“We wanted our quality product to stand out in the produce section,” says Robert Meade, executive vice president of sales and operations. “People don’t associate produce with a label like this, that’s one of the reasons we did it.”
Meade feels that a unique product warrants a unique look. Ag-Mart, Plant City, FL, says it’s the only company in the world that grows this particular tomato variety.
The holographic 60# paper label is flexo-printed in five colors plus UV varnish and die-cut by Consolidated Label. The stock pressure-sensitive paper holographic substrate is supplied by Spinnaker Coating. The paper substrate is microembossed and metallized in a stock “Rainbow” pattern.
Consolidated Label collaborated with Ag-Mart on the graphics design, which also includes three kid-friendly characters: Tom, Matt, and Otto.
“We’ve received a ton of emails from parents asking about the characters for their kids along with others commenting about how they like our label and love our product,” says Meade. “As a produce company, we never would have dreamt of receiving emails from people on a positive note about the product, but by creating a holographic label and characters we’re accomplishing that. It’s starting to really catch on.”
That comes at a cost: The holo labels cost a little more than twice that of conventional paper labels, according to the supplier. Interestingly, the supplier says Ag-Mart was able to justify the pricier holo label by considering it also as a marketing expense rather than solely a labeling expense.
“We’re making a statement with the product, so we feel it’s well worth it to spend that cost upfront,” says Meade. The holo-labeled pints are available nationally for around $2.99. —RL
