PETRIKOV RAISES A GLASS TO ITS
SELF-ADHESIVE LABELS

Labels on Fasson-brand self-adhesive stock have helped new vodka-based flavoured alcoholic beverages – Petrikov Red and Blue – to establish high retail sales for their Dutch distillers, Toorank – so much so that the company is now looking to open up strategic export markets. Printed by Kolibri Etikettenfabriek on Fasson-brand self-adhesive labelstock from Avery Dennison Roll Materials Europe, the labels also won an award in the 2004 International Labelling Competition organised by the self-adhesive labelling industry association, FINAT.

The Petrikov labels – each set consisting of a front, back, and neck label -- provide an eye-catching identity for the drinks – and were the result of extensive collaboration between Toorank, Kolibri, and Dutch design group Bens! The final results ‘colour match’ the print on the primary product labels to the bottles’ liquid content – blue or red – within the context of a shield-shaped design which evokes the traditional look of vodka bottles.

Printed on Fasson High Gloss White Premium self-adhesive paper labelstock with S2000N permanent adhesive, the labels took the marketing/end use award for alcoholic beverage labelling in the 2004 FINAT International Labelling Competition. The judges praised the bright, bold colours and interesting shape – and declared the labels in technical terms a good example of combination print – employing rotary letterpress, UV screen, flexo, and hot foil stamping. Kolibri Etikettenfabriek printed them in seven colours plus varnish on an ILMA 340 press using Scipa Aarberg inks – including two specialties – luminescent and thermochromic.

The back label on the bottles employed the thermochromic inks to create a clever functional feature – a temperature indicator ‘thermometer’ bearing printed messages, one of which – ‘OK! I’m cool! Drink me now!’ only becomes visible when the bottle contents are chilled to the ideal Petrikov drinking temperature of 7-8 degrees C.

Toorank’s brief to the designers and Kolibri was challenging – as Toorank’s Marketing Manager, Norine Geurts explains: ‘To compete effectively on supermarket shelves and stand out among other drinks, the red and blue bottles – already strikingly vivid – needed equally striking labels that would bring the Petrikov brand name to the fore. From the very beginning Petrikov Red and Blue have been an outstanding success in The Netherlands, our initial market. We know for sure that much of this success is due to the label set produced by Kolibri.’

Says Paul Holland, Marketing and Sales Director of Kolibri: ‘Toorank’s request for outstandingly different labels could only be met by a premium self-adhesive substrate, the creative use of inks, and high print quality. For label sets that require multi-process print and ambitious diecutting, combined with the need to apply each label set on automatic dispensing lines accurately and in just one pass, we believe only self-adhesive labelling could do the job, and chose a top-quality Fasson stock to guarantee success.’

The end result proves the truth of this belief – as Toorank prepare to launch the product in Spain, Belgium, UK, Poland, ‘and even perhaps the USA’, says Norine Geurts. She adds: ‘We are also investigating the feasibility of adding two new mixes to the Petrikov range. We haven’t decided yet on colours or flavours, but one thing is sure: their labels will match the existing ones, and they will be produced by Kolibri.’

Self-adhesive labels are a popular choice today for all kinds of flavoured alcoholic beverages, but also for spirits and liqueurs, premium beers, and even wines because of the flexibility offered in terms of design, choice of facestock, and ease of application. The Fasson-brand portfolio offers an broad choice of labelstocks for beverage labelling: films – including transparent films for the ‘no label’ look; antique laid and metallised papers; and laminated foils.

For further information contact your local Fasson sales representative or visit the website at www.europe.fa