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Sheep Print introduces NPD solution
One of the leading UK suppliers of labelling solutions for plastic containers, Sheep Print is targeting new product development managers with a low run in-mould labelling solution.
Thanks to new production developments Sheep Print can now do runs from as little as 10,000 labelled pots and matching lids, allowing food companies to professionally present their new products without needing to resort to self-adhesive labels.
IML provides a high quality, more professional appearance than a conventional sticky product label, but minimum label production numbers have previously often ruled them out for use on new food trials due to initial lower production runs.
The move by Sheep Print to offer lower IML production quantities should prove of particular benefit to new product development managers who are often under pressure to test the market with initial product launches, to determine whether there is a demand to justify full scale production.
Traditionally, the minimum number of IML labels that could be produced was 50,000 which meant that many companies were unable to justify the cost on low batch product numbers. However, this has also changed with the intervention of Sheep Print which is trying to pioneer a move towards companies always using IML.
Unlike many other suppliers, Sheep Print also offers quick project turnaround times, this is typically four to five weeks after the artwork has been signed off, which provides food personnel and new product managers with far greater flexibility. The company also offers a fast turnaround design service, providing samples of the whole range - for visual reference, advice on colour schemes for particular products and grant easy access to the technical information. This provides for an easier and faster decision making process.
Sheep Print, a BRC accredited supplier, is no stranger to the food industry and its extensive range of tamper-proof IML printed plastic containers are already used for a wide variety of food products including ready meals, snacks, soups, yoghurts, breakfast cereals, desserts, ice cream and many other foods.
IML plastic pots offer a number of advantages over conventional sticky labelled pots. These include a more professional finish, matching lids and containers, a security lock and are leak and tamper proof. IML eliminates the need for label application, thus reducing machine or labour costs. IML pots are also stronger than thermoformed pots and can be filled at much higher temperatures. The company hopes that the short batch runs will appeal to not just large food producers looking to do food trials, but also SMEs keen to present the feel of a more established on-shelf appearance.
Milda Laurikiete, Sheep Print’s Head of UK Operations, says, “We decided to introduce innovative new technology which has enable us to cut the production quantity from 50,000 to 10,000 IML labels to enable us to target the new product development market. This solution is ideal for product launches and trials and although the costs per label are a little bit higher on a 10,000 run we think the cost is justified because of the much greater professionalism the labels provide.”
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Raspberry Sorbetto is Great Taste Champion
Raspberry Sorbetto made by Snowflake Luxury Gelato, has been declared the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2014.
Out of ten thousand products entered into Great Taste 2014, the Raspberry Sorbetto took the highest accolade at the Great Taste Golden Forks Dinner, where over three hundred guests from the world of fine food gathered to hear the result which catapults Snowflake Luxury Gelato into the culinary spotlight.
John Farrand, MD of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of Great Taste, says, “This year’s Great Taste, our twentieth year of the competition, was the biggest with more entries than ever before. As always, our judges had the task of finding the most exquisite food by blind tasting and conferring over each individual entry. We know that the Great Taste logo is an established and trusted mark - for producers it reflects their hard work and commitment to making superb tasting food and drink, and for consumers it is a recognisable, simple and clear logo that confirms they are buying the most outstanding products on the shelf."
Snowflake’s Raspberry Sorbetto has been blind-tasted and judged as one of the Top 50 Foods by a host of expert food judges, including the Head of Food at Harrods, sponsors of the Great Taste Supreme Champion award, and many other buyers from the most prestigious food stores in London and throughout the UK.
The Raspberry Sorbetto, which is fat-free, dairy-free, gluten free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans, was described by Karen Barnes, one of the Great Taste judges, as having “the flavour of the fruit, the leaf, the entire bush” and another judge as “like a walk through a pick-your-own field” and yet another judge exclaimed the Sorbetto as “giving a raspberry rush to the head”.
Made by hand using artisan skills, Snowflake Luxury Gelato’s Gelataio (gelato chef) makes Sorbetto and Gelato each day and uses seasonal fruits to make recipes including the Raspberry Sorbetto. With three London ‘gelato boutiques’, one in Westbourne Grove, Bayswater, one in Wardour Street, Soho and a concession at Harvey Nichols, Snowflake Luxury Gelato is an example of traditional Italian artisan skill combined with a chic, innovative and contemporary approach to speciality food.
