Shimmering Scintilla

A gold medallist in the 2014 International Wine & Spirit Competition in London, Scintilla 2008 is celebrated for its regal character; and now this classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is available in its shining limited-edition pack, sold exclusively through Makro stores (at a retail selling price of R175) to help celebrate the coming holidays.

Further unpacking the story, the first chapter belongs to Printafoil, a company with a stellar reputation for quality and reliability, and a proven track record of designing award-winning, innovative packaging. The company’s design and sample-making staff are renowned for producing packs that shine on-shelf; and this latest offering is no exception.

Having designed this pack (painstakingly hand-crafted from cartonboard, covered with Winter & Co material), Printafoil’s Brett Sherman presented the concept to Distell where the team, not surprisingly, snapped it up for this year’s festive pack for its Scintilla brand.

‘Our major strength is that we produce the entire pack in-house,’ Brett explains.

‘From the initial design concept, through to testing all elements of the process prior to production, to final printing and converting, including hot foil stamping – we offer a complete service,’ he adds.

The end result, he insists, is a pack that meets the brand owner’s expectation for quality, showcasing a product to best effect on the retail shelf.

In this case, the print run is just 3 000, which is typical of Printafoil’s focus on the short- to medium-run market.

Challenges overcome

If there was one particular challenge, it was ensuring the precise diameter of each hand-made pack to match the diameter of the standard-stock plastic ends.

As Brett explains, savings are achieved by using a low-cost standard product such as these plastic ends. ‘However, there’s no room for error when it comes to fit, and this precision can only be achieved by highly-skilled personnel.’

These plastic ends are decorated with self-adhesive labels, beautifully printed and gold foiled by Coastal Labels. This company’s Cartes laser die-cutting system was a major contributor to the accuracy of the labels for precise placement within the ends.

Another major contributor to the project was Graphica, whose Cape Town sales manager, Pat Sinclair, was on-hand to advise the Distell team on the choice and use of the covering material from Winter & Co.

The material chosen is called Wicotex Magic; it’s a line that offers rich inspiration for marketers, designers and specifiers wishing to enhance the image of their products through a wide range of colours and finishes.

‘The supple cloth with its excellent printing and stamping qualities provides producers of luxury packaging with the ultimate creative solution,’ comments Graphica MD, Simon Grose.

And last word must go to the team at Distell.

‘When Printafoil presented us with this innovative concept, we decided to use it for our flagship Scintilla brand, which is our most expensive SKU,’ explains Robyn Schäfer. ‘Although it’s a costly pack, it’s certainly worth it for its amazing stand-out qualities,’ adds Thandeka Matsoha.

Clearly this shimmering pack won’t stay long on the shelves. With only 2 400 packs available in Makro stores in the run up to the Christmas and New Year holidays, this is bound to be a sell-out!