Flavored liquors have been instrumental to distilleries and importers. According to Euromonitor International, these products constituted 26% of all volume sales in the US from 2007 to 2012.

When Three Olives cherry and grape vodkas developed a following, parent company Proximo Spirits, a spirits importer and international distributor headquartered in Jersey City, NJ, USA, decided to expand its line-up of flavored vodka products. Proximo also owns the tequila brand, Jose Cuervo.

To capitalize on American tastes, Proximo developed another 24 flavors for Three Olives and launched a $20-million advertising campaign with Clive Owen in 2013. The company offers spirited beverages for everyone, including pomegranate and triple-shot espresso to celebrity-themed drinks like Marilyn Monroe Strawberry and Elvis Presley Coconut Water.

Putting a new label on it
Proximo takes extra care with this product line, distilling British winter wheat four times before it is bottled. Therefore, Three Olives packaging wanted to reinforce its reputation as a premium vodka maker.

It was always clear that its new flavored products would be branding all-stars. The vodka line’s glass bottles are tall and etched for an arresting frosted appearance. Product labels would need to accentuate the bottle’s modern, elegant lines.

Proximo turned to its label converter partner, J.R. Cole Industries, based in Charlotte, NC, USA, for help crafting a winning label solution. J.R. Cole had already helped Proximo make the transition from silkscreening to pressure sensitive labels with Three Olives’ three original flavors – classic, grape and cherry – in 2012 when the company acquired the brand from White Rock.

Many spirits manufacturers have implemented pressure sensitive labels because of their branding potential and ability to create production efficiencies with inline decoration and application cleanliness. In addition, using pressure sensitive labels enables companies to consolidate bottle inventories by using standard-sized forms for all of its product varieties.

“Pressure sensitive labeling has really helped reinvigorate the labeling industry,” says Joe Richards, vice president of sales, J.R. Cole. “You can do so many things with these labels. You can use films and specialty papers and really pack in the ink. It enables distilleries to get extremely creative with their packaging.”

Spirits labeling leader helps brands stand tall
J.R. Cole was ready to take on the flavored vodka challenge. The company, which boasts a $30 million annual book of business, had experience with spirits converting, as it works with the majority of US distilleries. J.R. Cole provides its spirits clients with printing expertise and aggressive pricing, enabling companies to meet their business and branding objectives.

In addition, J.R. Cole had already handled the majority of Proximo’s label converting needs for the Three Olives brand. The company’s in-house creative and production team works closely with Proximo and other clients to design or fine-tune label art, make recommendations on suppliers, run samples and facilitate the journey to product launch. “It’s our job to make sure our clients achieve their desired effect, and so we tell them what substrates, coatings and inks are available. There’s a good bit of research and planning that goes on behind the scenes to give clients different options and help them decide which way to go,” says Justin Cole, account representative.

The shine of marketplace success
This wasn’t any ordinary branding assignment. The base label would need to gleam, just like the bottle showcasing the brand. It had to wrap 360-degrees around the bottle, with varnishes killed at the ends to provide a seamless overlap. It needed to accept inks well and resist scratching and smudging if bottles touched during shipping, handling or presentment on retail shelves. And the adhesive needed to provide short-term repositionability, in the event labels needed to be reapplied.

The J.R. Cole team, which included Justin, Joe and Phong Nguyen, creative director, knew that there were just two or three suppliers who could provide the pressure sensitive metalized paper they needed for a base label. They went with UPM Raflatac.“We have a really good relationship with UPM Raflatac,” says Richards. “To be frank, the company has the best full product line in the spirits industry.”

“If we have a new product, even if it’s just an idea, the UPM Raflatac team will sit down with us and say, ‘Hey, we can make it happen’.” adds Nguyen. “So when we got the Three Olives opportunity, we talked with the team. We got samples that we tested that worked perfectly and that the client loved. Proximo picked the UPM Raflatac material for the Three Olives launch because it was the most attractive metalized paper, beat out all the competitors and gave them the visual effect they desired.”

Engineered service, perfect positioning
Not only did UPM Raflatac deliver a beautiful labelstock, SILVERVAC RP48AT 1.2 mil PET, that provided exceptional quality and performance, but the company guaranteed the volumes J.R. Cole and Proximo needed for the Three Olives flavored vodka launch and ongoing sales.

“About a year ago, we experienced a metalized paper shortage,” says Richards. “So it was really important that we could ensure a good supply of this product because we use a lot of it with our spirits clients. UPM Raflatac is extremely reliable and dependable, whereas some of our other providers were not able to guarantee adequate supply.”

The J.R. Cole staff worked with UPM Raflatac to create a brand image that performed well under pressure on the bottle. J.R. Cole uses screen printing and dome coating to create an image that has a satin feel and raised image, which ranges from conceptual images of fruit and chocolate to pop art-style imagery to instantly recognizable celebrity shots.

The base label provides short-term repositionability and clean removal. If labels emerge from applicators askew, they can be reapplied perfectly to the bottle without any tearing or wrinkling. “We went through a learning curve when we applied the labels,” says Cole. “They needed to have an aggressive tack, but we were having difficulty removing misapplied labels so we could reuse the bottles. UPM Raflatac suggested a different spec that gave us about a minute of tack time so we could remove the label easily and apply another one. And removing a label doesn’t leave any residue on the bottle, which is important for brand appeal.”  The adhesive then seals permanently, ensuring that the label won’t flag or fall off the bottle in the liquor store.

A race to the finish
Once the UPM Raflatac material and label art were approved, J.R. Cole employees kicked into high gear. Its design and production team worked closely with the client to lock down back, base and neck labels for the 24 flavors, which came in five sizes. Thus, the team needed to get press approval for 360 items from the Three Olives brand team, which occurred on a rolling basis, enabling J.R. Cole to begin production.

The Three Olives flavored vodka launch was extremely successful. Not only has Proximo strengthened its market position in the US, but it gained significant media coverage and plaudits from consumers eager to try something new.