CCL invests in start-up wine label operation in California

CCL Label will invest USD $8 million to create a state-of-the-art plant in Sonoma, California, with the latest label converting technologies dedicated to the wine industry.

In 2011, wine production exceeded 300 million cases in the United States and has grown consistently over the last two decades. Wine continues to be a growth sector in the label industry as producers switch to pressure sensitive technology and develop increasingly complex designs to represent the brand signatures of leading wineries.

CCL Label has appointed Stephan Finke as vice president and general manager of the new operation. Finke has 25 years of experience in the wine label industry, much of it as a principal of Cameo Crafts, a leading supplier to the larger wineries in both North America and Latin America. He will also join the board of CCL’s recently announced joint venture in Chile.

Geoffrey T. Martin, president and chief executive officer, commented: ‘We have known Stephan for some time and have long admired his standing in the wine industry. We know that the sector has growth opportunities and coupled with our existing investments in Santiago, Chile, and Portland, Oregon, the new Sonoma plant completes the picture to give us a strong platform to become a leading player in the Americas. We expect the new plant to commence operations by the fourth quarter of 2012 and will supply customers from our existing operations in the meantime. We plan for the new site to reach profitability in its second year.’

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