Rock LaManna10.10.23
www.columbialabel.com
www.columbialabel.com
Columbia Label in Benton City, WA, is a premium wine label producer and calls itself “The Best Digital Wine Label Printer in the USA.” Their noteworthy differentiator is their expertise and vast offerings in wine label embellishments. The company is known throughout the label industry for developing dazzling effects using ground-breaking materials, processes, laminations, layers, and combinations.
Outside sales manager Ashley Young says her conversations with customers and prospects focus on helping them with their label strategy to achieve a premium-looking label that fits their budget and brand.
“When you visit a store and look at the wine shelves or visit a winery, the labels produced by Columbia Label will jump out at you. I’m not exaggerating.”
Young says a great label can make all the difference in a customer picking up the bottle and wondering, “Wow, what’s this?”
“Once they have it in their hands, they can feel the difference in our labels with embossing, foil combinations, matte and gloss accents, clear inks, metallic inks, and so on,” explains Young. “You’ve probably purchased something yourself just because the packaging was so great. That’s what our customers expect, and it’s what we deliver.”
That goes for custom projects, as well. “Sometimes a winery will have 150 bottles of a special vintage that deserves its own label,” Young says. “We can come up with the right solution to fit their needs and give them that wow factor.”
Young also says embellishments are huge in the beverage industry right now. “Our customers are producing wine, beer, craft beer, spirits, sake, cider, specialty fruit drinks, health beverages, and more. They know a premium label helps sell the product, and they want to get it right.”
Processes can include the application of silver ElectroInks, as well as using multiple foils, high-build varnish, emboss or deboss, layered effects, and combining materials and techniques for startling results such as glow-in-the-dark.
Learning all the company’s capabilities is something Young has enjoyed. She has been with the company since 2019.
“I came on during a period of extreme growth, which had steadily built since the business was launched. And then 2020 hit. We’ve been able to stay strong through it all. That speaks to the quality of our approach, which is consultative and hands-on. I’m on the road, visiting, listening to what’s new and what’s needed, and having face-to-face meetings around the region. The best part is getting our samples into the hands of marketers and business owners so they can see the tangible difference an embellished label can make.”
The Columbia Label team attends events, conferences, trade shows, beverage and food shows, and national marketing opportunities. The sales and operation teams have relationships with people throughout the region who know Columbia Label’s reputation for quality. Even when other providers are involved in the marketing and branding of a beverage brand, Columbia Label stands out as a resource and partner.
Columbia Label’s other business arm, Ripped Sheets, was started in Seattle in the late 1990s by Stephen (Steve) J. Hall, Jr.
Hall and his wife, Leslie Ritter, launched the company in their apartment, printing and converting flat sheet labels, stickers, and diecut materials. They designed templates for items such as hang tags, parking tags, self-laminating badges, and security items. They also developed custom-shaped products based on customer requests, such as printable sheets for secure events and concert wristbands that can’t be shared or removed by attendees without destroying the band. Over the years, Ripped Sheets developed several unique digital products.
Hall is known as a digital printing pioneer in the label industry in the Pacific Northwest. He experimented with substrates, liners, specialty adhesives, release characteristics, and scuff-weather resistance so his products could be reliably produced on HP Indigo presses.
The company moved to Benton City in 2009, and Columbia Label was founded a few years later. Ripped Sheets has evolved into a primarily online business and ships to customers around the world.
These days, Hall has retired from the day-to-day operations at the plant. The women-led management and operations team includes part-owner Katii Deaton (general manager, director and partner); Lupe Anguiano (production manager); and Ashley Young (outside sales manager). The company also employs women operators trained in manufacturing and mentored by Deaton.
Young says their in-house prepress department – as well as the independent designers and agencies they refer work to – love experimenting with fun materials, including fluorescent vellum and a glossy, moisture-resistant material called BOPP.
“We’ve had customers take our design and focus their entire brand around something we developed,” observes Young. “That’s how hand-in-hand we are with our customers.”
Hall’s creativity and the team’s technical expertise helped the Columbia Label side of the business grow as a full-service label provider with deep digital abilities.
“Columbia Label has been able to scale, add equipment, and serve growing markets that need to test materials and ideas while still achieving a high-quality product,” says Young. “As we know, not every provider can handle that side of things well. Others may do super long runs well but sacrifice on short runs. Some are great at printing but fall short on the converting side. Others may excel at roll-to-roll but offer no cut-sheet options. Some specialize in traditional litho stocks but shy away from estate or felt substrates favored by the wine industry. Columbia Label does it all and brings our customers flexibility in every aspect.”
Young says a high-quality appearance is key in label-making. “Northwest brands are known for their creative designs, interesting use of color, and dazzling packaging. Our customers want an attractive, eye-catching label with high resolution and all the bling – while being able to test a concept or design, manage SKU variability, or fulfill a custom project with variable elements.”
That’s not to say the company doesn’t serve the long-run market. It does. “We work with many large companies that have ongoing or regular seasonal orders,” says Young, “So our presses are always running. Digital production allows us to produce the job in the best and fastest way. Workflow, accuracy, and quality are built into how we operate.”
What about serving other sectors? “We do a lot of work in cannabis, health and beauty, all of which require a consistent product appearance, proper labeling, tight tolerances, and regulatory requirements we need to meet,” says Young. “We also have pharmaceutical and industrial printing clients who choose us for our extreme accuracy, registration, and quality.”
However, the food and beverage industry is a significant part of Columbia Label’s business because of the location.
“Our production plant is deep in the heart of wine country, in a rich agricultural region. We have some of the finest grape varieties in the world, right here in Eastern Washington,” says Young. “We’re at the foothill of Red Mountain. The first American Viticultural Area (AVA) in our state was started 40 years ago, right here in the Yakima Valley. The Northwest has the best apples, pears, and cherries, as well as a variety of nuts and other items that go into specialty food and drinks.
“With our ideal growing conditions, the estates, growers, producers, bottlers, distributors, and retailers are very collaborative here, very down-to-earth people. We all talk to each other about who is reliable and who is doing innovative things. We can go over the mountains or visit a remote winery – and the people have heard of Columbia Label. We are known.”
The company has 43 employees in a plant that keeps growing. “I don’t even know how big the plant is right now,” laughs Young. “One of the benefits of being in Benton City is having room to grow. We recently added more office space and a break room. And we expanded our warehouse and staging area for materials. That allows us to turn jobs around quickly and control the flow of the product into the production area.”
To meet growing demand, Young says Columbia Label has the most advanced digital wine label printing facility on the West Coast and recently invested an additional $2 million in advanced printing and finishing, including three HP Indigo digital wine label presses and three ABG Digicons.
Columbia Label offers two popular proprietary technologies: Crystal Glyphics, which is a unique holographic finish, and E-ICER for wines that are iced or chilled. White De-Icer has a metal layer underneath the white stock that prevents moisture from seeping through.
Their variable data and imaging services are ideal for serialized barcodes, consecutive numbers, images embedded with data, wine club personalization, and prototype runs.
This year, Columbia Label was the first wine label printer to step up and address California’s new law controlling poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals in food packaging. Wine labels in California will be under scrutiny to meet the new California standard. Columbia Label, in cooperation with its vendors, offers a printing solution so estate printing papers, printing inks, hot stamp foils, and varnishes can meet the California standard.
Columbia Label and Ripped Sheets operate under the parent company Halldata LLC.
www.columbialabel.com
Columbia Label in Benton City, WA, is a premium wine label producer and calls itself “The Best Digital Wine Label Printer in the USA.” Their noteworthy differentiator is their expertise and vast offerings in wine label embellishments. The company is known throughout the label industry for developing dazzling effects using ground-breaking materials, processes, laminations, layers, and combinations.
Outside sales manager Ashley Young says her conversations with customers and prospects focus on helping them with their label strategy to achieve a premium-looking label that fits their budget and brand.
“When you visit a store and look at the wine shelves or visit a winery, the labels produced by Columbia Label will jump out at you. I’m not exaggerating.”
Young says a great label can make all the difference in a customer picking up the bottle and wondering, “Wow, what’s this?”
“Once they have it in their hands, they can feel the difference in our labels with embossing, foil combinations, matte and gloss accents, clear inks, metallic inks, and so on,” explains Young. “You’ve probably purchased something yourself just because the packaging was so great. That’s what our customers expect, and it’s what we deliver.”
That goes for custom projects, as well. “Sometimes a winery will have 150 bottles of a special vintage that deserves its own label,” Young says. “We can come up with the right solution to fit their needs and give them that wow factor.”
Young also says embellishments are huge in the beverage industry right now. “Our customers are producing wine, beer, craft beer, spirits, sake, cider, specialty fruit drinks, health beverages, and more. They know a premium label helps sell the product, and they want to get it right.”
Processes can include the application of silver ElectroInks, as well as using multiple foils, high-build varnish, emboss or deboss, layered effects, and combining materials and techniques for startling results such as glow-in-the-dark.
Learning all the company’s capabilities is something Young has enjoyed. She has been with the company since 2019.
“I came on during a period of extreme growth, which had steadily built since the business was launched. And then 2020 hit. We’ve been able to stay strong through it all. That speaks to the quality of our approach, which is consultative and hands-on. I’m on the road, visiting, listening to what’s new and what’s needed, and having face-to-face meetings around the region. The best part is getting our samples into the hands of marketers and business owners so they can see the tangible difference an embellished label can make.”
The Columbia Label team attends events, conferences, trade shows, beverage and food shows, and national marketing opportunities. The sales and operation teams have relationships with people throughout the region who know Columbia Label’s reputation for quality. Even when other providers are involved in the marketing and branding of a beverage brand, Columbia Label stands out as a resource and partner.
Columbia Label’s other business arm, Ripped Sheets, was started in Seattle in the late 1990s by Stephen (Steve) J. Hall, Jr.
Hall and his wife, Leslie Ritter, launched the company in their apartment, printing and converting flat sheet labels, stickers, and diecut materials. They designed templates for items such as hang tags, parking tags, self-laminating badges, and security items. They also developed custom-shaped products based on customer requests, such as printable sheets for secure events and concert wristbands that can’t be shared or removed by attendees without destroying the band. Over the years, Ripped Sheets developed several unique digital products.
Hall is known as a digital printing pioneer in the label industry in the Pacific Northwest. He experimented with substrates, liners, specialty adhesives, release characteristics, and scuff-weather resistance so his products could be reliably produced on HP Indigo presses.
The company moved to Benton City in 2009, and Columbia Label was founded a few years later. Ripped Sheets has evolved into a primarily online business and ships to customers around the world.
These days, Hall has retired from the day-to-day operations at the plant. The women-led management and operations team includes part-owner Katii Deaton (general manager, director and partner); Lupe Anguiano (production manager); and Ashley Young (outside sales manager). The company also employs women operators trained in manufacturing and mentored by Deaton.
Young says their in-house prepress department – as well as the independent designers and agencies they refer work to – love experimenting with fun materials, including fluorescent vellum and a glossy, moisture-resistant material called BOPP.
“We’ve had customers take our design and focus their entire brand around something we developed,” observes Young. “That’s how hand-in-hand we are with our customers.”
Hall’s creativity and the team’s technical expertise helped the Columbia Label side of the business grow as a full-service label provider with deep digital abilities.
“Columbia Label has been able to scale, add equipment, and serve growing markets that need to test materials and ideas while still achieving a high-quality product,” says Young. “As we know, not every provider can handle that side of things well. Others may do super long runs well but sacrifice on short runs. Some are great at printing but fall short on the converting side. Others may excel at roll-to-roll but offer no cut-sheet options. Some specialize in traditional litho stocks but shy away from estate or felt substrates favored by the wine industry. Columbia Label does it all and brings our customers flexibility in every aspect.”
Young says a high-quality appearance is key in label-making. “Northwest brands are known for their creative designs, interesting use of color, and dazzling packaging. Our customers want an attractive, eye-catching label with high resolution and all the bling – while being able to test a concept or design, manage SKU variability, or fulfill a custom project with variable elements.”
That’s not to say the company doesn’t serve the long-run market. It does. “We work with many large companies that have ongoing or regular seasonal orders,” says Young, “So our presses are always running. Digital production allows us to produce the job in the best and fastest way. Workflow, accuracy, and quality are built into how we operate.”
What about serving other sectors? “We do a lot of work in cannabis, health and beauty, all of which require a consistent product appearance, proper labeling, tight tolerances, and regulatory requirements we need to meet,” says Young. “We also have pharmaceutical and industrial printing clients who choose us for our extreme accuracy, registration, and quality.”
However, the food and beverage industry is a significant part of Columbia Label’s business because of the location.
“Our production plant is deep in the heart of wine country, in a rich agricultural region. We have some of the finest grape varieties in the world, right here in Eastern Washington,” says Young. “We’re at the foothill of Red Mountain. The first American Viticultural Area (AVA) in our state was started 40 years ago, right here in the Yakima Valley. The Northwest has the best apples, pears, and cherries, as well as a variety of nuts and other items that go into specialty food and drinks.
“With our ideal growing conditions, the estates, growers, producers, bottlers, distributors, and retailers are very collaborative here, very down-to-earth people. We all talk to each other about who is reliable and who is doing innovative things. We can go over the mountains or visit a remote winery – and the people have heard of Columbia Label. We are known.”
The company has 43 employees in a plant that keeps growing. “I don’t even know how big the plant is right now,” laughs Young. “One of the benefits of being in Benton City is having room to grow. We recently added more office space and a break room. And we expanded our warehouse and staging area for materials. That allows us to turn jobs around quickly and control the flow of the product into the production area.”
To meet growing demand, Young says Columbia Label has the most advanced digital wine label printing facility on the West Coast and recently invested an additional $2 million in advanced printing and finishing, including three HP Indigo digital wine label presses and three ABG Digicons.
Columbia Label offers two popular proprietary technologies: Crystal Glyphics, which is a unique holographic finish, and E-ICER for wines that are iced or chilled. White De-Icer has a metal layer underneath the white stock that prevents moisture from seeping through.
Their variable data and imaging services are ideal for serialized barcodes, consecutive numbers, images embedded with data, wine club personalization, and prototype runs.
This year, Columbia Label was the first wine label printer to step up and address California’s new law controlling poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals in food packaging. Wine labels in California will be under scrutiny to meet the new California standard. Columbia Label, in cooperation with its vendors, offers a printing solution so estate printing papers, printing inks, hot stamp foils, and varnishes can meet the California standard.
Columbia Label and Ripped Sheets operate under the parent company Halldata LLC.