEO of Global Package. “The Doble Alto bottles are perfect for sophisticated high-end packaging. Not only are they elegant, but they are also unique in their ability to enhance the image of the most exclusive sought-after still and sparkling wines.”
While Doble Alto bottles (http://www.estal.com/en/top-innovation-doble-alto.htm) are primarily thought of as spirits bottles because to their capacity for fine decoration, this characteristic applies perfectly to wines seeking that one-of-a-kind image of style and elegance. The Doble Alto line includes several Bordelaise designs, including the Cognata, Cognata Eco, and Lause, as well as sparkling wine bottles: Opera, Opera Roseta, and Gala.
Note: We’ll have samples on display at the August 17th Wines & Vines Packaging Conference, Booth 37 at Lincoln Theater in Yountville, CA. We look forward to seeing you there!
Thomas Bardessono has joined the Global Package sales team
June 15, 2016
We are thrilled to announce that Thomas Bardessono has joined the Global Package sales team, heading up sales in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Tom comes to us with decades of experience in all facets of wine production, from vineyard management and winemaking to wine and wine barrel sales to business analyst, strategic planning and logistics. He was introduced to Global Package when he purchased the Fiona bottle for his Bardessono Vineyards and Wines winery in Yountville, CA.
“From my past experience and as owner and winemaker of Bardessono, I was very aware of the critical role the bottle plays in packaging,” Tom says. “Not only is it a key element of a brand’s persona, it also must perform flawlessly on the bottling line, hold up under sometimes extreme shipping conditions, look great on the shelf, and yet not break the bank in cost. When I contacted Global Package for advice on a bottle for my wine, I was very impressed with their inventory and their knowledgeable customer service. I was excited to learn they were looking for help with sales, so I jumped at the chance. It seems like a perfect match!”
Tom worked for almost 10 years with Miner Family Winery in Oakville, CA, where he increased new client revenue, from $50k to $250k. He also performed and updated production protocols, quality controls, and managed the winery’s safety program from harvest crush to bottling. Prior to Miner, he worked for Bouchard Cooperage, Greenfield Wine Company, Jack Neal Vineyard Management, and Kendall-Jackson and Robert Mondavi wineries.
Global Package founder and CEO, Erica Harrop, adds: “Tom comes with amazing credentials and will be a real asset to our team! He soon will be reaching out to all our contacts in the Northwest region, so I hope you will extend him a warm welcome.”
Estal News - March 2016
March 28, 2016
ESTAL NEWS - March 2016
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JACK - HIGH GLASS
We incorporate the new bottle to our High Glass collection. Its design is inspired by bourbon, seeking a balance between its simple rectangular shape and slight vintage fair.
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EAST COAST
ESTAL USA
estal@estal.com
T. +1 305 728 3272 / Mbl. +1 305 331 3401 |
WEST COAST
GLOBAL PACKAGE
info@globalpackage.net
T. 707 224-5670 |
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Glass Purchasing Trends
June 13, 2014
Wine Business Monthly, April 2014
Supply Side Economics:
Domestic vs. Imports
Erica Harrop, owner of Global Package in Napa, sees a mixed bag in glass
supply. “I think there is going to be a shortage, and, in fact, there might be
a disruption in supply this year in higher-end glass. Lower-end glass should
not be a problem since there are a number of factories domestically and
internationally that service that line. About three years ago, the proportion
of glass coming from China comprised 15 percent. Today it is certainly
much, much more,” Harrop said. “The reason is simple: our demand for
Global Package’s market, mostly higher-end glass, is growing, and product
availability of this type of glass in the U.S. is static.”
Encore Glass’ VP of sales and marketing Kyle Rossler said, “In our estimation,
there will be a tightness, if not an out and out shortage, of glass this
year. Wineries that can forecast and plan accordingly can get the glass they
want. Those that wait until the last minute may be disappointed and will
have to settle for something, perhaps not the right size or weight.
“Since there are no other furnaces being built in the U.S., the glass has
to come from somewhere. All glass companies would love to run 365 days
and sell all their output. But you can’t turn on and off a glass furnace like a
printing press.” Rossler said. “All glass furnaces need to go down on a periodic
basis for maintenance.”
“With North American capacity fixed, more globally sourced wine bottles
are coming into the U.S.,” vice president of Saxco International’s wine group
David Schwandt said.
Come join us at the WiVi Central Coast 2013 show in Paso Robles!! March 19-20
March 18, 2013
2012 Viticulture Fair
October 02, 2012
Please join us at the upcoming 2012 Napa Valley Grape Growers Viticulture Fair. Stop by our booth to see what's new in glass and packaging, or just to say hello. See you there!
Global Package - Booth #106
November 7, 2012
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Napa Valley Exposition Fairgrounds
575 Third Street
Napa CA 94559
Sonoma State highlights graduates, such as Global Package’s founder
June 10, 2012
Introducing the Award-Winning….
March 27, 2011
Decanter MBS Bottle
Global Package is proud to present this innovative new bottle style designed by the Basque restaurateur, Martin Berasategui, to prevent wine sediments from reaching the wine glass during decantation. Produced by the Spanish company, Estal Packaging, the bottle was recently awarded a prestigious Packaging Oscar for its innovation and functionality. The design consists of a double base, with the lower base having two perpendicular ledges that create a narrowing that prevents non-filtered sediments and impurities from reaching the wine glass during decantation. The design can also eliminate pre-bottling filtration processes, allowing for optimal wine sensory characteristics to be maintained. For more information on pricing and availability for the Decanter MBS Bottle, or to order a sample, please contact our office 707-224-5670.
At the Glass Factory
February 13, 2011
Molten glass drops into the molds in this short video.
Here the glass goes into the lehr for annealing.
Spring 2016 Newsletter
May 27, 2016
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Founded in 2008, Valentine is a relatively new player in craft distilling, but it has risen to the top of a crowded field of high-end vodkas. Its signature vodka was recently judged Winner of the 2016 World Vodka Awards in London. It was also awarded a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits competition, and was recognized by Anthony Dias Blue, editor-in-chief of The Tasting Panel magazine, with a 94-point ranking, higher than Grey Goose, Ketel One, Belvedere, and Absolut. It is one of the few distilleries in the world to use a blend of grains in its vodka. In addition to its signature vodkas, Valentine also produces Liberator Gin, Liberator Old Tom Gin, and Woodward Ltd. Bourbon Whiskey …all of which are award winners. 
Global Package Fall 2015 Newsletter
January 06, 2016
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Global Package Summer 2015 Newsletter
June 09, 2015
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Global Package Winter 2015 Newsletter
January 23, 2015
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Global Package Fall 2014 Newsletter
December 09, 2014
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years ago, they took a side trip to France and fell in love with the historic Rhone region and the storied Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines. When they returned to St Helena, they wanted to duplicate the look and feel of classical European wine packaging for their line of wines. A new bottling line with extra features had just been installed, which gave them orientation options that allowed for the embossed crest of the Sattui family crest. “It all came together,” says Davies, “the inspiration, the technology, and the talent. We are very happy with the result.” Sattui’s designer Susan LeBlanc and Global Package worked closely together to arrive at a handsome custom package—label, capsule, and crest—that reinforces the Sattui brand (see inset photo).
After graduating from Cornell University and working on Wall Street, Rifino took a step back, looked at where he was headed, and decided to start all over. He left New York, took an artisan distillation course and, in 2007, opened the first distillery in the Detroit area since Prohibition. His award-winning spirits are examples of his dedication to craft and quality. In addition to his two vodkas, his award-winning cask gins and whiskey include Liberator Gin “Best American Gin,” Liberator Old Tom Gin “World’s Best Cask Gin,” and Woodward Ltd. Bourbon Whiskey. “I wanted a package that was both contemporary and timeless,” says Rifino. “Prohibition had a profound influence in the Detroit area, so I was looking for a unique bottle that conveyed that bootlegging time in the city’s history, as well as the bootstrapping ethos evident in the City today.” Working closely with Global Package’s Erica Harrop, they designed a custom cask bottle that would work well with both gins and the whiskey. With burgeoning sales in the States and an increasing international presence, it appears Rifino’s patience and attention to detail is paying off (see inset photo).
Spring 2014 Newsletter
May 07, 2014
Spring 2014 Newsletter
April 2014
Global Changes
No, we’re not talking about weather conditions or the fact that China has just taken the lead as the biggest consumer of red wine. We’re talking about the exciting changes that are happening at Global Package!
First, we have a brand new website, one that gives you everything you ever wanted to know about the wide range of bottles we carry. From a slimmed-down, eco-friendly line of bottles (our Elegant Light Collection) and our beautifully crafted standard collection to our exquisite, one-of-a-kind masterworks, we have what you want at every price point you’re looking for.
Second, we have seen an incredible increase in sales over the past few years. Despite the recession, we have been growing at a phenomenal rate and have staffed up to meet the demand. Our founder and leader, Erica Harrop, says she’s also excited to see the industry respond to positive sales indicators, which is bringing demand for high quality, unique bottles that bestow higher-price brand exclusivity.
Last, but not least, the downturn of the last few years has taught us (as well as many of our clients) to be smart if we want to stay healthy. We have used the time wisely, developing new tools that will address the future demands of each individual customer. For instance, we've expanded our Northwest warehouse capacity, hired a new administration assistant to our support team, and added new sales staff who will provide immediate solutions for customers. Our logistics company also added a new highly experienced manager ...more about him in our next newsletter.
Brand Building
Since shoppers are able to process only two or three messages at a time, it’s critical to distill your brand story to a few key points.
In a recent piece on TheDrinksReport.com, Derek Boltwood stressed the importance of point-of-sale packaging. And getting to know your customers is the first place to start. You can buy research to learn about their likes and dislikes or you can conduct your own just by listening. This will help you build a brand story that is meaningful, one that’s unique, evocative, and concise. You can even test a few out to see which one resonates most. You also want to build a personal connection with your consumers, so get them involved. Invite them to help prune back vines in slower winter months, participate in a special crush event, or host a tasting room social. And throughout the year, use social media tools to keep them apprised of what’s happening at your winery, in the field and in the cellar.
Millennial Opportunity
These customers want a relationship with a winery, not messages about awards or expert ratings.
To prove the importance of brand storytelling, research has shown that the younger generation doesn’t much care about how many medals a wine has won. Instead, these consumers want to develop a relationship with a wine. Constellation Brands’ Chris Fehrnstrom says, “They are adopting wine at a faster rate than any other generation. They are experimental …rebellious, they crave experiences.” Rowan Gormley, CEO of Naked Wines, agrees: “Younger drinkers are picking wines based on the story behind it, how they found it, what unique blend or region it comes from.” http://tinyurl.com/mcunguv
All of which presents those of us engaged in packaging with both challenges and opportunities. One challenge is that this generation won’t spend a lot on a bottle of wine—$10-$12 is average; $20 bottle is max. Silicon Valley Bank’s Rob McMillan cautions wineries to match marketing budgets with the capacity of the segment being targeted. “A twenty-something might have the willingness to buy that 2001 Silver Oak Cab, but do they have the capacity?” http://tinyurl.com/k3duu5n Good advice, but remember, these youngsters are likely to be the next generation of affluent wine buyers.
So if your brand is suited to these adventurers, make sure your packaging is eye-catching, tells a story, and is cost-effective. Our Elegant Light Collection is part of the solution. Check out these bottles on our new website www.globalpackage.net.
Like Beer Like Wine
Did you know your Malbec has the same dark fruit aromas and full-bodied mouthfeel as a Belgian Dubbel?
That’s just one of the creative pairings on this fun infographic. Zach Mack, the NYC-based co-owner of Alphabet City Beer Co., and the wine information website VinePair matches beers with wines based on taste preferences. For instance, Pale Ale is mellow and inviting, much like a Merlot. And Imperial Stout has the same full mouthfeel and toasted oak flavors as a Cab, both go well with steak and potatoes. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/mn3znfk
Europe’s Shifting Wine Regions
Rising temperatures in Europe are affecting some of the prime wine-producing regions, which in turn is impacting the character and quality of the wine.
Research carried out by the University of Oregon and a report by Just-drinks.com’s Ben Cooper found that “…while rising temperatures are creating stern challenges for some of the region’s most established wine-producing areas, production is becoming possible in northern regions where hitherto viticulture was not commercially viable.” Because there is a temperature threshold at which wine quality begins to decline, it may not be long before we start seeing some fine wines come out of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. http://tinyurl.com/menqv44
News & Notes
Glass remains the world's preferred packaging material for wine and spirits.
According to a recent piece in thedrinksreport.com, Asia Pacific is expected to lead in the future global demand for glass, and China is projected to account for the largest share of that demand. http://tinyurl.com/mdntys8 …According to the Journal of Wine Economics report, alcohol consumption in American States rises as the population’s politics becomes more liberal http://tinyurl.com/m7v6tjq …QR codes on wine labels are a smart way to add information, according Alexandre Penet of Champagne fame. In addition to utilizing innovative design techniques for his labels, he employs a QR code that provides critical information for the discerning consumer, such as the limited edition bottle number, date and year of harvest, date of disgorgement, how many bottles were produced, terroir information, etc. http://tinyurl.com/l46m9p5 …California Vineyards had a bumper crop last year, thanks to expanded acreage and good weather, according to an article in the 2/16/14 New York Times. It remains to be seen what impact our drought conditions will have on this year’s harvest. Let’s hope the recent rains put us back on course.
About Global Package
With an astute understanding of the industry and the needs of clients, Global Package sources wine and spirits bottles and packaging worldwide.
Bottles
- Elegant Light line
- Premium, in stock
- Ultra-premium
- Custom molds
- Competitively priced
Packaging
- Pewter labels
- Custom boxes
- Spirits bar-top closures
Decorations
- Silk-screening
- Medallions
Design
We are at your service.
Erica Hiller Harrop
President
GLOBAL PACKAGE, LLC, Napa, CA.
2793 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa California 94558 USA
707-224-5670 (phone) 707-294-7899 (mobile) 707-224-5683 (fax)
info@globalpackage.net globalpackage.net
Newsletter - May 2012
May 03, 2012
To stay up-to-date with packaging news, please make sure globalpackage@mail.vresp.com is white-listed with your ISP.
New Bottles from Global Package
We’re thrilled to introduce two new lines of spirits bottles and a gorgeous new Burgundy bottle to the Global Package collection.
- The new burgundy bottle—the Claire—is the most recent addition to our Elegant Light line of bottles. It boasts more reserved styling than other bottles in its category, with an elegant swan’s neck, and provides a more substantial label area compared to bottles in its category. And while it conforms to the standards of the superior, lighter-weight bottles in the Elegant Light line—including a 1.5” punt and 31.5mm capsule top—it is a definitive line extension which differs from the sturdier-formed Bella and Carré bottles yet in the same line with its taller and broader body. It’s available in antique green in any quantity and can be also ordered along with brand-printed boxes.
- A new line of competitively priced, mid-weight spirits bottles for the discriminating, high-end market is now available on the shop floor. These bottles come in a range of styles, from antiquity to modern, in high-grade clear glass. The Teo and Millennio have a fatter decanter-style neck, whereas the antique Apotheker has standard dimensions for bottling ease.
- We have also added a variety of premier European spirits bottles that have the capability of being elaborately decorated. Ask for the Pure Glass collection from Estal. The photo of the Senso bottle is an excellent example of the extraordinary silk-screen detail that’s possible with these unique bottles.
Of course, we still have an extensive local inventory of stock bottles, as well as metallic label and design services from internationally acclaimed Tucker Creative.
Intellectual Assets
Industry veteran Mike Meneghilli recently joined Global Package as Sales Representative. Mike comes to us with over 35 years of wine industry experience, beginning in 1977 in the cellars and aging winemaking departments of the legendary Robert Mondavi Winery. While at Mondavi, he also honed his technical technical knowledge of the relationship between bottles, corks, capsules, and labels all integrate to make a brand succeed in the marketplace. He later moved into sales and marketing to help educate distributors, sales teams, and consumers on all facets of the winemaking process. We are extremely happy to have his marketing expertise and customer service skills on our team.
- Those of you who have visited our Napa showroom may have already met Kathy Feder, our Office Manager and Assistant to the President. Kathy has been in the industry for over 15 years in the areas of customer account management, order fulfillment, sales and margin improvement, bookkeeping and cost-reduction strategies, and customer satisfaction enhancement. Prior to joining us, Kathy was Senior Account Manager at Bergin Glass Impressions and Operations Manager at Etched Images, two wine bottle-decorating companies specialized in custom screen printing and etching. Kathy’s background in high-quality, customized packaging make her an ideal fit for Global Package, and we’re very happy to have her with us.
Industry Boost
Wines sales in the US rose to a record level in 2011, solidifying our position as the world’s largest wine market. Global California wined sales also increased by an impressive 5.6%, with Napa vintages playing a significant role in that increase. Interestingly, the fastest growing wine varieties were sweet red wines, with Muscat/Moscato growing by 73% in volume and others increasing around 200%. Malbec and blended reds also grew at double-digit levels. Fine wine sales bettered projections, as well. At the same time exports of US wine soared by 22% last year to reach a record US$1.39bn, according to the California-based Wine Institute, which “puts the US on-track to meet the Wine Insitute's target of $2bn in export sales by 2020.” According to Silicon Valley Bank’s annual State of the Wine Industry report, sales grew 12.2 percent in 2011 for US makers of wine primarily retailing for more than $20 a bottle, up from 10.8 percent in 2010. After just returning from a trip to Kentucky’s wine region, I’m sure that burgeoning region is contributing to those record numbers. In just five years the number of Kentucky wineries has increased from 15 to 50, moving approximately 100,000 cases per year. For more, click here: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/51321/california-wine-shipments-in-2011-rise-5-6-percent-to-new-record/ and http://www.kentuckywine.com/about/history/.
The Skinny on Wine Apps
With the rise of apps for just about everything, it was just a matter of time for developers to come up with iPhone and iPad apps for the serious oenophile, as well as the easily intimated wine consumer. Here’s a review by MacWorld’s Ben Boychuk that discusses four apps—Drync Wine Pro, Wine Snob, The Wine Enthusiast Guide, and Wine Cellar Pro by Velvet Vine—that are designed for both serious connoisseur and the beginning drinker. For example, The Wine Enthusiast Guide will let you search for wines that are rated 89 or higher for $15 or less. The Wine Snob “lets you track and rate the wines you drink, while letting you search for wines you might like, providing basic definitions, and offering helpful suggestions such as general food and wine pairings.” Drync Wine “lets you keep track of the wines you’ve drunk, the wines you own, and the wines you’d like to add to your cellar.” The Velvet Vine Wine Companion is a “full-featured experience …with a rich database of user-generated reviews and recommendations …much like a social-networking app for winos.” For the complete reviews, click here: http://www.macworld.com/appguide/article.html?article=139106
Wines By The Glass
We thought this recent survey by Napa Technology provided some great advice for restaurateurs, wine bar owners, and others in the hospitality industry to meet the growing demand for more interesting by-the-glass wine selections while maintaining margins. According to a panel of industry experts, a preservation system is a top priority for wine-by-the-glass programs to “protect the wine from oxidation either by sparging with an inert gas or by flash-vacuum.” Many of the panelists use the WineStation system, which provides “portion control and eliminates product spoilage while increasing profits through advanced 60 day preservation.” Other suggestions include: Know the Fill Line (Champagne pours are different than still wine pours); Monitor Temperatures; Emphasize Staff Education; Menu Within A Menu (offer unique wine prix-fixe or flights); and Wine Pairing Suggestions. For the full report, click here: http://www.napatechnology.com/press/napatech_winebytheglasstips.html
News 'n Notes
Some winemakers who are looking for on-shelf differentiation are experimenting with a trend that artisan beer brewers started: aluminum packaging. The newest entry in the market is the Flasq screw-cap aluminum bottle that holds two generous glasses of Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cuvee Blanc per bottle. (http://www.specialtyfood.com/news-trends/featured-articles/food-trends/food-trends-march-2012/). Diageo recently published its first Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, based on three principles: optimize packaging material to reduce its environmental footprint where possible; design with the cradle-to-cradle life cycle in mind; and use leading-edge technologies to minimize packaging and optimize recycled materials (http://www.packworld.com/sustainability/strategy/diageo-publishes-sustainable-packaging-guidelines). Imports of bottled wine to China hit a record US$1.27bn in 2011, up 94% year-on-year, while the value of bulk wine into China fell by 20% in the same period, indicating that the imported wine market is evolving from low-end to high-end, according to Lin Feng, VP of H&J Consulting (http://www.just-drinks.com/news/fy-imported-wine-sales-hit-record-high_id106708.aspx). Millennials are drinking wine at nearly every imaginable occasion, including when showering, reading a book to relax, and even eating Cheerios in the morning. This interesting study by the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State can be found here: http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=90023.
Newsletter - January 2012
January 11, 2012
To stay up-to-date with packaging news, please make sure globalpackage@mail.vresp.com is white-listed with your ISP.
News for the New Year
It's show time again! This year we're excited to be showcasing two new beautiful bottles—the Fiona (photo below) and Claire—at the upcoming Unified Symposium in Sacramento January 24 – 26 (Booth 942) and at the Annual Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco January 15 – 17 (Booth 655).
- The Fiona boasts a daring look with a bar top and strong shoulders. It has the presence of a heavy, stately bottle, but is part of our Elegant Light line and weighs only 600 grams. The top can accommodate a traditional tin foil and the height is comfortably just a bit taller than a standard bottle. It’s a perfect addition to other tapered bottles and for partnering with an elegant new Burgundy Claire.
- The Claire is an elegantly appointed Burgundy bottle that will be available in Spring 2012 as an addition to the handsome line of lighter-weight, larger-neck bottles in the Elegant Light lineup. Its curvaceous lines make it sensually appealing, with a label area that’s extended to satisfy your labeling presence. Samples of both bottles are available upon request. Hope to see you at Unified (http://bit.ly/zmlJ1Y) and at the Fancy Food show (http://bit.ly/yZNgav)
Global Package in the News
One of our prestigious customers, Steven Burrows, Chief Operating Officer for Haas Brothers/Cyrus Noble, was featured in not one, but two packaging publications: Package Design Magazine (http://bit.ly/y32NKC) and Packaging World (http://bit.ly/ynwuw2) Check ‘em out. We think the pieces offer some good insight into updating a legacy brand, and we were honored to be a key player in the process.
Does Customization Pay Off?
As many of you know, for years I have worked with Barrie Tucker of the Barrie Tucker Company in Australia, who over the course of 30 years has spearheaded the design of many of that continent’s leading wine brands, as well as other leading international brands. He was inducted into the Australian Design Hall of Fame in 2008. Together, we have developed a new White Paper that discusses the value, benefits, and best practices of customized packaging for the wine industry (http://bit.ly/x0fX8E). He also contributed a case study (http://bit.ly/w3EebE) illustrating his design process when he created a propriety bottle and label for two premium Merlots for South Australia’s Smith & Hooper brand. Check out the bottles here: http://www.smithandhooper.com/wines.html
Originality Matters
Every so often a customer will tell me he wants his wine to “look like” the category leader’s wine …a bad idea in my opinion. Not only does knocking-off another brand invite legal action, it’s rarely a smart strategic decision. Here’s a great article by Marianne Rosner Klimchuk, Associate Chairperson, Associate Professor, Packaging Design Dept., Fashion Institute of Technology that discusses the topic. The Trade Dress Protection Act (amended from the Trademark Act of 1946) states that trade dress—which can include "fonts, font colors, window curvature and packaging dress”— functioning as a mark may be registered and protected without the need to show that it has become distinctive if the relevant public is likely to identify the source of the product or service by reference to the subject matter claimed as trade dress. In 1995, a Supreme Court Case stated that under the right circumstances, trade dress that consists purely and simply of a color can be protected; e.g., the Campbell’s red soup can. “Professional designers seek to design original and innovative strategic solutions to marketing problems. Certainly they want to create a design that beats out the competition for shelf visibility, but they seek originality over mimicry,” Kimchuk says. While marketers may sometimes encourage a follow-the-leader design to grab market share, they need to consider potential legal ramifications. In her view, the best solution is “a design that is a competitive instrument providing strategic results based on innovation rather than imitation.” We agree. Click here for the article: http://bit.ly/wIVe8y
Try Before You Buy
Tastingroom.com is employing its “Try Before You Buy” program in a partnership with retailer Cost Plus World Market to provide samples of luxury wines in 100ml bottles to customers, who can buy both the 100ml Wines by the Glass product and the full-size 750ml bottles at Cost Plus World Market stores. Tastingroom.com is already known for creating wine samplers that feature six 50ml mini bottles that hold 1.7 oz. of wine each. The Cost Plus partnership will feature the wineries selections—which will retail for $24.99-$34.99 at over 200 Cost Plus World Market stores across the country—in four 100ml bottles of their premium wines. Participating wineries include Duckhorn Wine Company, Pine Ridge (part of Crimson Wine Group) and Boisset Family Estates. Read the full story here:
http://bit.ly/xuw9Rx
Chinese Wine on the Rise
According to Business Insider.com, 10 French judges and 10 Chinese judges spent 40 minutes on December 14, 2011 in a blind tasting of five wines from Bordeaux and five wines from Ningxia, an autonomous region in Northwest China. The wines were all priced between 200 and 500 Yuan (or $30 to $80 USD) and “were wrapped in black cloth and tagged with a number.” When the results were announced the top four wines turned out to be Chinese …a sobering conclusion for wine exporters to China, particularly given the handicap the country’s import tax places on foreign wines. “We used a price range to compare top Ningxia wines with bigger and better-known Bordeaux brands sold here by major distributors—brands consumers are more likely to know and have access to,” said Jim Boyce, organizer of the Ningxia vs Bordeaux Challenge, and administrator of www.grapewallofchina.com/. But the price difference between the winning Chinese wine (488 Yuan or 80 USD) and the most expensive Bordeaux (350 Yuan or $55 USD) was significant, which presumably would favor the Chinese brands. You can read more and find the winners and losers here: http://bit.ly/w7M6yF
News 'n Notes
New regulations affecting members of the California wine and alcohol beverage industry in 2012 include clarification on third-party marketing and promotions, a new direct-to-consumer wine retail license, permission for on-premise infusion of wine and spirits with flavors, a change in the definition of “distilled spirits” for taxation purposes, new state Russian River frost-protection water rules and agricultural union elections law changes (http://bit.ly/wkFtDf) …France and Chile currently dominate as major players in the South Korean wine market, with Italy, California / USA and Australia forming an important second tier (see Country Power Chart in South Korea based on Vinitrac® data …62% of the 5.5 million imported wine drinkers in Russia and 72% of the 17.9 million imported wine drinkers in Brazil are under 44 and primarily live in the twin hubs of St. Petersburg and Moscow and Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Download the report here (http://bit.ly/xmNFCN) …Loved this video, “How Chinese Learn to Drink Wine.” Check it out: (http://bit.ly/yFf43E) …Ex-basketball player Yao Ming has started his own wine company, Yao Family Wines, in Napa, California and has appointed Pernod Ricard as its exclusive importer in China (http://bit.ly/yfWDM8) …94% of U.S. wine consumers still prefer natural cork, according to a recent study by to a recent survey by Tragon Corp. PDF can be downloaded here (http://bit.ly/A0GnGy).
About Global Package
With an astute understanding of the industry and the needs of clients, Global Package sources wine and spirits bottles and packaging worldwide.
Bottles
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Erica Hiller Harrop
President
Erica Harrop, GLOBAL PACKAGE, LLC, Napa, CA.
707-224-5670 (phone) 707-294-7899 (mobile) 707-224-5683 (fax)
info@globalpackage.net
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October 2011 Newsletter
October 17, 2011
Innovation Spurs Growth for RTDs and Flavored Non-Scotch Whiskies
A new just-drinks/IWSR report has found that non-Scotch whiskies, comprised of US Bourbons and Irish, Canadian, Indian and Japanese whiskies, have been bucking the recession with an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% due to their innovation in the cocktail space. Flavored whiskies, such as Jim Beam’s Red Stag, are particularly popular among new consumer segments like younger adults and women. Bartenders, too, are experimenting with these new and old-fashioned flavored variants, like rye and wheat, in cocktails. The US has been especially adept in the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) market by targeting a younger consumer demographic, which has steadily shifted from beer towards spirits. Remember that Global Package has been supplying standard and custom spirits bottles for years. Read a summary of the report here: http://bit.ly/oDEake
Speaking of Innovation (and Sustainability)-
Here’s an update on the revolutionary MBS decanter bottle we featured in our last newsletter. Louis Rapin 2008, an all-natural, sulphite-free Bordeaux ‘micro-wine’ produced from 65-year-old Merlot grapes from Maison Blanche is the first French wine to be bottled in the MBS bottle. Nicolas Despagne Rapin says of the bottle shape: “This is the ideal bottle for enduring wines, it is a flame, it is a fire, a fine elegant woman.” Photo of the bottle is below.
- The glass industry is continuously upgrading processes to reduce its carbon footprint. Last spring, Owens-Illinois (O-I) opened its photovoltaic plant in France equipped with photovoltaic panels that will produce energy “equal to the annual energy consumption of a town with 2,000 citizens.” The company has the goal “to reduce its carbon footprint by 65% by 2017, decrease its overall energy consumption by 50% and increase the proportion of recycled glass to 60% globally." Click here for more: http://bit.ly/qxGSGu
- Here’s research about the sustainable benefits of green glass over clear glass in all drink categories, from wine to whiskey. The report states that a shift to green (recycled) glass “will cut packaging related CO2 emissions by 20%, and recycling glass back into glass production saves energy and reduces mineral extraction compared to the use of virgin materials. Keep this in mind the next time you’re specifying your glass bottle. Click here for the report: http://bit.ly/oCK1Lz
Color-Blindness and Packaging
Did you know there are approximately 19 million people in the US who are to some degree color-blind? It surprised me and is making me think twice about color selection when advising clients. According to author Carol Kaufman-Scarborough of Rutgers University: “Reds and greens appear to pose the most consistent set of problems; dim lighting makes the problems even worse. Since color-blind persons process color information in a different way from color-sighted consumers, color-distortions can affect their abilities to choose products, to notice information in advertising and on packaging, and to operate effectively in store settings.” She says that while many folks may not technically be blind, there are some colors that are inaccessible to them, appearing instead as a confusing blend of grays. It’s something to keep in mind when designing your packaging. Click here:
http://bit.ly/nBbY8Q
Pricing Your Wine
It can be confusing trying to find a formula that works for pricing a wine these days. There are so many factors that need to be weighed and every year these change. I recently came across a couple of articles that attempted to take on this challenge, one relatively straightforward (“Margin or Markup”) and the other almost too complex to be helpful (“Pricing strategy for wine in today's marketplace”). I have a pretty simple formula: Your margin is a percentage that’s subtracted from the selling price, whereas your markup is a dollar amount you add to the cost. The topic is important because I often find that clients bring me in to discuss bottles before they’ve determined their wine’s price point, which is an essential first step. For example, a custom 100,000-bottle project with embossing and elaborate decoration cannot retail for $20, unless you want to lose money. You can read our White Paper on the topic here: http://globalpackage.net/category/news/white-papers/ To read the above-mentioned pricing articles, click here: http://bit.ly/g9Cc6q and here: http://bit.ly/pUBxhG
Rebranding? Try Crowdsourcing.
After reading about the GAP rebranding gaff, where management decided to alter the iconic GAP logo only to be inundated by a storm of protest, I thought this was an interesting idea for wineries that are thinking about launching a new brand or regenerating a mature brand. The idea is to begin a conversation with the creative community to elicit ideas. This can take the form of a ‘contest’ whereby creatives submit and collaborate on ideas—be it content for a campaign, a name change, new identity, or design for a label—with ‘winning’ ideas awarded a cash prize. Author, Peter Ryder, on Brandchannel.com suggests the process can yield not only great ideas, but insight about how your brand is viewed in the marketplace. However, a strict and transparent process must be adopted to ensure your creative community perceives this as legitimate and not a scam for you to get something for free. “Make sure you give due credit to participants’ work and if possible, provide a public online showcase for it either during the project itself or afterwards,” he says. Read more about the process here: http://bit.ly/fMiq3T
News 'n Notes
With a packaging industry growing by more than 14% annually and the volume of discarded packaging increasing by 8-10% annually, China’s cities are in peril of drowning in household garbage. To address the problem, the Chinese government has legislated controls to reduce excessive packaging, the only country in the world to do so (http://bit.ly/nXFTuo) … What will they think of next? Wine comes in cans, pouches, PET bottles, and now the Swedes have come up with the Bag-in-a-Bag wine package (http://bit.ly/pEGhPf) and the French company, Sleever International, has introduced the SkinSleever, tactile coatings created with Helioflex printing technology, which provides a textured surface with the feel of metal, stone, cloth, wood or skin. Photos can be found by scrolling about ¾ down on this site: http://bit.ly/bdWH3I … In view of flagging sales brought on by devaluation of the currency exchange rate, the Australian wine industry is hurting. The iconic Yellow Tail brand has been forced to raise prices and has launched a new rebranding campaign to reposition it not as the low price leader, but as the “go-to” brand (http://nyti.ms/rlYWZv) … Finally, remember that Global Package LLC offers a broad selection of screwcap bottles that are readily available from Europe, including 375mls and magnums.
June 2011 Newsletter
June 06, 2011
Bottles and Your Brand
Global Package LLC is developing a series of white papers to help customers navigate the complexities of bottle selection. Our first installment, “How Your Bottle Choice Impacts Your Brand,” provides guidelines about what factors you need to consider, including the price point at which you envision your wine selling, is your wine to be stored long-term or immediately consumed, and what style, shape, and color bottle will best reinforce your brand concept. We also just published an instructive case study that details how we worked with a spirits producer on the revival and launch of his unique bourbon brand. Both documents can be found on our website: http://www.globalpackage.net
Vineyard Property Values Around the World
I found this article in the Financial Times both interesting and amusing. Interesting because it compares vineyard properties worldwide. (See the Knight Frank Vineyard Index here: http://bit.ly/kSbwmG). I also loved this amusing anecdote from Viticulture, a group that helps amateur winemakers: “The way to acquire a small fortune is to start with a large fortune and buy an English vineyard.” In short, most wealthy investors in vineyards are “lifestyle” buyers who are more interested in a holiday property than in producing wine. However, according to wine expert, Jancis Robinson, entrepreneurs wishing to pursue the business of winemaking should select a property according to the appellation and the quality and type of grape, not the size or charm of the house that’s on it. Not surprisingly, the Bordeaux region in southern France—currently favored by the Asian wealthy—boasts the most expensive vineyard properties in the world, nearly twice the price of properties in Napa and Sonoma. Whereas the price of many of the established vineyard territories in France and California has fallen, the wine-growing regions in Argentina, Chile, South Africa and other emerging wine-growing countries have shown the most growth in price. Click here for a fascinating read: http://on.ft.com/iq8BEK
Standards of Fill for Spirits
My thanks to Steve Dalbey, of Distillery Code Consulting, who confirmed for me that 500 ml bottles are no longer permitted by the federal code; they were “authorized for bottling (only) until June 30, 1989.” Steve found the information on the GPO Access website in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations section, 5.47a. You can find current metric standards of fill and other useful information on this site, including tolerances and design and headspace requirements for distilled spirits. Click here: http://bit.ly/iBUtXd
Packaging Trends
Not surprisingly, pop culture, such as Lady Gaga and her over-the-top aesthetic, is impacting packaging design. I came across this great article by Cheryl Swanson on brandchannel.com that takes a look at what consumer packaged goods (CPG) designers need to know about “Trends for the New Decade.” Gilded and baroque designs are winning over consumers in China; educational apps appeal to the binary generation (those techno-tykes who were born after 2000); Boomers are “cross-breeding” with Millennials as college students; and women continue to be the most influential consumers. A good example of a sleek brand that appeals to today's sophisticated female consumer is Daviana Winery's Estate Grown Cabernache (pictured at right) that's designed by CF Napa Brand Design and bottled in Global Package's Elegant Light Bella burgundy bottle. Swanson explores other trends as well in this well-written and smart overview. Click here: http://bit.ly/mCfWmi
Millennials and Gen-Xers Drive U.S. Wine Growth
The Wine Market Council released results of its 2010 Consumer Tracking Study, which found that, despite the recession, total wine consumption in the U.S. has remained steady, with a slight .9 percent uptick in 2010. Most significant, Generation X adults, those in their mid-30s and early 40s, are leading the charge by incorporating wine into their lifestyles. The Millennial Generation, with its 70 million members who have been less impacted by the economic downturn than the older Boomer generation, are dominating the market. Even better news for the industry, “16 million members of the Millennial generation who have yet to reach the age of 21 gives some assurance to wine marketers of continuing market growth in the near term.” You can purchase the full report and read a summary here: http://bit.ly/mOUDGr
News 'n Notes
On June 9th, Erica will be speaking on Packaging and Brand Development at ADI’s “Hands-on Whiskey” Workshop in Petaluma. If you’d like to attend, click here: http://bit.ly/cfkRpQ …According to Fortune Brands, its Beam Global Spirits & Wine is being repositioned and renamed Beam Inc. as a standalone division with a pure focus on distilled spirits, no wine, and selling off its golf, and home & security holdings (http://bit.ly/mUsS5Z)
…Winelovesglass.com says that a glass wine bottle is best because it protects taste; is the classic, preferred choice of wine drinkers; is convenient because it can be found in many sizes, including single-serve bottles, with alternative closures for easy opening/closing; is made from all natural materials; and can be recycled endlessly (http://bit.ly/dPp4hd) …The U.S. is talking with South Korea about eliminating its 20% import duty on bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, which could result in a rise in exports to Korea of about $17.6 million per year (http://bit.ly/jEnNO8).
March 2011 Newsletter
June 06, 2011
Choosing the Right Bottle
In the over two decades I have worked in the production side of the wine business, I’ve learned that both winemakers and marketers often need help communicating their needs so they choose the right bottle for their wine. It’s not surprising because there are many things to consider: The targeted consumer and primary market (retailers, online sales, restaurants, on-premise, etc.) The expected price-point of your wine, which will help determine your packaging budget. The image your winery and wine’s brand needs to convey. And, last but not least, the capabilities and trustworthiness of your suppliers. This last point is critical because you need to rely on your suppliers to not only provide you with critical information, but also to be willing and able to communicate with your other suppliers. For instance, the ring finish of your bottle needs to conform to the closure you’ve chosen; the diameter of the bottle needs to accommodate the designer’s label; the height of the bottle needs to fit on the retailer’s shelf. Stay tuned to more in-depth tips about bottle selection in our upcoming newsletters. You can find more information on our website: http://www.globalpackage.net
Not Your Grandpa's Whiskey Jug
If you are looking for ideas for your next spirits launch, this gallery of spectacular spirits packaging would be a good place to start. It shows an incredible array of bottle shapes and embellishments. The wine industry should be paying attention because wineries are also embracing the exotic. I would argue that the spirits industry gleaned those ideas from the perfume industry because they are what sells to the consumer who buys. Global Packaging LLC prides itself on its leadership in innovative wine and spirits packaging working with designers, and was proud to introduce earlier this year the MBS Decanter bottle (photo on right), designed by famous Basque restaurateur Martin Berasategui and produced by Estal packaging, which won the prestigious Packaging Oscar. More information about this innovative bottle can be found on our website: www.globalpackage.net. Check out the spirits bottles here: http://www.thedrinksreport.com/spiritswhite.html
All Shapes and Sizes
While most of our readers probably know the names and sizes of many of the wine bottles on the market, I found this chart on the FriendsEat.com blog and thought it would be fun to pass along. The chart not only names names, but also tells us the provenance of the names, many of which originated in biblical times. Did you know, for instance, that Rehoboam was the first king of Judea? I did find an error in the chart, however: The Balthazar is generally said to hold 12 liters, not 15 liters. Wikipedia has a similar chart, along with a general description of the shapes, colors, and other bottle details, for those wishing a bit more information. The FriendsEat.com chart is here: http://blog.friendseat.com/different-kinds-wine-bottles-sizes-2/. The Wikipedia chart is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle
How Much Wine and Spirits is the World Drinking?
The Drinks Report, a UK-based website devoted to wine and spirits news and research, recently released data about the world’s drinking habits, with some interesting findings. According to the study, worldwide wine consumption is growing and the U.S. is expected to overtake France and Italy as the “world’s biggest consumer of wine,” with China and Russia also witnessing impressive growth in wine consumption. Rosé will show the biggest growth over the next four years and sparkling wine consumption will increase by nearly 6% by 2014. Importantly, “wines priced at more than US$10 a bottle are taking a larger slice of sales and will grow by more than 15% between 2008 and 2014.”
Consumption of spirits declined in 2010, according to the report, but is expected to pick up to a 5% growth rate by 2014. Vodka is the “world’s leading spirit, with rum expected to grow 14% in the run up to 2014 and scotch whiskey to grow 5% by 2014. “Tequila, from a small base, grew more than 15% in the last five years.”
Asia, which is replacing rice-based spirits with wine, “accounts for 44% of all spirits consumed in the world in 2009.” Click here for a summary of the report: http://www.thedrinksreport.com/full.articles/business.folder/Business2011/full.0111_vinexpo-iwsr-global-trends.html
Restaurant Sales Are Up
Another survey, this one sponsored by Wine & Spirits magazine, yielded some interesting findings for our industry. It appears that wine sales are coming out of a two-year slump, with consumers spending more generously on a bottle of wine than in the past. Sommeliers in America's top restaurants reported that consumers are better educated about wine and are choosing the classics, rather than cult wines. Italian wines remain the most popular imports, with wines from Spain, Argentina and, surprise, Greece gaining ground. The article also lists the Top Ten Most Popular Wine List Brands. Click here: htttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/Wine-Spirits-Magazine-prnews-3746274745.html?x+0
News ‘n Notes
In case you missed it, there’s an informative article, “Looking Again At Glass,” in this month’s Wines & Vines, in which “longtime bottle suppliers,” such as Global Package LLC, are cited as “turning up the green with lighter weight bottles:” http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=features&content=84592&ftitle=Looking%20Again%20at%20Glass.
China Rising: China’s wine consumption is soaring, growing by 72 percent in the past five years. The country has become the largest consumer of French wines, outside of France, with Bordeaux a favorite: (http://www.beveragedaily.com/Markets/Chinese-consumers-develops-a-taste-for-French-wine). And China is also making wine these days, with Robert Parker ranking 18 out of 20 Chinese wines “average” to “good:” (http://www.grapewallofchina.com/) . . .Wineindustrynetwork.com lists “23 things people like most about their jobs in the wine industry; important points to stress if you’re looking for talent: (http://wineindustrynetwork.com/supplierprofile.php?s=6423&r=z24RJ3LHJL0.#whatsnew) . . .According to recent figures from Wines & Vines, glass still reigns supreme in the industry.
January 2011 Newsletter
June 06, 2011
Introducing the Award-Winning Berasategui System Bottle
Global Package is proud to present this innovative new bottle at this year's Unified Symposium! The bottle was designed by the Basque restaurateur, Martin Berasategui, to prevent wine sediments from reaching the wine glass during decantation. Produced by the Spanish company, Estalpackaging, the bottle was recently awarded a prestigious Packaging Oscar for its innovation and functionality. The design consists of a double base, with the lower base having "two perpendicular ledges that create a narrowing that prevents non-filtered sediments and impurities from reaching the wine glass during decantation." The design can also "eliminate pre-bottling filtration processes," allowing for "optimal wine sensory characteristics to be maintained." Glass producer Estal Packaging's CEO, Gerard Alberti, will be at the booth to answer questions on Wednesday. We'll also be posting more information on our website at www.globalpackage.net, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the bottle at our Unified Booth 1801.
Meet Kathy Feder
We're thrilled to welcome Kathy Feder, a long-time bottle veteran, to the Global Package team! You can meet her at the Unified show, too. So, please come by and introduce yourself. We know Kathy will impress you with her knowledge and great personality!
See You At Booth 1801!
Yep, that's where we'll be, with a beautiful display of our comprehensive line of bottles, including our Elegant Light line of bottles that are specifically designed to have the aesthetic of "fancy glass," but not the high price or environmental negatives of heavier bottles. We'll also be showing our best-selling bottles—the Bordeaux Max, Bordeaux Daniel, Burgundy Bella, and the Vitae bottle, which is shown on the right. Our specialty is helping you determine the right bottle for your brand and budget ...We'll be on-site to answer any questions you may have.
News ‘n Notes
Looks like there may be good news on the horizon for the wine industry. According to recent San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg business news report, wine drinkers are again embracing more expensive wines. After a depressing, belt-tightening two years, consumers are again buying wines over the $20/bottle mark. "What we're seeing is that people are trading up from value wines," said Jay Wright, president of the North American wine unit of Constellation Brands. Recent data from Nielsen Co. indicates that "total U.S. wine sales rose 4.1 percent to $9.32 billion for the 52 weeks that ended Dec. 11 ...and the fastest-growing segment was wine priced at $20 and up, with sales gaining 11 percent ...Wines under $3 declined 0.6 percent." The study also found that "in the global wine market still wine sales are the most lucrative, Europe leads in sales, and supermarkets and hypermarkets are the most important distribution channel." For the full article, click here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/18/BU531H989R.DTL
Whitepaper - January 2012
January 11, 2012
Reaping the Benefits of Custom Packaging
Many studies have proven the important role that wine packaging design plays on consumer acceptance and perception of value. Aside from the obvious benefits that wine packaging provides, such as protection and preservation of the wine during shipment, wine packaging can add substantial value in the mind of the consumer, allowing you to achieve higher price points and higher margins.
Additionally, effective wine packaging can boost sales by making the wine attractive and accessible to the neophyte buyer. It can also differentiate your wine from competitors’ on the retail shelf. Finally, design that calls for lighter-weight bottles and less packaging materials will also reduce the impact on the environment. At the same time, successful packaging design will reinforce your brand image and messaging through the use of appropriate bottle shape, color, and embellishment; label color and design; and closure style and efficacy.
The Role Packaging Plays in Buying Decisions
A study co-authored by professors Orth (The University of Kiel) and Malkewitz (Oregon State University), found that consumers make the decision to purchase a wine in a POS situation according to two general responses: the affective response (attractiveness) and cognitive response (quality)—also referred to as extrinsic and intrinsic factors—both of which can lead to different price expectations. Their report states that “Consumers who value aesthetics base their price expectations more strongly on the package’s attractiveness, whereas consumers highly involved with wine infer price expectation more strongly from quality perceptions.”
But what constitutes “attractiveness” varies considerably and depends on the consumer’s age and his or her experience with wine. Another interesting study, The Influence of Verbal and Non-Verbal Information on the Consumer Decision, by researchers Dr. Gergely Szolnoki, Dr. Dieter Hoffman, and Dr. Roland Herrmann provides evidence that packaging attributes affect different wine market segments differently. It shows that younger consumers (younger than 26 years) with little or no experience with wine are heavily influenced by the bottle form and color when making their wine purchase decisions. On the other hand, older wine connoisseurs (over 45 years) appear to be more influenced by the brand name and country of origin. However, it was also noted that older wine buyers “try to minimize the influence of appearance,” even though subconscious visual cues are at play. Consumers in the mainstream segment (between 30-40 years) look for information on the label, with 60% of their buying decision based on overall visual cues.
Equally interesting, the same study analyzed how verbal and non-verbal factors influenced the perceived taste of the wine, this time dividing respondents into five segments: Younger consumers without experience, price sensitive consumers, older wine connoisseurs, red wine enthusiasts, and older wine drinkers with high income. This time packaging played a significant role in all of the consumers’ perceptions of the wine’s taste, scoring at the top of influencers for all of the study’s respondents.
Testing on the Shelf
While most packaging research is done in focus groups or laboratory settings, some researchers believe that the best way to measure packaging performance is by monitoring consumer behavior in an actual retail environment. An article by Scott Young, who is President of Perception Research Services, entitled Measuring Success: Using Consumer Research to Document the Value of Package Design” and sponsored by The Design Management Institute, found that direct questioning of consumers can be misleading because it’s difficult for shoppers to accurately gauge how much packaging influences their purchasing decisions. In fact, consumers will often downplay the importance of packaging because “they are reluctant to admit that aesthetics drive their purchase decision,” much like the “older wine connoisseurs” mentioned earlier.
Therefore, Young maintains that testing packaging in a competitive context is the best way for marketers to determine the strength of a particular design. Does the packaging enhance or detract from the consumer’s interest in the brand? Does the packaging enhance or detract from the brand’s competitive positioning? “Interestingly,” he notes, “in at least 25 percent of the studies, we’ve found that a brand’s current packaging is actually detracting from brand perceptions, positioning, and preference.”
Because differentiation is the key to success, it’s important to remember that trying to mimic the packaging of a category leader can backfire, not only with expensive legal consequences (see Fundamentals of Trade Dress Protection http://www.escm.com/uploads/publications/traded1.htm) but also by damaging the integrity of your brand and, thus, its power in the marketplace. To quote Young again: “Packaging is unique because it ‘lives’ on the cluttered shelves, and it has to make an impression within the limited time (often only a few seconds) that shoppers typically spend making their purchase decisions.” In other words, good packaging design should always be judged according to how it stands out—not blends in—from the competition.
However, packaging innovation can also be detrimental to a brand so don’t assume your new wine-in-a-pouch will wow consumers. When Skippy peanut butter introduced a new squeeze packaging system, consumers failed to recognize it as peanut butter, negatively judging it as more difficult to open and reseal. According to Young, any new packaging design should be measured on four factors: Shelf visibility (does the new system help the brand break through the clutter); Preference vs. competition (does the brand consistently win against the competition); Price expectation (does the packaging drive higher price expectations); and Satisfaction and usage frequency (does the packaging enhance satisfaction and/or lead shoppers to buy the product more frequently and/or in new situations).
These days, every expense needs to be justified, including packaging. because it can represent a significant portion of your product’s total cost. Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect your new package design to result in a positive ROI.
Is Custom Packaging Worth It?
In my earlier White Paper, How Price Positioning Impacts Your Bottle Choice (http://globalpackage.net/category/news/white-papers/), I discussed how the Four Ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) influence the bottle you select for your wine, especially the price point at which your wine will be sold to achieve a sustainable profit margin. Of course, quantifying the value your packaging will have on sales is difficult to determine. However, some studies have attempted to do just that. One, in particular, a 2010 research paper based on real market observations, by Simone Mueller and Gergely Szolnoki—“Wine Packaging and Labeling; Do they Impact Market Price (in the US)?”—is worth noting.
Here are a few salient excerpts:
- Story or history information on the front label resulted in a price premium of $1.64, while additional wine specific information, such as estate grown, single vineyard, reserve or old vine attracted a premium of $3.22.
- Packaging characteristics follow as second most important in determining a price premium, specifically label style and label color.
- Packaging can be related to 42% of predicted price differences.
- Packaging and front label information contributes to price in the U.S. by 8%.
- Origin has the largest impact on wine prices.
- Wine packaging is almost as important as origin as it relates to price differences.
What about the bottle? Apparently size and shape do matter, not only in consumers’ perceptions, but also in their willingness to pay for a higher priced wine. For instance, results in the above research found that red wine in Burgundy bottles sold at $1.41 above average while Bordeaux bottles attracted a discount of $1.31, probably because of the subconscious association in the consumer’s mind of a Burgundy bottle with higher priced wines. While it’s generally estimated that the cost of the bottle is less than 10% of the price of the wine, the cost obviously goes down when the volume goes up. We also know that more expensive wines generally have expensive packaging, which has imprinted a correlation in the consumer’s mind between price and quality. Of course, bigger, heavier bottles are also generally regarded by winemakers to be better for aging wines, which also means wine aficionados are willing to pay more for wine in a heftier bottle.
While the industry’s recent focus on the environment has resulted in lighter-weight bottles, this doesn’t mean that aesthetics are compromised. In fact, innovations in glass production have created lightweight bottles that have the same forms and colors as traditional, heavier styles. Global Package’s Elegant Light line of bottles is a good example. These bottles provide the same aesthetic, but with lower manufacturing and shipping cost, hence reduced environmental footprint. Our new Fiona bottle and the soon-to-be released Claire are great examples.
The Fiona boasts a daring look with a bar top and strong shoulders. It has the appearance of a heavy bottle with presence, but, in fact, weighs only 600 grams. The top can have a traditional tin foil closure and the height is comfortably just a bit taller than a standard bottle. It’s a perfect partner for other tapered bottles and for coupling with an elegant burgundy shape.
The Claire is an elegantly appointed Burgundy bottle that will be available in Spring 2012. It’s an addition to the handsome line of lighter-weight, larger-neck bottles. Its curvaceous lines make it sensually appealing, with a label area that’s extended for labeling presence.
Bottle Embellishment
As wine and spirits producers look for new ways to individual their products, the Glass Packaging Institute recently noted that there’s been renewed interest in embossing glass bottles. Here’s a bit of background:
Prior to the development of inexpensive paper labels, food and beverage producers often relied on embossed glass bottles to carry the name of their brands from store shelves to consumers' pantries. In fact, from the mid-19th century until the early 20th century, embossed glass bottles were ubiquitous, the product of their functionality as much as their aesthetic appeal.
In recent years, embossed glass bottles have been making a comeback. While the process never fully went away, brands looking to separate themselves from the pack have begun to utilize the process more aggressively, in some cases doing away with paper and painted labels entirely.
A favorite designer, Barrie Tucker of Barrie Tucker Company, with whom I’ve worked for many years has distinguished himself with gorgeous embossed designs on bottles, creating one-of-a-kind packaging for such renowned brands as Stag’s Leap and Voss Vineyards in the US, Mission Hill Winery in Canada, Nautilus in New Zealand, and Penley Estate, Yalumba, and Greg Norman Estates in Australia, among many others.
A recent project for two Australian Smith & Hooper Merlot brands entailed creating the Smith & Hooper logo in a sophisticated, flourishing script, which was embossed across the shoulder of the bottles, as well as featured on the label. His S&H icon design was debossed and then embossed in a diamond shape into the front surface of the bottles. For the super premium, limited edition Merlot product, the S&H icon was also be acid etched, giving it a superior quality appearance and a point of differentiation between the two products. You can find a case study describing the Smith & Hooper project here: http://globalpackage.net/category/news/case-study/
As mentioned in our previous White Paper, the price you pay for the bottle, as well as the customization of your packaging elements, has to be considered in view of your pricing strategy. Bottle embellishments will cost more as will unusual label configurations and substrates, so it’s important to start at the end—determining your wine’s price point—and then work your way back through the production cycle to establish your packaging budget. That said, there are always ways to reduce some costs while preserving a portion of your packaging budget to create a unique package.
For instance, with the incredibly wide range of bottles that are in stock and readily available, you are likely to find a bottle that suits your brand and budget without incurring the expense of creating a new mold. You can also save by selecting a lighter weight bottle in the same shape and color as one that’s heavier and more expensive.
Of course, the expertise Global Package brings to your project will ensure you reap the benefits of custom packaging, without breaking the bank.
White Paper - October 2011
October 12, 2011
How Price Positioning Impacts Your Bottle Choice
Having supplied bottles to hundreds of wineries over the 25-plus years, I thought it would be useful to review the key marketing elements that need to be assessed in order to make one of the biggest long-term investments you will make for your winery and its brnad. Here, we review the Four Ps of marketing—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion as it relates to your wine or distilled spirit—and how they specifically apply to your bottle purchasing decisions. Of the four Ps, your retail price is arguably the most important since it will help determine the other elements and vice versa. I maintain that the investment price of your bottle is directly related to the retail price of your wine. Unfortunately, however, setting a price for a wine is not easy because it involves intensive market study and competitive research. This paper will look at ways to manage the cost basis and the importance of identifying sooner rather than later where you want your wine to sit on the shelf and how much you need to invest in your packaging to make that happen.
Product
A realistic assessment of the quality of your wine is the obvious first step in marketing your wine. Some wineries conduct focus groups or hire independent agencies to help them arrive at an objective quality judgment. Your wine’s type or style (young and fruity or age worthy and oaked ), personality (based on a particular winemaker; a specific winemaking philosophy, such as organic; or a famous personage), and the location (terroir or famed destination) all play critical roles in understanding and characterizing your product before you can market it. You also need to identify and understand the market segment where your wine is most relevant. For example, a ready-to-drink white might target a different customer than a complex red. This segmentation is necessary in order to help you differentiate your wine from competing brands on the shelf. Only then can you define the image your packaging needs to convey in order to attract that market segment. In other words, determine who will be making the selection before you design your packaging and messaging for them. And differentiation is critical; don’t play follow the leader. Rather, distinguish your wine and packaging with a careful study of your wine/winery’s own personality and characteristics.
Place
This “P” addresses the many avenues your wine can take to get to the consumer’s table: direct-to-consumer (tasting room, in-house sales team, and website) and through a reseller (distributor, wholesaler, on-premise, and retailer). The logistics of getting your wine in the hands of the right people at the right time can account for a large percentage of your total costs and must be carefully monitored as a factor in your pricing strategy. The more direct your sales the more you have to sell yourself and your values through the package. Therefore, offering extra perceived value with a classic or classy bottle is a smart investment.
Small production wineries have historically had a difficult time getting a distributor to represent them, which is a necessity if you want to grow in the US three-tier system. Therefore, many wineries have put more of their resources toward beefing up their direct sales via wine clubs, festivals, and in-person sales to local bars and restaurants, markets, and events. While time-consuming, it’s a strategy that has paid off for many small producers who boast a great product. But it’s important to select a bottle that is unique and recognizable.
Promotion
This “P” is where all forms of communication come into play, including written, spoken, and visual cues. These communications include everything from point-of-purchase displays, brochures and packaging to print, broadcast, and Internet advertising; direct marketing costs such as e/mailings, ecommerce, telemarketing, etc.; promotional expenses, including social media promotions, contests, tasting events, wine clubs, tie-ins; and PR, including press relations, sponsorships, and community events, among many others. Finally, your image must be consistently carried through in all these communication strategies.
Needless to say, these costs are not inconsequential. Therefore, it helps to map out a detailed framework for your wine, from production through distribution and promotion, with estimated costs at each stage of the plan. But remember your best promotion is the uniqueness of your brand image conveyed through your bottle, which should readily tell your distinctive brand story without the use words. This is what Global Package prides itself on doing really well.
Price
Now comes the hard part: pricing your wine, a fundamental component to its success in the marketplace. If it’s priced too high, you’ll be stuck with unsold inventory; if it’s priced too low, you may see it fly off the shelf, but you may also realize little, if any, profit. Pricing needs to take into account the cost of producing your wine plus a reasonable profit margin. There are dozens of pricing strategies to choose from, and which one you choose will depend on what your goals are. Here’s a short review of some of those strategies when approaching any market channel:
Cost-plus: Here you assess the costs (fixed and variable) to produce your wine and then add a standard percentage of profit (Cost is $10/bottle, plus 20% profit = Price of $12/bottle).
Cost-based: This is a fluctuating price that’s based on the cost of production, distribution, and then on a markup.
Value-based: Here pricing is based on the buyer’s perception, taking into account such factors as quality, prestige, healthfulness, etc., of the value of the wine, rather than on your costs.
Competitive: Your price, whether it’s lower, the same, or higher, is based on what competitors are charging for the same or similar wine. There are several online services that can help you determine competitors’ prices, such as
HYPERLINK "http://www.wine-searcher.com/price-notes.lml" http://www.wine-searcher.com/price-notes.lml and HYPERLINK "http://wineprices.vinfolio.com" http://wineprices.vinfolio.com .
Skimming: This strategy allows you to ‘skim’ the market by layers, initially pricing the wine high to attract affluents and then gradually lower the price to gain a wider market.
Premium: Here the price is set high to reflect the exclusiveness of a wine.
Penetration: The price is set low to increase sales and gain marketshare and, once accomplished, can then be raised.
Psychological: This is a standard pricing strategy based on what ‘looks’ better to the consumer; e.g., $9.99 versus $10.
Discount: A lowered price based on a promotion or advertising campaign.
Bundling: This is a retailer pricing strategy, such as buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) bundling.
The underlying premise of pricing a wine is to impart value to the consumer, so it’s essential to know as much as you can about the consumer you’re marketing to. For instance, according to a recent study by Wine Intelligence, the U.S. market can be divided into two simple groups of roughly equal size: the under-45s and the over-45s. The under-45 category, which accounts for approximately 48% of the nation’s wine-drinking population, is comprised of Millennials and Gen Xers, as well as the 21-25 year-old wine drinkers. These younger consumers have very different behavior patterns than their older cohorts in that they’re more likely to try new brands from emerging regions, spend more on a bottle of wine, but drink wine less often (weekly or for special occasions), and purchase a wider repertoire of varietals, such as Pinot Grigio, Malbec, and Sangiovese, and sparkling wines, dessert wines, and port. Most important, these under-45s are actively engaged in the wine experience, participating in tastings, visiting wineries, and attending wine symposia and festivals. Therefore, if you wanted to generally target the under-45 consumer, you could consider pricing your Pinot Noir a bit higher while promoting its suitability for a birthday celebration. Also consider if a retro or nouveaux look might be appealing to this group, which is much less set in tradition.
The over-45 contingent represents 52% of the wine consumers in the U.S. and, while they are possibly less progressive and more cost-conscious, they view wine as an everyday drink and, thus, purchase wine more frequently than the under-45s. Because of family and work obligations, they are also less likely to go out. Therefore, if you’re pricing a Cab or a Zinfandel for this general market, you want to make sure it speaks of value and not premium and pricey. This is the group to give more value for their money.
On the other hand, if your primary sales will occur on-premise in bars and restaurants, your pricing strategy will need to account for the markups these establishments apply. And these resellers also need to be aware of the perceived value of the wine with their markup. On their iPhone or BlackBerry, diners can now find the retail price of a wine being offered and judge whether or not they believe they’re being ‘ripped off.’ Consequently, some restaurants have reduced the huge markups previously seen in the industry to focus more on building trust and loyalty with customers rather than on reaping big profits on their wine sales.
If distributors will play an important role in the sale of your wine, you also need to factor in the costs associated with helping them promote and move your wine off the shelf, since volume is what these folks are all about. This can include a gorgeous bottle as well as carton display costs, shelf-talkers, bottleneckers, banners, etc. These costs, while promotional and not directly related to your wine production costs will cut into your profit margin and, thus, need to be considered. You also should consider other costs, such as free samples, discounts, and other promotional tactics you may employ in the course of selling your wine.
You basically have two routes to grow profits: focus on volume or focus on price. If your strategy is to grow by producing more wine, keep in mind the additional, often significant, sales and marketing expenses that will attend increased production volume. A number of wineries have cut back on volume by eliminating many labels in their portfolio and concentrating on improving their higher-priced, well-established brands. I believe that in order to be profitable in a business that incurs very high product, sales, and marketing costs, this pricing strategy needs to target the highest price tier in the luxury category rather than expanding your product line.
Australia’s Yellow Tail brand offers an instructive case study in pricing. Initially launched in 2001 at the low price of $6 per bottle in the US, sales soared from about 60,000 cases in 2001 to more than 8 million cases today. However, sales have not grown over the past several years due to many factors: the continued strength of the Australian dollar, higher production costs, and tougher competition by a slew of other ‘critter wines.’ To reclaim its momentum, the brand recently launched a $9 million ad campaign promoting Yellow Tail as the “go-to wine, the default option for anyone seeking an everyday wine, something to drink for most occasions.” Even if that strategy falters, it is hard for smaller players to gain traction against such a huge investment. In other words, going against cult brand pricing as an unknown quantity may lead to ruin. In short, knowing the strength of your competitor and developing careful projections is the best way to proceed.
There are so many factors that will impact your pricing decision—what, where, how, and to whom it will be sold—it’s important to have done your homework so that you can more quickly define your optimal bottle package to your suppliers and hit the target the first time. That is why Global Package is here … to simplify the task.
White Paper - June 2011
June 06, 2011
How the Choice of Bottle Impacts Your Brand
As a bottle supplier to many wineries, I have found some common misperceptions about sourcing glass. First, all glass is not created equal. Inconsistencies in the manufacturing process can produce deformities, some nearly invisible to the naked eye, that will wreak havoc on the bottling line. Despite their generally uniform shape, all bottles will not accommodate all labels; intricately die-cut labels and wrap-around labels are particularly troublesome. And a bottle’s lip and fill-line can be drastically different, depending on the style and manufacturer. These are just a few of the issues a competent bottle supplier can help navigate.
This paper discusses how the bottle integrates with all the packaging elements to complement and reinforce your brand story.Wine Bottles
A wine’s brand is built from many components. The grapes, the appellation, and the winemaker’s vision form the core elements of a wine brand. But there are many other elements that contribute to a compelling wine brand. The wine’s history, its personality, and the emotional and aspirational benefits the brand brings to the consumer are all part of creating a brand that is sought after and trusted. Another key branding element is the wine’s packaging, which must not only convey the essential brand concept, but it must also appeal to the consumer in multiple environments, from the retail shelf and tasting room to bars, restaurants and other on-premise settings. As for the packaging components, the bottle is by far the most important, since it will impact not only first impressions, but also the execution of all the other elements, from the label and closure to the fill level on the bottling line. The good news is that there is a greater selection of bottles now than ever before, including uniquely colored glass, recycled glass, and glass shipped from new sources, such as China. A bottle’s shape, style, color, finish, and glass thickness all contribute to the wine’s brand story, and each characteristic should be carefully considered before a bottle is finally selected. A knowledgeable supplier—one who not only knows about bottles, but also about brand strategy, closures, seals, and labels, and how the bottle acts on a bottling line—should be able to help you weigh all the various options to arrive at the perfect bottle for your brand. While a few adventurous brands have been experimenting with some new packaging trends—bag-in-a-box, cartons, plastic bottles, ring-pull cans, and flexible pouches—glass bottles remain the gold standard for most wine brands …for good reason. Glass confers quality, it’s recyclable, and, given the crowded and confusing marketplace for the wine consumer …a glass bottle can be dressed up or down to reveal a lot about your brand’s character and personality. To stay in tune with changing market trends and evolving consumer needs, glass bottles are also continually undergoing change. Over the past few years, for instance, as concern for the environment has escalated into a worldwide issue, lighter weight bottles have become standard in many suppliers’ inventories. Global Package, LLC, carries its own line of light-weight bottles—Elegant Light—in Burgundy and Bordeaux styles that are ultra-premium in shape and color, but with a significantly lighter carbon footprint. It’s important to remember, however, that, in the consumer’s mind, a lighter weight bottle may also be associated with “cheap.” So it’s important that the lighter bottle retain the shape, styling, and quality of high-end glass. Practical considerations play a role in glass selection, too. Is your wine going to be stored long-term? If so, a thicker bottle would be appropriate. If your wine is designed to be consumed immediately, a lighter weight, less expensive bottles could suffice. Price point is another critical factor. Will your wine be priced in the top tier along with other premium offerings at $50 or more? If so, a heavy, stylish bottle with a deep punt might be the solution. If your wine will be priced below $20, you may still want a stylish look, which a practiced supplier will be able to provide. After working with hundreds of customers over many years in the business, I’ll often ask what the wine’s expected price point will be and then work backwards to the consumer profile and brand concept to determine the ideal bottle. Customization and embellishment, too, can differentiate a brand from its competition. Though it adds to the cost, a standard bottle can be customized for a thicker neck, more tapered shoulders, or an embossed logo with custom molds. We recently introduced the award-winning MBS Decanter bottle, designed by the famous Basque restaurateur Martin Berasategui and produced by Estal Packaging to prevent wine sediments from reaching the wine glass during decantation: http://globalpackage.net/ Here are some head-turning examples of an embossed bottle: http://bit.ly/iYDKUy. And check out Spain’s Lazarus Wine, which developed Sensorial Winemaking, and its embossed Braille labels, designed by Baud.es: http://bit.ly/1HnMAJ. Of course, a wine’s label is a critical differentiator that can create high shelf impact. Here, too, there are many options. Labels nowadays sport Interesting die-cut patterns or are sometimes screened directly onto the bottle itself. The skills of refined decoration facilities in Europe, such as Sobodec, can create works of art on glass. A good example can be found here on the Decoration section of our website: http://globalpackage.net/category/decorations/. Another way of adding luxury personalization is with a pewter label that self-adheres, such as this example also supplied by Global Package LLC: http://bit.ly/ixnW9l. Typography can help tell a brand’s story, too. A good example is Precept Brands’ “House” brand line, which feature big, bold wines reinforced with big, bold type on the label: http://bit.ly/jtcUXr. Or check out Mendocino Wine Group’s 2004 Puzzle Time interactive wine label for another innovative use of type: http://bit.ly/7YF2aL. The closure plays a role in revealing the brand concept, as well. A spirited, youthful brand, such as Howard Leight’s Red Leight that’s designed to appeal to the Hollywood boutique club scene, gains from using the unique ZORK closure, which doesn’t require a corkscrew: http://bit.ly/m0zrqY. And, of course, there’s the innovative Bonny Doon brand, which pioneered use of the screwcap closure here in the US: http://bit.ly/kAYnk8. Your understanding of what makes your wine different, its target market, and its price point will help your bottle supplier deliver the perfect bottle.Spirits Bottles
The spirits side of the industry is without a doubt the boldest when it comes to bottle innovation. With contenders from all over the world, the spirits market is crowded and confusing to consumers, which is why distinctive packaging is so important. For a quick glimpse of an incredible panoply of spirits bottles, check out these links on the Drinks Report site: http://bit.ly/kThpTM and http://bit.ly/kyS7nV. While the price point is going to be higher than most wine brands, the same principles in bottle selection apply: Have a good understanding of your brand story, your target market and distribution strategy, and at what price it is expected be sold. As with my involvement with a winery customer, I like to be involved at an early stage with the design team to make sure all components work successfully together. Again starting at the expected price point and working back to the brand concept, here are some questions I typically ask when beginning a project for a spirits customer. Does the bottle help explain the brand’s premise? Is it distinctive and will it deliver strong shelf presence? Is it appropriate for the price point? Will it successfully accommodate the other packaging elements? Will it perform well on the bottling line? A recent project to revive a celebrated bourbon whiskey brand serves as a good example of how all these considerations play out. This brand harkened back to Gold Rush days in California where it was sought after in miners’ saloons as well as high-society homes. Our customer wanted the new package to have the feel of the original bottle but with an updated appeal to a new generation of bourbon drinkers. Thankfully, I was brought in early to interface with the design team to make sure the bottle we selected was consistent with the brand concept, and also to keep costs in line. I often function as the practical counterpoint to a creative team, since I know what will work and what won’t. We chose a handsome bottle with the same general shape of the original, but was shorter and stouter. Our customer, who is an expert in the spirits arena, knew that the neck needed to be longer for busy bartenders to grab hold of, so we made several custom molds until the neck was the right length. The customer also wanted to emboss the distinctive logo—a crossed pick and shovel representing the Gold Rush and a crown representing the regal nature of Kentucky’s bourbon whiskey—into the shoulder of the bottle, perfectly centered above the label. This required several practice runs on the bottling line to ensure that the notch that guides the bottle through the bottling line was in the exact location at the bottom so the label would be adhered precisely centered below the embossed medallion. The final result is an elegant, handsome update of an historic original. You can go to our website for the full case study and photo: http://globalpackage.net/ In conclusion, bottle selection is second in importance only to the wine that goes in it because the successful execution of all the other packaging elements hinges on it. The height, diameter, top ring, punt, neck, and shoulders of the bottle all play a critical role in telling your brand story. Therefore, you want to work with a motivated supplier, much like a personal shopper, who can navigate the entire process.
Case Study - January 2012
January 11, 2012
Proprietary Design for a New Brand and a New Wine Region
Barrie Tucker, founder and principal of Barrie Tucker Company, has had his share of accolades. Over the course of 30 years, the Australian native has designed packaging for some of wine industry’s most prestigious international brands, including Stag’s Leap and Voss Vineyards in the U.S., Mission Hill Winery in Canada, Nautilus in New Zealand, and Penley Estate, Yalumba, and Greg Norman Estates in Australia, among many others. His innovative work with glass has played a leading role in the advancement of contemporary wine brands, as well as Australia’s wine industry. He recent shared his work on a design project for Smith & Hooper that illustrated how proprietary package design can boost brand recognition in the marketplace and still be affordable.
The two-pronged project required Tucker’s design to not only introduce the new Smith & Hooper brand, it would also launch a new Australian wine region: Wrattonbully, an area located between Coonawarra and Padthaway vineyards. George McEwin was the first to plant wine grapes in this limestone coast region in 1885. Today, the area boasts 50 grape growers and close to 20 wine producers of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, and Chardonnay varietals. Smith & Hooper was launching two varietals, a Cabernet Merlot and a Merlot.
“The Terra Rossa mineral-rich soil, topography, and weather is perfect grape growing terrain,” says Tucker. “It all brings a unique character to the wines produced here. It was important to express that singularity in my design.”
To contain costs, Tucker chose to embellish an existing bottle rather than create a new bottle mold. For many years, Tucker has worked with Erica Harrop, founder and CEO of Global Package LLC. In fact, he created her company’s identity and also worked with her on the Stag’s Leap project. So he immediately contacted her former associate in South Australia. “Erica sources glass from many suppliers, and we had worked often together to select handsome bottles for a variety of projects.” Because both wines are priced at the mid-range level, Tucker wanted to demonstrate that customized, proprietary packaging could also be affordable.
Smith & Hooper was established in 1995 and is one of few pioneers to produce wines under the Wrattonbully appellation. The winery is now owned by S. Smith & Son, which also owns Yalumba wines, Australia’s oldest family-owned wine company. The wines are made from estate-grown fruit, which gives it a distinctive regional character. “I knew Barrie wanted to capture the unique ambiance of the region in the packaging, as well as the superior quality of the wine, so we didn’t want a bottle that looked or felt cheap,” Harrop says. “It needed to have some heft while being economical, so the Bordelaises Premier was a good choice. It weighs 715 grams and is 329.5mm high with a base diameter of 72.1mm.”
Once the bottle was chosen, Tucker went to work on the design details, beginning with the creation of the brand identity. He then tackled the bottle presentation design and, finally, the label and carton designs. Because there were two SKUs under the Smith & Hooper brand—a premium Cabernet Merlot and a super premium Merlot—Tucker was able to achieve economies of scale by using the same bottle for both brands, but embellishing them differently.
He first created the Smith & Hooper logo in a sophisticated, flourishing script, which would be featured on the label as well as embossed across the shoulder of the bottles. He then designed an S&H icon, which would be debossed and then embossed in a diamond shape into the front surface of the bottles. For the super premium, limited edition Merlot product, the S&H icon would also be acid etched, giving it a superior quality appearance and a point of differentiation between the two products.
The label presented its own design challenge. “Wrattonbully is an unwieldy and unglamorous name for a wine region. But it had to be front and center on the label, since we were also introducing this new wine-growing region to the world,” Tucker recalled. “The wines are reputed to be at least as good as those produced by the neighboring and more-famous Coonawarra region, so I decided to use an elegant traditional typeface to lend sophistication to the name.” Combined with the deckeled edge on the paper label, the entire presentation was one of exceptional refinement.
The package was voted “Author’s Choice” by the Australian wine company, Samuel Smith & Son, who described the Smith & Hooper package as “Exceptionally classy packaging for a wine at its price.”
According to Tucker, the two wines had immediate impact when they were introduced and they continue to succeed in wine shows and in the retail arena. “It’s gratifying to work on a project that has had such far-ranging influence and success,” he enthuses. “I understand my designs are still be used by the winery, even for a new white wine product. It’s proof positive of the effectiveness of proprietary design when it’s well-conceived, skillfully rendered, and doesn’t break the bank.”
About Barrie Tucker
Barrie Tucker founded the globally recognized Barrie Tucker Creative (also The Barrie Tucker Company) in Adelaide, as well as groundbreaking sister studio, Designer Wines. Over the years, his creative output has touched upon practically every facet of the design spectrum. Untold numbers of international awards, publications, exhibitions, distinguished commissions and successful brands are testimony to his talents. He is recognized as a master designer by his peers and was inducted in 2008 into the Australian Design Hall of Fame. He is a member of the élite Alliance Graphique Internationale, a Life Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, and has been described by AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) as an ‘Australian graphic design legend.’ Samples of his work can be found at www.barrietucker.com.
Case Study - June 2011
May 26, 2011
Reinventing a Legacy Brand
With roots going back to the California Gold Rush, Cyrus Noble Bourbon has had a long and prestigious history. Named after a dedicated distillery worker when, intoxicated, he fell into a vat of whiskey, the Cyrus Noble brand was famous throughout the West during the 19th and 20th centuries. Backed by San Francisco’s influential Haas Brothers and promoted by the wholesale business entrepreneur, Ernest Reuben Lilienthal, Cyrus Noble Bourbon became one of the most lucrative and sought after brands in miners’ saloons, as well as in upper-class homes. Even Admiral Dewey, the hero of the Spanish American War, was a fan:
In May, 1899, when Admiral Dewey was informed of his promotion to Admiral of the U.S. Navy, to celebrate, “He then reached for a bottle of Cyrus Noble, a sour mash bourbon, filled two glasses..." and with his friend drank a toast.
When bourbon fell out of favor in the mid-1900s, the Cyrus Noble label was shelved …until now. According to Steven Burrows, Chief Operating Officer for Haas Brothers/Cyrus Noble, the time is right to reintroduce the brand to the world. “Bourbon is enjoying a comeback, particularly with the younger demographic,” he says. “We still had the original recipe, so it was really a no-brainer.” This decision led Burrows to Erica Harrop, founder of Global Package LLC in Napa, California. Burrows also had photos of the original bottle, the style of which the company wanted to duplicate, but with an updated look that would be relevant to a new generation of bourbon drinkers. Harrop was introduced early on to the design team at San Francisco’s Philippe Becker Design, which would produce the graphics and packaging. “We wanted Erica’s input early on not only to ensure the quality of the execution, but also to keep costs in line,” Burrows says. “She really knows her way around the entire process, from conception to sourcing the glass and finding the right closure and seal suppliers.” Harrop presented several bottles that were close matches, but the client team selected one that was shorter, stouter, and more contemporary than the original. Burrows’ long experience in the industry also told him that the neck needed to be a little longer for a busy bartender to grab hold of. Haas Brothers also wanted to emboss the distinctive logo—a crossed pick and shovel representing the Gold Rush and a crown representing the regal nature of Kentucky’s bourbon whiskey—into the shoulder of the bottle, perfectly centered above the label. “This was our biggest challenge on the project,” says Burrows. “We were working with antiquated equipment which had a centering device that wasn’t standard. But Erica rolled up her sleeves and quickly engineered a solution.” Harrop also navigated the process of making several custom molds until the neck was the right length and the notch that guides the bottle through the bottling line was in the exact location at the bottom to ensure the label would be adhered in the correct position, precisely centered below the embossed medallion. The final result is an elegant, handsome update of an historic original. Burrows has nothing but praise for Harrop and the design team, and plans to use them again on upcoming projects. “We only produced 5,000 cases, so we couldn’t afford any hiccups,” he remarked. “I give Harrop very high marks for customer service, customer satisfaction, and follow through. I will happily recommend her to others.”
Bordeaux
February 12, 2011
[gallery link="file"]
Glass factories throughout the world specialize in the needs of their core clients who push them for the most creative concept developments. From each glass company this creative competency can be tapped into.
Global package knows how to meet our clients' needs.
Global Package is the Western US representative for:
- Vetro Elite (www.vetroelite.com)
- Vetreria Etrusca (www.vetreriaetrusca.it)
- Estal Packaging (www.estal.info)
Burgundy
February 12, 2011
[gallery link="file"]
Glass factories throughout the world specialize in the needs of their core clients who push them for the most creative concept developments. From each glass company this creative competency can be tapped into.
Global package knows how to meet our clients' needs.
Global Package is the Western US representative for:
- Vetro Elite (www.vetroelite.com)
- Vetreria Etrusca (www.vetreriaetrusca.it)
- Estal Packaging (www.estal.info)
Spirits
February 12, 2011
[gallery link="file" orderby="rand"]
Glass factories throughout the world specialize in the needs of their core clients who push them for the most creative concept developments. From each glass company this creative competency can be tapped into.
Global package knows how to meet our clients' needs.
Global Package is the Western US representative for:
- Vetro Elite (www.vetroelite.com)
- Vetreria Etrusca (www.vetreriaetrusca.it)
- Estal Packaging (www.estal.info)
Various
February 12, 2011
[gallery link="file" orderby="rand"]
Glass factories throughout the world specialize in the needs of their core clients who push them for the most creative concept developments. From each glass company this creative competency can be tapped into.
Global package knows how to meet our clients' needs.
Global Package is the Western US representative for:
- Vetro Elite (www.vetroelite.com)
- Vetreria Etrusca (www.vetreriaetrusca.it)
- Estal Packaging (www.estal.info)