Global Package is a new generation of a bundled glass design and materials sourcing company which offers distinctive packaging with an eye for quality and serious attention to service to satisfy the needs of the wine and spirits producers in North America.
New economies require new sourcing that is both quality image based but also price conscious and the founder, Erica Harrop, makes sure that the products represented fit both criteria.The best packaging partners are the companies who know the needs of their clients and can deliver. That is the mission and direction of Global Package.
How a product arrives should not be disregarded, it is part of your brand identity. The first impression of quality and care begins with the outside, the box. Global Package works with local box makers with the most sophisticated manufacturing capabilities to offer packaging solutions.
Some of the printing capabilities are the following:
Known worldwide for over 10 years, Etiq’Etains manufactures 3D pewter self-adhesive labels.
The easy application of these labels onto any surface (glass, ceramics, wood, cardboard, etc.) for a wide range of products in the following industries:
Supple and easily applied as either single pieces or supplied on reel, both with self-adhesive backing.
Delage has been a leading closure supplier for customized bar top corks in the spirits and wine industries. Ask for further information.
Other stoppers are produced at the glass factories to accommodate the unique variety of glass from around the world.
A selection of closures is represented here.
• Convenient Wine
• The Post-Recession Consumer
• Americans Heart Wine
• Your Brain on Wine
• News ‘n Notes
C-Store Strategy
A February 2009 piece in Wine & Spirits Daily (http://bit.ly/2imp4r) reported that convenience stores (c-stores) are eyeing wine sales to boost profits, with domestic white wine showing the most impressive growth. Now, positioning itself as a c-store as well as a drugstore, Walgreens recently announced it will start selling wine in most of its 7,000 stores nationwide. According to an October 2009 article in Convenience Store News, in an effort to make the shopping experience more ‘convenient’ for shoppers, Walgreens is remodeling 400 of stores and plans to focus more on private-label goods and groceries in certain neighborhoods. The national rollout is slated to occur over the next 12 to 18 months. Click here for the article.
Price Equals Pleasure
I loved this study by researches at the California Institute of Technology and Stanford’s business school, which proved that the pleasure of a wine is linked directly to its price. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), the researchers found that there’s more activity in the pleasure center of the brain when subjects in the study drank wine they thought cost $90 a bottle than when they drank the same wine priced at $10 a bottle. In other words, people’s perception of a wine is influenced more by price than by its intrinsic quality. So before you lower the price of that wine in storage, you might want to think again. The study suggests that “manipulating nonintrinsic attributes of goods” can affect experienced pleasantness. And, yes, that’s what packaging is all about. For the synopsis of the study, click here.
Millennial Packaging
While U.S. consumers may be feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks, they still like their wine. According to the Beverage Information Group’s (BIG) recently released 2009 Handbook, wine consumption continues to trend upward, with an increase of 0.9 percent in 2008. Although more frugal in their wine selection, consumers are choosing domestics over foreign brands, primarily due to the weak dollar. Of course, the continuing media coverage of the health benefits of wine don’t hurt. Also of interest, the report suggests that the 70 million Millennials (age 21 to 30) in the U.S. are a respectable contributing factor to wine’s growth. Targeting this market segment with packaging that isn’t granddad’s packaging would be smart, since these folks like to experiment and are drawn to unique packaging. Global Packaging has a broad array of decorative options, including silk-screening like we do for our spirits clients. Don’t forget, too, that our Elegant Light line of light- weight bottles are distinctive in their own right. Call us if you’d like to see samples. Click here for the Reuter’s summary of the BIG’s findings.
Changed Behavior
The most recent Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index finds that many consumers around the world will return to their free-spending patterns, whereas many Americans say they will “find it hard to shake recessionary spending habits.” Interestingly, the Chinese (and Russians) are most confident the recession is ending and are eager to start spending again, especially luxury goods. [Sidenote: A friend who hosts Chinese students in San Francisco said her student just purchased a brand new Bentley and Land Rover to ship to his family back in China.] China and Russia are expected to be the fastest growing markets for still light grape wine in absolute volume terms over the next five years, according to the Euromonitor International 2008 industry review (http://bit.ly/GLzeE), so the future looks bright for wine brands with those distribution channels. On the home front, more than 40 percent of Americans say they expect “to increase their spending on travel and holidays, dining out and out-of-home entertainment in the coming months,” which should be welcome news for all of us. http://bit.ly/2KF9gI
News ‘n Notes
Jeff Quackenbush in last month’s North Bay Business Journal notes the reverse trend toward lighter-weight wine bottles and more conservative designs in these harsh economic times, with “packaging to be designed to look more serious, sophisticated and of higher value.” What a perfect pitch for Global Packaging! http://bit.ly/3kFUv2 … We’re all for the alliance between Crushpad, Twitter, and Room to Read; they’re calling it social winemaking, and according to Crushpad’s prez Michael Brill, “it’ll expose winemaking to many thousands of people (not just 5 or 10) who could not ordinarily afford it or be involved in it.” … Harvest has wound down and although we are nervous about the grapes that didn’t come in this year (a reflection of our economic times) there is hope that quality wines prevail. The rains didn’t totally dampen our character and I expect that we have seen the worst of times in our rear view mirrors. Wineries have made necessary adjustments to cut out unnecessary costs through 2009 and smart suppliers were already laying new ground for products to fit their customers’ needs. What has your supplier done for you lately? Find out what new product lines we have at Global Package and know you will be taken care of.
Friends, we are sending this newsletter to you because we know you are interested in news, trends, and best practices in packaging for the wine and spirits industry. Please feel free to pass it along to colleagues.
Enjoy!
-Erica
• Classy Glass
• Consumer Appeal
• On the Cheap
• No Time Like the Present
• News ‘n Notes
High-end, Low-cost
Around this time last year Michael Othites, senior vice president of operations for Constellation Wines U.S., was extolling the virtues of heavy glass, saying that “consumers of expensive, high-end wines tend to prefer heavier bottles, which convey a sense of quality.” Click here for the article. What a difference a year makes. While top-of-the-line wines will likely still use heavier glass now and in the foreseeable future, environmental and cost factors have led to unprecedented growth in lighter weight bottles. To address demand, we at Global Package recently created our own proprietary line of bottles — Elegant Light — which combines the cost-efficiencies and ‘green’ considerations of lighter glass with the distinctive shapes and colors of ultra-premium Burgundy and Bordeaux styles. They’re in stock now and readily available. If you’d like to see samples, just send us an email info@globalpackage.net or give us a call at 707-224-5670.
Bottle Basics
ShelfImpact.com cited a recent survey conducted by Newton Marketing Research in conjunction with the University of Oklahoma that found that “wine drinkers of all ages and regions of the U.S. believe glass bottles are the healthiest way to package wine (98.1%) and keep the taste of wine pure (79.8%)… Consumers believe glass is the most appealing packaging material for wine in appearance (97.8%), does the best job of keeping the product fresh (94.1%) and keeping the original flavor of the product (95.3%). They also believe glass is the best material for packaging organic wine (95.4%). . . Of nearly 75% of American wine drinkers expressing an opinion, (72.3%) believe glass is the best packaging material for recycling, compared with bag-in-box containers (4.8%).” Pretty impressive testimonial for glass. Click here for the study: http://bit.ly/sDc7S
Cheap Drunks
I found this interesting study on a recent post on “Well,” the blog by New York Times’ Tara Parker-Pope. She cites a new study by researchers from the University of Florida and San Diego State University that found that the higher the cost of a drink, the “less intoxicated bar patrons (mostly college students) were upon leaving the establishment.” Evidently, there’s a strong correlation between the cost of a drink and amount consumed: “For every $1.40 hike in drink price, the bar goer was 30 percent less likely to leave the bar legally drunk.” Unsurprisingly, they also found that college students are more sensitive to price reductions than older drinkers, who typically have more disposable income. Yet another argument for higher-end quality wines. I always believe drink well and drink less now it seems we will be safer, too! Click here for the full story: http://bit.ly/4AXb7I
Planning Ahead
Studies have shown that between 70 to 80 percent of wine packaging costs are determined during the design stage. Six Cost Saving tips your packaging suppliers don’t want you to know.” South African Wine Journal. Given today’s fluctuations in supply and demand, it’s imperative to decide as early as possible on your wine’s packaging. Know what retail price point you want to hit and then look for packaging that suits that range. When deciding on the right bottle, many factors need to be considered: price-value equation, aesthetic appeal, style of wine, fill level, bottle diameter (in terms of equipment compatibility), capsule size, bottling line restrictions, closure requirements, among many others. The glass industry is evolving and sectoring itself for “best selection” solutions. European glass, although affected greatly by the exchange rate, still offers the most specialized solutions. However, the new era of mid-sized off- shore factories with creative design agents are making huge inroads. If you’re unsure how your particular circumstances affect bottle choice, give me a call. I’ll be happy to help. If you’d like a quick tutorial on bottle selection, go to this piece I wrote for Bin to Bottle. Click on Newsletters, 30 June 2009, Bin to Bottle Newsletter, Issue 3: June ‘09 to download the PDF. For more good information on bottle selection, here’s another article: “Six Cost Saving tips your packaging suppliers don’t want you to know” — by Mike Carter in October 31, 2006 Wine, South Africa’s wine journal. Click here: http://bit.ly/1aPXT9
News ‘n Notes
Glass factories are difficult to run in the best of times and that is proved by the news of Cameron Family Glass Packaging’s much anticipated manufacturing plant in Washington being closed down due to a furnace fire and a string of resulting legal claims. (http://bit.ly/44crpH) …Here’s a pretty good resource for those who are new to bottle selection. It provides pictures and descriptions of traditional and non-traditional bottles: (http://bit.ly/1iRPjM) …Wines & Vines lists these wine bloggers as trade favorites: E. Asimov, J. Robinson, S. Tanzer, E. Orange, T. Colman, G. Vaynerchuk, and A. Yarrow. Wine trade members also ranked Facebook and LinkedIn as significantly more important for communication than Twitter, MySpace and YouTube… (http://bit.ly/Cq1Mb) …Wine Bottle Recycling LLC in Stockton, CA, has picked up where other attempts failed in recycling wine bottles. According to founder Bruce Stephens, the 92,000-square-foot facility will use facial recognition software to sort the bottles and automated de-labeling system. Stay tuned (http://bit.ly/zBTTX).
Exhibiting at WSWA in April, 2009, Orlando, Florida.
Global Package LLC is exhibiting at Unified Wine & Grape Symposium on January 28 & 29. Visit us at stand 2302 (upstairs) to see a new generation of our products, materials and design.
Exhibiting at Fancy Food Show, Booth 303, January 18-20 2009 in San Francisco.
Bin to Bottle the premier custom crush winery in Napa Valley has engaged Erica Harrop of Global Package as its strategic sales representative. Harrop’s background as a UC Davis trained winemaker with 20 years of wine industry experience will be invaluable to Bin to Bottle achieving its growth goals. Bin to Bottle’s partners recognize both the quality and breadth of Harrop’s industry relationships and believe in the symbiotic relationship between Bin to Bottle and Global Package.
Harrop states, “The staff at Bin to bottle is an impressive group led by winemaker Marco DiGiulio, who knows how to work with a client-minded focus. I am pleased to be working with Bin to Bottle to attain the growth goals they have established.” Harrop looks forward to once again, getting involved in the production side of the business. The company plans to grow in both size and services offered for the third year in a row. Bin to Bottle’s uncompromising pursuit of quality will be reflected not only in new production investments and new client-care initiatives but also in an exclusive alliance that will assist its clients to increase wine sales.
Bin to Bottle is the premier custom crush winery in Napa Valley with both large and small wine brands. Bin to Bottle was built to provide a level of service to the custom crush business previously unavailable. Global Package will continue to be led and operated separately by Harrop, supplying high-end bottles and packaging materials to the wine and spirits industries. For further information contact Erica Harrop at Eharrop@bintobottle.com or 707-224-5670.
Download related article (PDF, 84KB)
Getting glass bottles into the hands of winemakers continues to be a challenge in 2008. Some believe the process has improved since last year, when demand outstripped supply, while others primarily exasperated smaller wineries maintain that little has changed.
In 2007, manufacturers, distributors and wineries weighed in with WBM on the reasons why securing wine bottles had become so difficult (see “The Changing Glass Market,” August 2007). Many felt the growing demand for bottles, coupled with their decreased capacity, was due to a confluence of consolidation within the glass industry, fast-rising fuel and energy costs and the fact that more wineries exist now than ever before.
This year we’ll hear once again from wineries, distributors and manufacturers about capacity and lead time issues, newer markets from which to source, the current cost of glass and what the wine industry can look forward to, at least in the immediate future, related to glass supply.
“2007 was a very bad year for winery bottle purchasing; 2008 has been much better,” said Erica Harrop, president of Global Package LLC, a distributor of high-end bottles. She indicated this shift was due to wineries being better organized, consolidation in the industry and greater availability of glass through new world markets.
“There is a real evolution happening in the glass industry. It’s really starting to take shape,” said Harrop. While there is still a shortage of capacity, she feels that things are firming up as everyone changes their philosophy and finds their market. “I think in the future, there will always be a few major players, but we will see less prejudice against offshore products,” she said.
Harrop of Global Package also feels that the purchasing of wine bottles will continue to move away from just satisfying a need and move toward creative packaging. “In 12 months the glass shortage will be less of a conversation,” she said. “People will be saying: ‘I’m no longer worried about getting my bottles but how can I differentiate?’”
For the full story go to www.winebusiness.com/ReferenceLibrary/webarticle.cfm?dataId=59209
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