2007 Clear Choice Awards Winners
Consumer packaged goods manufacturers continue to choose glass for new premium product introductions and organic product positioning
Chicago, Ill., May 7, 2007 — The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) named the winners of its 2007 Clear Choice Awards during a Presentation and Reception at the McCormick Place Convention Complex in Chicago on May 7, 2007. This year’s Awards recognized eleven consumer product goods (CPG) companies and their achievements in expanding the frontiers of glass packaging design as well as honored Ted Turner’s Ted’s Montana Grill restaurants with GPI’s Recognition for Outstanding Sustainable Practices.
“Through designing and using glass packaging for your brand, you are leading the way in providing your customers with what they really want—a ‘pure,’ ‘premium’ and ‘sustainable’ product,” says GPI President Joseph Cattaneo. “Choosing glass for a food, beverage, or cosmetic product is an environmentally and socially responsible decision that allows for a package design that creates superior shelf impact and brand loyalty.”
Beer
Winning Product: Michelob Celebrate & Michelob AmberBock
Manufacturer: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Glass Container Supplier: Michelob Celebrate (Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.); Michelob Amber Bock (Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc. & Owens Illinois, Inc. - O-I)
New Product Trend: Breweries offering specialty and craft-style beers that showcase flavor varieties and quality taste
Packaging Description: Michelob AmberBock is now served in a pub-style, contemporary glass bottle, which communicates the upscale, rich qualities of the product within. Intended for sharing, Michelob Celebrate is packaged in elegant, 24 oz. custom glass bottles featuring refined pressure sensitive labeling.
Press Contact: Anthony Paraino, Manager, A-B Communications
(314) 577 - 3453 • Anthony.Paraino@Anheuser-Busch.com
Wine
Winning Product: Sonoma Vineyards Chardonnay and Merlot
Manufacturer: Klein Family
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Wine packaging that appeals to the 25-35 year old new group of wine consumers
Packaging Description: The glass bottles are as elegant as the wines themselves, yet approachable and easy to enjoy with their twist-off closures. The package labels depict three distinct countryside scenes of Sonoma County per SKU. Press Contact: Robert Larsen, PR Director, Spin Master, Sonoma Vineyards
Press Contact: Robert Larsen, PR Director, Rodney Strong
(707) 433 - 0998 • robertl@svwines.com
Food
Winning Product: La Famiglia DelGrosso Pasta Sauce
Manufacturer: DelGrosso Foods Inc.
Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.
New Product Trend: Creating brand messages of quality through a combination of artful labeling and glass packaging
Packaging Description: La Famiglia DelGrosso represents a new standard in packaging for ultra-premium pasta sauces. The glass packaging exudes shelf impact, boasting a metallic substrate label with embossment on the lettering and photo frame corners. The closure is elegantly designed and the product tag is artfully filled with history, product information and a letter to the consumer.
Press Contact: Michael DelGrosso, Director of Sales and Marketing, DelGrosso
(707) 433 - 0998 • MichaelD@DelGrossoFoods.com
Carbonated Beverages
Winning Product: Hank’s Gourmet Beverages
Manufacturer: Hank’s Beverage Company
Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.
New Product Trend: Carbonated beverages that offer craft quality and elegant packaging
Packaging Description: Hank’s customers recognize the care it puts into making Hank’s beverages, from the distinctive upscale glass packaging, to the metallic embossed labeling, to the unparalleled flavors.
Press Contact: Bill Dunman, General Manager, Hank’s Beverage Company
((800) 289 - 4722 • Bill@HanksBeverages.com
Non-Carbonated Beverages
Winning Product: Mountain Valley Spring Water
Manufacturer: Mountain Valley Spring Company
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Retro package designs with a modern twist
Packaging Description: Mountain Valley wanted to stand out with a glass package that provides a hint of its 100 plus years of existence, while also catapulting the product into the 21st century. Mountain Valley Spring Water is packaged in distinctive green glass bottles that feature a Vitrocure™ screen decoration process and boast a red oval label.
Press Contact: Jim Karrh, Chief Marketing Officer, Mountain Valley Spring Co.
(501) 624 - 1635 • JKarrh@MountainValleySpring.com
Distilled Spirits
Winning Product: Crown Royal XR
Manufacturer: DIAGEO
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Packaging that communicates ultra-exclusivity for super-premium liquors
Packaging Description: The Crown Royal XR bottle was created using the highest quality, cosmetic grade glass, fire-polished for a crystaline finish and features a diamond-inspired glass decanter-style closure. The golden metal paint label is heat cured to the glass using a process called applied ceramic lithography. Each bottle comes nestled in its own stylish suede burgundy bag and is protected by an elegantly embossed box with gold satin lining.
Press Contact: Dan Sanborn, Public Relations, DIAGEO
(646) 223 - 2188 • Dan.Sanborn@diageo.com
Flavored Alcoholic Beverages
Winning Product: Captain Morgan Parrot Bay
Manufacturer: DIAGEO
Glass Container Supplier: Owens-Illinois, Inc. (O-I)
New Product Trend: Vibrant-colored malternatives branded through innovative embossing and decoration techniques
Packaging Description: The design of Captain Morgan Parrot Bay packaging builds brand awareness of Captain Morgan and the Parrot Bay sub-brand. A stepped-shoulder bottle design was created to resemble the appearance of the Parrot Bay Rum product, and embossing was used to emphasize the brand. The product also features a reverse printed back label that is clearly exposed after consuming the bright liquid.
Press Contact: Greg Leonard, Public Relations, DIAGEO
(646) 223-2111 • Greg.Leonard@diageo.com
Organic Food
Winning Product: Bertolli Organic Pasta Sauce
Manufacturer: Unilever
Glass Container Supplier: Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.
New Product Trend: Organic brands leveraging glass packaging to create an upscale, premium appeal
Packaging Description: Bertolli chose an upgraded glass package to showcase the product’s premium image and to differentiate it in the highly competitive pasta sauce category. Thus, the silhouette of a Bertolli Olive Oil bottle was used as inspiration for creating a new pasta sauce jar. The result was the development of an "iconic" shape to drive brand recognition across multiple categories.
Press Contact: (201) 894 - 7760 • MediaRelations.usa@unilever.com
Organic Beverage
Winning Product: Frützzo Organic Pomegranate Juice
Manufacturer: Frützzo, LLC
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Organic beverages using custom package designs and intricate labeling to create brand recognition
Packaging Description: Frutzzo Organic Pomegranate juices are packaged in 12 oz. contoured glass bottles decorated with fresh, Spring-colored applied ceramic labeling and feature the Frutzzo name and logo embossed on the bottle.
Press Contact: Sarah Ishmail, Public Relations, Frützzo, LLC
(888) 378 - 8996 or (612) 423 - 5831 • Sarah@Frutzzo.com
Cosmetic and Fragrance Products
Winning Product: OS Signature
Manufacturer: Procter & Gamble
Glass Container Supplier: Vitro Packaging
New Product Trend: Contemporary bottle shapes for brand extensions targeted towards a younger demographic
Packaging Description: OS Signature is targeted to a younger male market that may still have fond memories of the classic Old Spice scent worn by dad. This modern and masculine glass package is decorated with red applied ceramic labeling, that when set against the blue hue of the cologne creates a red, white and blue palate—classically American just like the product itself.
Press Contact: Jay Gooch, External Relations Manager, Procter & Gamble
(513) 626 - 4425 • Gooch.jw@pg.com
Overall Package Design
Winning Product: Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey
Manufacturer: Brown-Forman
Glass Container Supplier: Owens-Illinois, Inc. (O-I)
New Product Trend: Communicating quality and heritage through artful package designs
Packaging Description: Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey’s new glass bottle design features a curved shoulder and embossed decoration. The packaging also provides a showcase for the newly designed label highlighting Gentleman Jack’s unique characteristic of being the only double charcoal-mellowed whiskey in the world. The Jack Daniel’s embossed signature reminds consumers of the strength of the company’s history, while the sloped shoulder design communicates the smoothness of the whiskey.
Press Contact: Elizabeth Conway, Public Relations, Brown-Forman
(502) 774 - 7737 • Elizabeth_Conway@B-F.com
Recognition for Outstanding Sustainable Practices
Winning Company: Ted’s Montana Grill restaurants
Story: Ted’s Montanta Grill restaurants, founded by Ted Turner and his business partner, George McKerrow, are dedicated to serving quality meals in a sustainable manner. That’s why Ted’s made the decision to serve everything from soft drinks to adult beverages to condiments in recyclable glass containers. Ted’s agrees that glass is a positive decision for sustainability driven companies and using the material is one element in creating an environmentally-friendly restaurant enterprise.
Press Contact: Claudia D’Avanzo, Public Relations, Creative Communications, Inc.
(404) 898 - 0423 • DAvanzo@CreativeCommInc.com
Clear Choice Awards Judge Ron Romanik, Editor-in-Chief of Package Design magazine, commented, “I was very impressed with both the design and execution of the entries for the 2007 Clear Choice Awards. Many of the entries had a great combination of a striking shape, a strong presentation, and an enticing label. One of the strengths of glass packaging is how it can convey strength and confidence in a brand or product, and there were many examples that were successful in that way among this year's entries.”
“From a package design perspective, glass has always been one of my favorite materials to work with because of its flexibility and premium image. It was a pleasure to see this year’s entrants and how much thought went into each design,” said Dan Matauch, Principle and Creative Director of Flow-Design, Inc., a Detroit-based packaging design firm.
The 2007 Clear Choice Awards judging panel included representatives from the packaging academia, packaging design and the packaging trade media:
- Sarah Theodore, Editor, Beverage Industry magazine
- Ron Romanik, Editor-In-Chief, Package Design magazine
- Deanna Jacobs, Packaging Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Doug Palmer, VP, Consumer Brands, Safeway
- Dan Matauch, Principle/Creative Director, Flow-Design, Inc.
The entries were judged on aesthetics, creativity, marketability, and form and functionality.
All 2007 Clear Choice Award winners received an engraved, one-of-a-kind Clear Choice Award created by internationally-renowned, Smithsonian-exhibited glass artist, Tim Tate. Winners also received industry recognition and brand building media coverage.
The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is the trade association representing the North American glass container industry. Through GPI, glass container manufacturers speak with one voice to advocate industry standards, promote sound environmental policies and educate packaging professionals.
See the latest winners of the Clear Choice Awards
