In a momentous achievement that has firmly placed South Africa on the global labelling map, Lebone Paarl Labels clinched another prestigious accolade at the 2024 FINAT Label Awards. The ceremony, held in the historic city of Athens, Greece, saw Lebone Paarl Labels emerge as the only South African printer to be honoured, winning the Group B Printing Processes B1 Flexography category for the exquisite Stelaris Pinot Grigio label.

This award-winning label, crafted for Paarl winery Simonsvlei’s Pinot Grigio wine, which is mainly exported to Portugal, is not just a triumph of design, but a testament to technical excellence and creative storytelling.

The label’s nautical theme, featuring a whale at its centre surrounded by a compass, lighthouse and anchor, evokes a sense of adventure and exploration. The addition of foiling behind the compass points and the sun further elevates its visual appeal, making it a standout piece.

The FINAT Label Competition is a prestigious event in the label industry and 2024 proved to be another successful year. The number of entries increased to 236 (212 in 2023), with 45 companies and 22 countries from all over the world participating, demonstrating the competition’s global popularity.

Winning an award at the FINAT Label Competition is more than just an accolade, it’s a gateway to international recognition within the label industry. This prestigious achievement unlocks new business opportunities, elevates a company’s profile and significantly boosts employee morale.

Craftsmanship and collaboration

The Stelaris Pinot Grigio label’s journey to the award stage is a story of meticulous craftsmanship and seamless collaboration. Printed using an MPS EC 330 eight-colour flexo press – supplied by ROTOCON – the label combines seven colours with hot foil in a single pass, achieving a textured, tactile finish that complements its seafaring theme.

‘The initial print of the label stood out because the machine minder’s register was absolutely perfect,’ recounts Warren Pietersen, head of operations at Lebone Paarl Labels. ‘Especially with a tricky design like this, achieving such precision is remarkable. Massive credit goes to our machine minders for their skill and dedication. This launch project involved a long run of 280 000 labels, with three machine minders ensuring consistency throughout.’

The label’s substrate, a silvervac material from UPM Raflatac, was chosen to enhance the nautical theme and a sandpaper varnish was added to create a premium quality feel.

‘From a technical print aspect, achieving the desired effect required us to lay down white ink meticulously, allowing the compass and full areas to show through with a metallic sheen,’ Warren explains. ‘We had to think creatively to mask out areas for the lighthouse’s rays of light and ensure the whale image’s tactile gloss silkscreen varnish came through perfectly.’

Testament to excellence

Lebone Paarl Labels’s success at the FINAT Label Awards is not just about one exceptional label, but about a sustained commitment to excellence.

‘This award, along with last year’s win for the Neil Ellis West Coast wine label, proves that our achievements are not a matter of luck,’ remarks general manager Henk Jacobs. ‘We produce world-class labels that can compete against the best globally. This recognition is for the quality of labels we manufacture on-site, reflecting our dedication and technical prowess.’

Keith Vroon, a director and shareholder at Lebone Paarl Labels, echoes this sentiment, emphasising the consistent quality across all their labels. ‘We apply this level of attention to detail and technical expertise to every label we produce, even the less complex ones,’ he enthuses. ‘Our goal is always to deliver the best results and value to our customers.’

The road ahead

We apply this level of attention to detail and technical expertise to every label we produce.”

For Lebone Paarl Labels, this award is not just a culmination of its efforts, but a stepping stone to future achievements. ‘We give each customer that personal touch, collaborating closely to achieve the best outcomes,’ Warren adds. ‘While we didn’t collaborate as intensively with AdamsRib Design Studio on this project as we did with the previous winning design, our commitment to quality and detail ensured another award-winning label.’

On receiving the award on behalf of Lebone Paarl Labels, Pascal Aengenvoort, sales director at ROTOCON, highlighted the importance of such international recognition in showcasing the capabilities and potential of South African label printers on a global stage. ‘Lebone Paarl Labels has been a long-standing customer of ours and we’re incredibly proud of their achievement. We’ve always been amazed by their incredible technical progress and willingness to go above and beyond for their customers.’

Lebone Paarl Labels’s triumph at the 2024 FINAT Label Awards is a proud moment for the company and the South African label industry, showcasing that with dedication, innovation and technical expertise, local talent can achieve global excellence.

The Stelaris Pinot Grigio label is set to make another big splash on the global stage, having been entered into the 2024 World Label Awards. Excitement is mounting as the judges prepare to evaluate this standout label ahead of Labelexpo Americas this September.