2006 Clear Choice Awards Winners
Consumer packaged goods manufacturers continue to choose glass for new premium product introductions and organic product positioning
Chicago, Ill., May 8, 2006—The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) named the winners of its 2006 Clear Choice Awards during the Clear Choice Awards Presentation and Reception at the McCormick Place Hyatt in Chicago on May 8, 2006. The only awards program that recognizes consumer product goods (CPG) companies that package their food, beverage, cosmetic and fragrance products in glass, the Awards Presentation recognized twelve CPG companies and their achievement in expanding the frontiers of glass packaging design and new product innovation.
"Glass says 'purity,' 'premium,' and 'sustainability,' like no other packaging material," said GPI President Joseph Cattaneo. "Consumer product goods manufacturers that choose to package their products in glass provide their customers with a personal connection that reinforces their values and lifestyles," added Cattaneo.
"And given the ongoing growth of the organic foods market and the organic product food manufacturers' preference for glass packaging, consumer product goods manufacturers are starting to view glass as the organic packaging material of choice," remarked Cattaneo.
Beer
Winning Product: Redhook Ales
Manufacturer: Redhook Ale Brewery
Glass Container Supplier: O-I
New Product Trend: Craft beers that offer flavor varieties and focus on taste
Packaging Description: RedhookAles’s redesigned amber bottles feature the Redhook logo and wheat decoration, giving the bottle a contemporary look. The split cut and stack label design and warm color palette help create an upscale craft beer image.
Press Contact: Tim McFall,VP/Marketing, Redhook Ale Brewery (503) 331-7243 ▪ tim.mcfall@craft-brands.com
Carbonated Beverages
Winning Product: Coca-Cola BlāK
Manufacturer: The Coca-Cola Company
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Carbonated beverages containing fuzed flavors and caffeine
Packaging Description: Coca-Cola BlāK is packaged in Coca-Cola’s signature glass bottle featuring full sleeve shrink labeling. The label’s graphics effectively communicate this beverage’s unique fusion of classic Coca-Cola and coffee.
Press Contact: Forthcoming
Cosmetic and Fragrance Products
Winning Product: Aramis Always for Him & for Her
Manufacturer: Estée Lauder
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Contemporary bottle shapes with his and her’s compatible fragrances
Packaging Description: The refined details of Aramis’s curved glass bottles convey fluidity, continuity and grace. When placed together,the six bottles unite to form a circle -- the eternal symbol of love.And the gently ribbed texture of the bottles’ sides reinforces the unified effect.
Press Contact: MariaCristina Gonzalez, Director Global Communications, Estée Lauder, (212) 572-7738 ▪magonzal@estee.com
Distilled Spirits
Winning Product: Shakka
Manufacturer: Reisigl Associates
Glass Container Supplier: Anchor Glass
Decorator: Quest Industries, LLC
New Product Trend: Flavored liqueurs featuring retro-inspired package design
Packaging Description: Shakka Liqueur is both a distilled spirit and a mixer to accompany or add flavor to other spirits. The bottle design is as unique as the product itself, with its tall slender “May West” style/shape. A clear flint glass bottle, acid etched with a mask to leave aclear area around the heel, is accompanied by a metallic pressure sensitive shoulder label and topped with a Stel closure that is colored to match the “lava-like” product offering within.
Press Contact: Ann Simcich,Administrative Director, Reisigl Associates, (561) 745-0344 ▪ asimcich@reisigl.com
Flavored Alcoholic Beverages
Winning Product: Peels
Manufacturer: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Glass Container Supplier: O-I
New Product Trend: Malternatives featuring all natural fruit juices that are marketed to women
Packaging Description: The short neck and bright re-sealable closures create a distinguished and modern look. The flint glass showcases the colorful product inside, which coordinates with the color scheme of the pressure-sensitive label and closure. The fun packaging reflects Peels' unique position as containing all natural fruit juice in the FABmarket.
Press Contact: LauraGarner, Manager/Communications, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (314) 577-9105 ▪laura.garner@anheuser-busch.com
Food
Winning Product: Knott’s Berry Preserves
Manufacturer: Knott’s Berry Foods and ConAgra Foods, Inc.
Glass Container Supplier: Anchor Glass
New Product Trend: Communicating “premium” through embossed glass jar designand upscale labeling
Packaging Description: This product features a square jar with a deeply indented contoured label panel, matched by the contour label.The container displays fruit shapes around the shoulder and heel debossed in glass, and it is topped off with a black lug closure with gold printing and a rendering of the Knott’s Berry Farm printed on the top.
Press Contact: Garth D. Neuffer,Senior Director, Product PR / Corporate Communications, ConAgra Foods,Inc., (402) 595-5376 garth.neuffer@conagrafoods.
Non-Carbonated Beverages
Winning Product: Bling H2O
Manufacturer: Bling Beverages, LLC
Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Containers and Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Upscale, exclusive packaging design for bottled water
Packaging Description: Bling H20 is the first ever bottled water that is decorated with genuine Swarovski crystals. The runway model-like thin, tall, frosted glass bottles give the beverage a luxurious appeal. The product successfully demonstrates etched glass, screen print and crystal application.
Press Contact: KevinBoyd, Partner, Bling Beverages, LLC,
(323) 309 - 8577 ▪ kevin@blingh20.com
Organic Beverage
Winning Product: Just Green and Just Black Teas
Manufacturer: Honest Tea, Inc.
Glass Container Supplier: O-I
New Product Trend: Unsweetened, ready to drink organic teas
Packaging Description: Asthe nation's best-selling bottled organic tea, Honest Tea launched Just Green and Just Black tea this past January at the Winter Fancy Foods Show. The cut and stack labeling on both bottles feature serene photos of raw black and green teas.
Press Contact: LeslieGillian, Publici-tea Manager, Honest Tea,
(301) 652-3557 ▪ leslie@honesttea.com
Organic Food
Winning Product: O Organics’ Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
Manufacturer: Safeway, Inc.
Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Containers
New Product Trend: Organic private label brands featuring bold colors
Packaging Description: Under its new O Organics private label, Safeway grocery stores has released over 150 USDA-certified organic food products. And in an effort to truly position the new O product line as authentically organic and pure, food and beverage products suchas salsa, pasta sauce, and maple syrup are all packaged in 100% recyclable glass bottles and jars. The cut and stack labels feature beautiful photographs of mushrooms, roasted garlic, tomatoes, chili peppers and other fresh ingredients alongside panels of warm pastel shades.
Press Contact: BrianDowling, VP / Public Affairs, Safeway, Inc. (925) 467-3000 ▪ brian.dowling@safeway.com
Overall Package Design
Winning Product: Corzo Tequila
Manufacturer: Bacardi Bottling Corporation
Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Desjonquères
New Product Trend: Blending art and science to create a modern tequila bottledesign
Packaging Description: Corzo represents an evolution of tequila. Unlike the typical approach to glass bottle design used for tequila, Bacardi desired to blend art and science to create this unique bottle design. The result: a tequila bottle design like no other.
Press Contact: Yousef Zaatar, VP/Global Packaging, Bacardi Bottling Corp.,
(904) 757-1290 ▪ yzaatar@bacardi.com
Success Story
Winning Product: Fleur-de-Lis Restoration Ale
Manufacturer: Abita Brewing Company
Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Containers
Success Story: Abita Brewing Company began crafting its "Fleur-de-lis Restoration Ale" themoment after they knew that their brewery had been miraculously spared from any major damage from Hurricane Katrina. Abita is proud to be a Louisiana-based company and feels blessed that they are still able to produce its products and keep their employees working. The company chose the Fleur-de-lis name because it is a well-recognized symbol of New Orleans,and it is also a symbol of light and life. This golden ale's label is decorated with purple and green designs -- colors historically representing justice, hope and generosity.
Press Contact: DavidBlossman, President, Abita Brewing Company, (985) 893-3143 ext. 126 ▪ david@abita.com
Wine
Winning Product: Zonté Sparkling Wine
Manufacturer: Vincor Canada
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Alternative wine packaging design that appeals to hip, youthful consumer group
Packaging Description: Zonté unique bottle design invites the curious consumer to pick up the product and find out what the product is all about. With its hybrid shape (partwine bottle, part sparking water), Zonte aims to appeal to new generation of wine consumers.
Press Contact: ScottStarra, Marketing Manager, Vincor Canada,
(905)564-3003 ext. 331 ▪ Scott.Starra@Vincor.com
Judges
Clear Choice Awards Judge Pat Reynolds, Editor and VP of Packaging World magazine, commented, “The variety of this year's submissions was impressive. I was also struck by how effectively the entries leveraged glass as a packaging format that can really differentiate a product on crowded store shelves.”
“Through this judging session, I gained a newfound appreciation for the critical importance of package design and what it brings to the success or failure of a consumer product,” said Barry Scher, VP Public Affairs, Giant Food and Ahold USA.
The 2006 ClearChoice Awards judging panel included representatives from the packaging academia, packaging design and the packaging trade media. As in past years, the entries were judged on aesthetics, creativity, marketability,and form and functionality.
- Laura Bix, Assistant Professor of Packaging, Michigan State University
- Andrew Kaplan, Managing Editor, Beverage World magazine
- Lynn Mueller, Creative Director, LAGA (packaging design firm)
- Pat Reynolds, Editor/VP, Packaging World magazine
- Barry Scher, VP Public Affairs, Giant Food/Ahold USA
All 2006 Clear Choice Award winners received an engraved SteubenGlass award, industry recognition and brand building media coverage.
See the latest winners of the Clear Choice Awards
