When White Rock
Distilleries Inc. of Lewiston, Maine, was getting its new Three Olives
Premium Vodka ready for the U.S. roll out, it knew it would require an
innovative and creative approach for its packaging.
Interestingly,
the design concept for the 750ml glass bottle, its decoration completed
with etched martini glass, three-olives graphic and cork stopper, was
originally conceived by employees of White Rock�s sales and marketing
staff.
To
help assure that its unique brand identification was carried out and the
product possessed high eye appeal, it called upon Saxco International
Inc., Horsham, Pa., world-wide packaging specialists for the wine and
spirits industry.
Keith
L. Sachs, chairman of Saxco International, says that the project
required close attention to detail and careful coordination of all
delivery schedules for each element of the
package.
According
to Paul Coulombe, chief executive officer of White Rock Distilleries,
�The premium vodka is handcrafted in small batches employing a
300-year-old English wheat recipe.
It also is triple distilled to add to its purity and
smoothness.
�With
that in mind,� he explains, �we are going after an upscale,
sophisticated target audience who generally frequent the better hotels,
restaurants and taverns."
Meanwhile,
Saxco International followed the design specifications and provided the
750ml glass bottle with screened-on martini glass etching and green
olives graphic. The clear
glass bottle was supplied, frosted and decorated by Saxco vendor Saver
Glass in France.
Saxco
also was responsible for the specially treated plastic top cork
stopper. �The cork was
specially treated to assure that it would not discolor the vodka,�
explains Sachs. Saxco
worked closely with J.C. Ribeiro of Portugal, a long-time supplier who
handled this aspect of the project. Saxco also provided the shiny
black PVC capsule which over fitted the cork stopper and ran about
two-thirds the length of the bottle�s neck.
To
complete this project, a 50ml glass miniature replica of the 750ml
bottle and decoration was required. The miniatures were completed
with the help of two Saxco suppliers located in the United States. They handled the roll-on metal
cap and shrink sleeve, as a vendor in France supplied the 50ml
bottles.
According
to White Rock�s Coulombe, the company is so enthusiastic about its
initial introduction from Maine to Florida that it is tying into an
advertising program to run in the Wall Street Journal. They also have plans to expand
out distribution to the Midwest and eventually the West
Coast.
Saxco International has more than 20 years of industry experience, providing
a broad range of packaging products and services to the
liquor and wine industries. In addition to supplying packaging enhancement products,
the company�s services include expert consultation from development
to design. SAXCO is headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
with sales offices in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Boston,
Massachusetts; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Redwood City,
California; Tampa, Florida; and Hook Hampshire, England. Additional
details at (215) 443-8100, fax (215) 443-8370.
