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SOLUTIONS DELIVERED I N N O VAT I V E O P T I O N S F O R T O D AY ’ S PA C K A G I N G P R O F E S S I O N A L S
THE ART OF THE BOTTLE Quality Assurance: Five crucial tips for success Work smarter not harder with Bottle Repacking
PACKAGING FOR WINE, CRAFT BEER, CIDER & SPIRITS
Turning eyes to graphic design
Leadership Profile: Greg Creamer, Director of Quality Assurance TricorBraun.com |
TABLE O F C ON T EN T S
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CRAFTING YOUR BRAND : PACKAGING TIPS FOR WINEMAKERS, BREWERS AND DISTILLERS
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FEATURES Packaging for Artisanal Beverages
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Automated Bottle Repacking
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Achieving Assurance
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Turning Eyes to Graphic Design
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Five tips for Quality Assurance
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Greg Creamer, Director of Quality Assurance
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Solutions Delivered is a newsletter brought to you by TricorBraun® and the TricorBraun family of companies.
6 CityPlace Drive, 1000 | St. Louis, MO 63141 | Tel: 800-325-7782
TricorBraun WinePak 2280 Cordelia Road Fairfield, California 94534 Toll free: 800-374-6594 Web: tricorbraunwinepak.com Social:
WinePak Direct Tel: 1-800-DRINKWINE
TricorBraun Design & Engineering 3011 Butterfield Road, Suite 200 Oak Brook, Illinois 60523 Tel: 630-645-1200
TricorBraun XpressPak Tel: 855-972-5463
Packaging Options Direct 8212 Lackland Road, Suite A St. Louis, Missouri 63114 Toll free: 1-855-754-3728 Web: packagingoptionsdirect.com Social:
FINAL SPOT COLOR (with Screens)
PMS 731 (Metallic added) Brown
PMS 876 Metallic Copper
TricorBraun University 6 CityPlace Drive, 1000 St. Louis, Missouri 63141 Tel: 800-325-7782
Download our Craft Beer & Spirits 1-sheet >
CRAFT BEER & SPIRITS
Trust your artisanal beverage to the packaging experts. Beer, wine and spirits have been a cherished part of the human experience for centuries. And yet, in the last ten years, there’s been a virtual explosion in the popularity of new craft beers and artisan spirits.
This burgeoning demand for distinct packaging has not gone unnoticed by packaging and design firms, and many are racing to capture the business of startup producers. Time-honored traditions in consumer tastes and needs are evolving quickly, and so too is beer and spirits packaging. Now more than ever, new and small producers need to differentiate themselves from their competitors. This burgeoning demand for distinct packaging has not gone 2
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unnoticed by packaging and design firms, and many are racing to capture the business of startup producers, which has introduced a challenge for those producers: finding the right packaging company. With so much riding on the design and performance of your packaging, it’s important to choose a packaging partner with experience in your particular market segment. Some companies may have had success in another industry, say, food, for example, but they are likely unfamiliar with the many nuances of alcohol production. And while standard glass bottles will serve for many applications, achieving that distinctive difference, while providing convenience,
View the Goose Ridge Wine Case Study >
portability and sustainability will require innovation and creativity. A properly executed package should be both protective of flavor profiles and evocative of the carefully crafted product within.
in the industry, including expert design consultation, branding conceptualization and focus group testing. We can even produce “first draft” 3D printouts of mock bottles.
While your startup business may not yet be in a position to go with a custom bottle, there are many industry standard molds that can be made original with distinctive graphics, giving you a smart, cost-effective option. At TricorBraun, we have a wealth of experience working with small producers, as well as with larger companies who are looking for unique package designs. And because of our considerable resources, we can service large volume orders, or give you the option of low minimum quantity orders. With offices across the U.S. and around the world, we offer the widest array of packaging services
Give your carefully crafted beverage the protection and promotion it deserves with well-considered packaging from TricorBraun. When it comes to convenience, sustainability, innovation and distinctive design, we are the industry leader.
A PROPERLY EXECUTED PACKAGE SHOULD BE BOTH PROTECTIVE OF FLAVOR PROFILES AND EVOCATIVE OF THE CAREFULLY CRAFTED PRODUCT WITHIN. Many of TricorBraun’s award-winning designs have been in the beer, wine & spirits category. View the awards section on our website >
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SIDEBAR TITLE
ACHIEVING ASSURANCE Controlling the Quality of Quality Control It may sound funny, but in order to truly control quality, the process of quality control needs its own quality control process. That’s right. If the process itself is flawed, the products may be, too. That’s why we not only thoroughly inspect all glass products at all factories, we also inspect the inspectors! At TricorBraun WinePak, we will always go to the greatest lengths in the industry to ensure that the highest possible quality is consistently delivered. In fact, we frequently subcontract with independent quality control firms to perform their own inspections, as well. At our Fairfield, California facility, for example, one of our Quality Inspectors checks for critical and minor defects, such as sink or bulge, out of round, and other cosmetic defects every hour of every day. And as precise as the inspection equipment is, we also have a technician check the inspection system set-up every 15 minutes to ensure its consistent accuracy. All of these repeated checks and counter-checks may seem like overkill to some, but at TricorBraun WinePak we are committed to ensuring that the needs and expectations of our customers are not just met, but exceeded — all the time.
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TO BE SURE YOUR WINE GOES OFF WITHOUT A H
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BOTTLING HITCH.
Q U A L I T Y A S S U R A NCE
You spent months nurturing your grapes and crafting your fine wine. The last thing you need is trouble on the packaging side. You want to be sure that the right bottles and the right branded boxes will arrive on time, ready to fill, with no defects. To help make sure your filling and bottling process goes smoothly, follow this Quality Assurance checklist.
PLAN AHEAD: Make sure your bottle provider knows what filling equipment you have and what labeling and closure equipment will be used. A good provider can head-off most technical issues and assist you with line setup.
HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE: Should any issues arise during the process, your provider should be able to quickly troubleshoot the problem, and provide real solutions that will minimize downtime. If you find yourself getting the runaround when problems occur, you may need to consider other providers. If you can confidently check each of these 5 steps off your list, then you’re well on your way to a smooth bottling season. If you can’t, consider TricorBraun WinePak. Our experienced Quality Assurance Staff provides our customers and sales team
BE GLASS SAVVY: Always know where your glass is coming from, and have an advocate on-site (or nearby) to check the glass quality before it ships. Having a real person to call should anything unexpected occur is key to success and your peace of mind.
GET CONNECTED: Always work with a distributor that has global connections. There are quality glass manufacturers in the US, Mexico, Europe and Asia, but if your bottle provider only works in one or two of these regions, then you are severely limiting your options.
CHECK THE TECH: With such a wide variety of techniques and machines in the industry, the term “bottle inspection” can have very broad interpretations. Technology matters. Make sure your provider uses the latest analytical equipment, tests for heavy metals, and checks the quality of your bottle run at regular intervals for sink, bulge, outof-round, or other structural and cosmetic defects. (View the sidebar article on page 9 to learn more about TricorBraun WinePak’s Director of Quality Assurance, Greg Creamer)
with the tools and technical support to ensure the highest quality and customer satisfaction throughout the entire process. Along with performing a meticulous inspection of all bottle glass, we also employ a system that effectively matches bottles, labels and closures with the filling equipment. As the industry leader in quality assurance, we have the ability to quickly isolate and troubleshoot line problems, minimizing downtime and ensuring that your bottles arrive ready to fill with your fine wine.
Learn more about Quality Assurance >
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When doing business with their most loyal customers, the vast majority of wine producers sell their wines by the case. And while it’s almost always beneficial to sell product in volume, transferring all those bottles into corrugated cases can be both time consuming and expensive. There is, however, a more efficient way. With access to the right systems and equipment, you can have all of those bottles packed neatly into your custom cartons and ready for filling and labeling. In fact, what used to be a timeconsuming, labor intensive task can now be handled with speed and efficiency. At our TricorBraun WinePak facility in Fairfield, California, we have the stateof-the-art, fully automated repacking system to do just that. How does it all work? First, our system transfers the wine bottles from eight-foot-tall pallets to our line where we thoroughly inspect them. Meanwhile, at another automated station, printed cartons are assembled and dividers are inserted. Next, the wine bottles are sorted into rows, flipped and inserted into the boxes. The filled cartons are then
From pallets to line for inspection
stacked, palletized and shrink-wrapped for secure delivery. At this point, the loaded pallets can either be shipped to the wineries for filling and labeling, or we can store them in our over 300,000 square feet of warehouse space. This efficient system offers our customers reliability, flexibility and helps keep orders complete, properly packed and sealed, and right on schedule. We understand how labor intensive the wine business can be. Let us help take some of the worry out of the bottling equation and improve your working capital. Ask your TricorBraun WinePak representative about setting up a repacking program today.
Printed cartons are assembled
Bottles are
BOTTLE REPACKING AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM CAN MAKE IT CONVENIENT AND COST EFFECTIVE. VIEW THE VIDEO OF THE TRICORBRAUN WINEPAK REPACKING LINE >
packed for filling
Boxes are palletized and prepped to ship or store in our warehouse
Over 300,000 square feet of warehouse space
D ESIGN & EN G IN EERIN G
TURNING EYES TO GRAPHIC DESIGN A bottle without artwork is like a party without food. The guests may show up but they aren’t hanging around unless they are motivated to do so. The same is true for a consumer at the retail shelf; without graphic design visually grabbing their attention, communicating a message and explaining what is inside they may simply walk on by. But graphic design has to do more than captivate, it has to differentiate, quickly. There’s a lot at stake for brand owners when it comes to the creation of their artwork. Effective graphic design can link a brand to a story, invoke a feeling and create such a strong unspoken connection that a product is picked up, held, and reviewed, increasing the likelihood it will be purchased. Bringing brands to life on shelf and creating disruption amid the vast array of other alcoholic beverages whether they are in similar or vastly different vessel shapes and sizes requires a series of steps. The first step is a determination of the message to deliver, the story to tell, the brand guidelines to adhere to and what objectives must be met. An exploration of the current target market and competition takes place along with that of design cues which vary by category. Cues such as brand logo, tactile treatments, color, highlights, shadows, style of imagery and others all contribute to the tone, message and personality being conveyed. Is it an upscale sophisticated vodka or cognac, an organic seven grape blend wine or an authentic herb/ spiced craft beer? Execution of the agreed upon graphic design falls into three primary decoration method categories: ACL (Applied Ceramic Labeling), shrink sleeve and paper labels that are applied in a number of different ways. The graphic
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design team collaborates with decoration development partners to ensure that the quality and integrity of the artwork that is intended is achieved. A meaningful and successful design implementation generates such a strong emotional connection that the consumer cannot walk away from the party and is compelled to make a purchase.
Greg Creamer EFFECTIVE GRAPHIC DESIGN CAN LINK A BRAND TO A STORY, INVOKE A FEELING, AND CREATE SUCH A STRONG UNSPOKEN CONNECTION THAT A PRODUCT IS PICKED UP, HELD, AND REVIEWED, INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD IT WILL BE PURCHASED Learn more about our Graphic Design capability >
DIRECTOR OF QUALITY ASSURANCE Meet Greg Creamer, the Director of Quality Assurance for TricorBraun’s WinePak division. A valued WinePak team member for nearly six years, Greg is the driving force behind our Quality Assurance program — a program that is without equal in the industry. His remarkable team provides our customers and sales staff with the tools and technical support needed to ensure the highest possible bottle quality and customer satisfaction throughout the entire process. Greg brings to the team years of proven success in the wine industry, both as a sales representative and as an engineer. Before joining TricorBraun, he had been an operations manager for Don Sebastiani & Sons and Rutherford Ranch wineries, and worked as an independent wine industry consultant. Greg has been involved in everything from designing bottling lines to overseeing the purchase and maintenance of bottling equipment. He even established a system that generates optimal size recommendations for pressure-sensitive wine labels. Greg and the Quality Assurance team not only support our customers at all stages of the packaging process, including new product development, supply chain management, troubleshooting, and customer relations, they have the latest analytical equipment and perform hourly checks on all wine bottles for defects, such as sink, bulge and out-of-round. Considering the United States is the number four wine producer in the world after Italy, France and Spain, that’s a heap of bottles to check. Fortunately for our customers, Greg and his team are up to the task. Read the Press Release about Greg Creamer >
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TricorBraun 6 CityPlace Drive, 1000 St. Louis, MO 63141 Toll Free 800 325 7782
TricorBraun WinePak HEADQUARTERS
2280 Cordelia Road Fairfield, California 94534 Toll free: 800-374-6594 SANTA ROSA OFFICE
2235 Mercury Way Santa Rosa, CA 95407 tel: 707-399-5800