In an effort to further protect the integrity of the product and provide greater ease of unsealing and resealing, White Rock Distilleries Inc. of Lewiston , Maine , has completed a total repackaging program for its Three Olives Classic and flavored vodkas.

To assist with this major repackaging program which required moving away totally from cork stoppers to a more convenient Stelcap�, the distillery called upon Saxco International Inc. of Horsham, Pa., worldwide packaging specialists for the wine and spirits industry.  �Saxco has assisted White Rock in fulfilling its packaging requirements for more than 20 years,� according to Eric Quy, regional sales representative for Saxco International.

In order to accommodate the new Stelcaps, the project would require new private mold, extra white flint bottles in four sizes--375-mL, 750-mL, 1-L and 1.75-mL.  Saxco sourced and supplied new private mold bottles in the three smaller sizes from Saverglass in France, a       long-time vendor.

Saverglass also completed the bottles� acid etching to provide a frosted appearance while displaying a clear window in the shape of a stylish martini glass.  Showing through the window from the bottle�s back are the three olives for its Classic Vodka, as well as graphics identifying its six individual flavors which include vanilla, cherry, raspberry, green apple, chocolate and orange. 

The bottles� design was created by Swardlick Marketing Group of Portland , Maine , White Rock�s package design firm.

The Stelcaps for the 375-mL, 750-mL and 1-L versions were supplied by Saxco through Alcan-Capalux of Montreal , Canada , another long-time vendor.   The Classic Vodka�s cap was done in black and green, while the flavors were identified in their own individual colors -- vanilla (yellow), cherry (red), raspberry (bluish red), green apple (green), chocolate (brown) and orange (orange). 

�Not only do the new caps deliver a prominent and clear identification for bartenders and private consumers, but they are much more convenient to take off and put back on than their cork predecessors,� explains Paul Coulombe, chief executive officer of White Rock Distilleries.  �Most vodkas are being packaged today with Stelcaps.  In keeping with the industry trend, we are switching to Stelcaps overall.�

The 1.75-mL bottles were sourced through BSN in Germany (now O-I Europe ), another global Saxco vendor.  �We went to an alternate glass supplier for the larger size bottle to meet the budgetary requirements of the project,� relates Quy.  The bottles were acid-etched and silk-screened by several long-time Saxco decorators.

In addition, Saxco supplied a Versaluxe� cap through Alcan Pechiney in France for the 1.75-mL bottles.  The design for the 1.75-mL bottles also was done by Swardlick Marketing.

Saxco also sourced and supplied a large 3-L flint display bottle from Saverglass replicating the Three Olives brand smaller bottles which will be used exclusively for promotional purposes.  Saverglass also decorated the display bottles.

�We feel that this major repackaging of the Three Olives Classic and flavored vodkas also will provide greater appeal to the young adult market which is intensely flavor oriented,� Coulombe relates.  �Some 20 percent of the overall vodka business now resides in flavored vodkas.  That�s 46 percent of our business.  So you can see how important that is to us.�

�This was a project which required extensive and intensive coordination and timing,� Quy says.  �By blending our industry knowledge and experience with our global vendor support sources, we were able to satisfy all of the packaging requirements, meet budgetary and time parameters, thereby pleasing a long-time client, �Quy concludes.