Boteco ultra-premium cane vodka launches in US

Boteco ultra-premium cane vodka, a unique new entry in the spirits category imported from Brazil by Ambrabev of Danville, Kentucky is being launched in four major markets in the US. This new vodka is distilled from 100% fresh-pressed Brazilian sugar cane blended with “naturally-filtered” spring water from the mountains of Rio de Janeiro. It comes in three natural expressions—original, berry and lime. 

To help insure a successful introduction, Ambrabev engaged the services and global resources of Saxco International of Horsham, PA, to assist with the all-important packaging aspect of the project.  Saxco International are packaging specialists for the wine, spirits, beer and food industries.

“Our role was to help create an attractive new package that featured a beautiful and engaging eye appeal with a prominent shelf appearance,” says Jimmy Owens, new product representative and category manager for craft spirits for Saxco International. Owens worked with graphics designer Jeff Ruth, of Shatterbox Studios in Lexington, Kentucky and business consultant Scott Schiller, of Thoroughbred Spirits Group, located just outside Chicago, who helped manage the overall project. Both were most instrumental in working to bring the new package to market.

To get the project underway, Saxco sourced and supplied a quality 75cL cylindrical bottle perfectly suited for the high-end nature that defines the brand.  With round shoulders and a long sleek neck, the bottle ensures easy pouring for both consumers and bartenders. The bottle selected is produced by Piramal Glass of Park Hills, Missouri. The bottles were sent to Serigraphie-Richford, of Quebec, Canada for a spray frosting and the application of a five-colour screen printing depicting the Boteco logo and triangular shaped graphics reminiscent of mountains in Brazil.

“The graphics presented an interesting challenge that went through several stages of an evolutionary process with their design specialists to get them to the precise look and feel the client required,” Owens states. The mountains for the original flavor were screened on in a gray and silver colour, while the berry flavour was screened in purple and the lime flavour was applied in a decorative lime green.

The bottles were capped with a silver aluminum tee-top synthetic cork. Saxco turned to Tapi, of Norristown, PA, for the closure. The stoppers were over-fitted with a clear PVC Cap-A sleeve from Maverick Packaging of Ukiah, CA. The costumer supplied the strip stamps over the PVC sleeves matching the colours of the individual flavours.

According to Zachary Baeker, COO of Ambrabev: “A great artist once said that art in itself is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. Boteco takes this message to heart by combining the untamed passion of Brazil’s vibrant culture with the country’s storied legacy of masterfully crafted artisanal spirits to create the most exquisite ultra-premium vodka in the world.” It is currently being introduced in Florida, South Carolina, Indiana and Kentucky.

Boteco ultra-premium vodka targets modern spirits enthusiasts between the ages of 25 and 45-years that crave new and exciting experiences and appreciate the art in craft spirits and cocktails.  It is 40%abv/80 proof. The RRP for the 75cl botle is US$29.99.

17 November 2014 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor