Many of you have met Dan (from BLP) here on the blog, to which he was introduced to at the 2006 Fiery Foods Show. Dan is our resident label & printing expert and below is a superb article on the topic. If you have label quesitons, just ask Dan!
By Katy Wight
As appears in Fiery Foods and BBQ Magazine
It takes between three and five seconds for a consumer to pinpoint and select the product they want from a supermarket shelf. That’s about the same time it will take to read this sentence. So, how can you make sure that your product catches their eye?
As fiery food brands battle for shelf space and market share, the role of packaging has never been so important. Labels can bring your marketing message to life and partnering with an innovative label converter is more crucial than ever. As a product marketer you need to know how to fully exploit your label printer’s experience and capabilities to achieve your sales potential. So, what do you need to know?
Design
A label portrays your brand identity and will influence a consumer’s final purchasing decision. Get your label converter involved right from the start. A majority of label printers use the flexographic (flexo) printing process and have equipment that is unique to label converting, so it is important that you use a designer who is familiar with its intricacies. An in-house designer is ideal, but if you choose a freelancer, make sure that they work closely with the printer. Getting to know the capabilities of your label converter will allow you to explore and find the right decorating technique for your products.
You should have your nutritional and UPC information complete and ready for the designer to use from the start or this could slow the turnaround of the job. It’s also important to find out how you can transfer your art files to the label converter. Most printers today have FTP servers where it’s easy to upload files via the Internet, but checking this beforehand means you won’t be wasting time when you’re ready to go to print. Make sure you have discussed and agreed on lead times with the converter to ensure they can meet your expectations.
Processes
In the U.S., 90 percent of label converters use the flexo printing process. The printing plates are made out of a flexible photopolymer, which is much faster and more cost-effective to produce than alternative technologies. Gravure and offset printing, the methods for long runs of magazines and other commercial print, generally use solid metal plates that need to be engraved. Flexo label presses are specially developed to print on narrower material for shorter runs and produce much less material waste. With comparable quality, flexo means that your labels can get on-press quicker and are printed at a more competitive price.
Label presses also enable you to print on a wide range of materials, including difficult substrates such as films and foils. Most printers also offer a whole host of additional label special effects and inks, from basic metallic finishes right through to holograms and high-tech inks that change color with temperature.
Your converter will be happy to give you a plant tour and help you to familiarize with the technology that’s available. They will be able to give you lots of advice on ways to save money and time. For example, if you have multiple products that vary according to heat or flavor, you could look into using a base label where only one plate–equivalent to one color–is changed. The plates for the other colors could be shared with the rest of the labels. Basic process printing has four plates–blue, yellow, red and black–and when the four colors are laid on top of one another, in special dot formations, they produce all of the different colors that we perceive.
It will also be beneficial to discuss label size with your converter at an early stage. Printers have hundreds of in-house die cutters that you can choose from, which can save you the expense of having your own die design custom-made.
Materials
They may just look like stickers to you, but labels can offer an infinite number of sophisticated capabilities to different products with varying demands. Your converter needs to know what material your container is made from, its shape and the environmental conditions that the product will be expected to withstand. For example, if your product is refrigerated, the label will need resistance to low temperatures and moisture to maintain its performance. It’s also important to tell your converter whether the label will be applied automatically or by hand. There are pharmaceutical labels available that have been engineered for cryogenic freezing, as well as automotive labels built to withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees F, so your converter is guaranteed to find a solution for you!
Innovation
Today’s labeling legislation means that you have to squeeze an awful lot of information into a very small space, which can compromise your design objectives. Is your container too small for the nutritional facts? Extended text, booklet and plow folded labels can offer you the extra space to comply with regulations, include multi-lingual information and can also give you a promotional forum for recipe ideas, coupons, rebates, other product marketing and cross-promotions with other manufacturers. There are a vast number of extended content constructions available and your converter can advise you on the best way to execute your marketing idea.
Take advantage of your converter’s knowledge and capabilities. They have the tools to effectively execute your brand strategy, so put some thought into labeling. After all, that label helps consumers decide whether your product is totally hot–or not!
BLP Labels, Inc. of Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, has 25 years of expertise in the design, development and converting of labels for world-class consumer goods companies. Contact them at 262-877-2158 or www.blplabels.com
177 responses to “A Lesson in Labels”
Great info for the newbie and good reminders and tips for those who have been at it a while as well. Thanks and excellent work guys!
No problem Brian. It’s a real basic primer for those just starting out. Our goal was to spare someone a little pain when it comes time to find their label printer. If anyone has any questions please feel free to give me a call (262-877-2158). I will not try to push labels on you. Being the Sponsor of the Scovie Awards we put an obligation on ourselves to help people in the industry even if we don’t print your labels. Think of BLP Labels as a label consultant if that is what you need.
Yeah, thanx Dan. I’ll be contacting (bothering) you. Need some ideasinfo on how to start designingprinting labels.
[Comment ID #28671 Quote]
That’s what we’re here for…. and please wash the Defcon off your fingers before diaing the phone! 🙂
[Comment ID #28674 Quote]
Awww c’mon, The Huvason is used to the corneal scarring by now.
Huv maybe used to the scarring, but what of his wife? Does she deserve to feel the wrath of Defcon through association only? This is, assuming, the assimilation is not complete with her as of yet…
Great reading there Dan. I use to do offset printing back in the late 90’s and had a lot of fun with that. Just starting to do some freelance design work on the side. Its cool to hear someone talk about the other aspects of selling a sauce…eye appeal.
[Comment ID #28689 Quote]
Thanks Ryan! We try to inform people that as humans we buy visually if we are not able to taste the product. The second and third purchases are on taste. Too many times we see people put so much love, time and money into what goes inside the bottle and then short change their sales with an inferior label. Some people don’t want to spend the money on design as it can get quite costly at times. I have told some customers that if they don’t want to invest a ton of money into label design, go to your local Tech School and talk to some instructors in the design classes and see if his/her students can do your label design as a project. This gives the students some real worl experience in design and it might cost you a couple of 2 liters of soada and a couple pizzas.
[Comment ID #28688 Quote]
Who do you think caused all the original scarring? 🙂
Mike told me this morning that we “possibly” might get something in the mail that would promote some scarring to us? Make sure you tell Mike that I want to be scarred also… He’s talking about taking it all home!
now this is something I can really stay on topic about, I do most of the grocery shopping in our house, I have to be honest I have bought a few things because the label looked better. as for the label on hot sauce, some of the ones we have, are not very appealing eye wise (in my opinion) because they are so busy you have to really look at everything separately and then take it in as a whole.
on another note, the last part of this informative essay talks about the consumer deciding whether or not the product is truly hot or not, remember the batteries that had the tester strip on them? it’s to bad one can’t be made or hasn’t been made for hot sauce, however trying to get a reading through a glass bottle would be difficult.
[Comment ID #28689 Quote]
“Labels can bring your marketing message to life”
Hey ryan, this stands out to me. sounds like a label needs to “pop” 😉
[Comment ID #28697 Quote]
I agree with you mrs ryan about choosing a product over another because of its “look”. I think everyone does that. But, its not always 100% true in the case of a sauce collector. See some of “us” buy sauce for our ever-growing collections and that includes even less appealing labels. They may not be “our” favorites but we still buy them. Dont get me wrong, there are many bottles I would never own just because the labels are in (my opinion) bad taste. But as was mentioned above, for the general public (not collector’s) the label does pretty much make it or break in as far as sales go.
[Comment ID #28695 Quote]
He never got back to me, I wasn’t sure if he wanted the bottles full or not. 🙂
HAH Send me the full ones and send him some empty ones. 🙂 That would really chap his arse!! LOL
[Comment ID #28699 Quote]
some of the labels in our collection, are older so they not as sophisticated as what is coming out now, and I understand that most people will collect certain bottles because CaJohn, brian, or blair made them not because they stood out on a shelf. Not that these 3 have bad labels, I am just using them as an example. as far as new collectors that are just breaking into this, sometimes a label will define who they start to collect, or what they start to collect….(speaking from my experience there)
Ya’ll have very good points. My collection consists of sauces that either look cool to me, or I find humorous. I like to think that I have an eye for detail and an appreciation for the work involved in designing a label. Though I’m not in marketing (yet), I do have a pretty good sense of what sells, and what doesn’t. You have to remember that there are different people out there, and demographics do play a large part in a marketing strategy. The fact of the matter is, that while there are still people out there that appreciate the older, classic designs, the mainstream is people in their late 20’s to early 40’s. Finding the proper balance between class and “hey! look at me!” is how I go about my designs in an attempt to appeal to the broadest spectrum possible. I still like the old designs, but I love the new stuff coming out…that’s my 2 cents…don’t spend it all in one place unless its on me 😀
[Comment ID #28715 Quote]
You are absolutely right about market segmentation. Many forms/styles of labels have a place in the market, but may require differing distribution methods or placement. The widest distribution I would think is to get into a variety of large grocery chains/big box shops. They aren’t likely to stock labels featuring anything too far off color. This approach works just fine in a specialty shop, however.
As with any consumer product, you have to think about the target customer when designing your hot sauce label. Many types are valid, but they will impact who you sell to and where you sell your product.
You are both correct about the targeted market segment. The nice thing about a label is that it doesn’t change the product inside. You can target as many different markets as you want by simply using a different label for the different markets. Basically using the “Private Label” system for yourself.
Just an update, Tracy C, MSK and CaJohn are all still OK, we are just limited by the dial-up speed here in th Great Smoky Mountains!!! We will be on tonight…
[Comment ID #28722 Quote]
Glad to hear you guys are still kickin’. You guys must be having a blast!
[Comment ID #28723 Quote]
Oh believe me, they are. Tracy last night was feeling super-human and from what I got out of it, wanted to take on a bear! If that’s not a sign of having a good time, I don’t know what is 😛
[Comment ID #28724 Quote]
“wanted to take on a bear”?
I need to here more about this 😉
We’re doin’ great, however, MSK is trolling for bears!!!
[Comment ID #28727 Quote]
CaJohn, tell MSK I got what he sent me, tell him thanks. 😉
hey cajohn are you hiring for the season yet i needs me some work gov’t cut me off
All I can say is that Cajohn must have some great employees if he’s able to go on vacation for week.
[Comment ID #28732 Quote]
yeah but I bet he keeps getting calls for stupid reasons
Trolling for Bears… this is going to be great story!! 🙂
[Comment ID #28732 Quote]
Is that a roundabout way of saying “i need a raise”? 😛
LOL Yeah, I’m saving up for a new Kershaw
[Comment ID #28737 Quote]
Have CaJohn give you my e-mail addy and send me an e-mail.
We’ll do
Looks like Chilechef might be thinking about selling out his services while Cajohn is gone 🙂
[Comment ID #28737 Quote]
when you email Ryan will you let him know I need some steak knives 😀 pretty please and thanks 😉
[Comment ID #28749 Quote]
Have you any idea how much a set of the steak knives cost, even with my discount?
Lets put it this way…Its either the steak knives, or TX.
[Comment ID #28720 Quote]
While I understand this (and do a tiny bit of it also), I *really* have a problem with it sometimes. My mantra, and one CaJohn already believed also, is “it’s not what’s on it, it’s what’s IN it”. One manufacturer has over 80 different labels for the same cheap cayenne sauce. While that might be okay for a few collectors, I feel that is a rip-off of the general consumer. A different label is naturally thought to be a different product. It ought to be clearly disclosed that it’s the same.
I’d rather have a sophisticated sauce, rather than a sophisticated label- I only plan on eating the sauce 😉
[Comment ID #28749 Quote]
Steak knives huh? Yeah, my wife is tired of using butter knives too. I’ve actually gone to just chewing on steaks 🙂
[Comment ID #28756 Quote]
fine so be it, but when we get back from TX it’s a whole new ball game 😉
[Comment ID #28757 Quote]
I agree that it should be disclosed that the only difference is the label Jim, but if I am going to collect them I want the label to be unique..if it’s a common bottle, or I want the bottle to be unique, something has to set it apart, at least for me, I know not everyone shares my opinion, and I respect that.
[Comment ID #28749 Quote]
[Comment ID #28759 Quote]
We’ll do. Mine too
[Comment ID #28757 Quote]
I, and I’m sure others as well, agree with you there. What’s in the bottle is most important of all. I guess the basic topic here is getting people to buy something they’ve never tasted. Collector or not, people are automatically drawn to eye catching things. If someone has not heard anything about a sauce, let alone tasted it, its gotta be appealing to the eye. Not saying that is the most important thing, but it certainly helps, especially since the majority of people out there are not collectors.
[Comment ID #28762 Quote]
I’m still trying to get it into my head that people *collect* hot sauces 🙂 My prejudice has been from the mindset that sauces are to be consumed. You all are teaching me though 😛
[Comment ID #28767 Quote]
you will learn fast grasshoppa, as I did 😀
[Comment ID #28756 Quote]
Sorry Mrs.Ryan TX does sound pretty good! Maybe we can get you a set of “Ronco” steak knives
[Comment ID #28767 Quote]
I can atest to that. Maybe I should start to open them.
If I consumed a bottle a day I wouldnt be finished until the end of 2007 😉
Chile that is blasphemous 😛 I’ll just wait til after TX than we’ll see about those steak knives 😀
[Comment ID #28766 Quote]
True enough Ryan! I guess then it boils down to trying to figure out what the most people will find appealing. Flaming butts, obscenities, and the latest ‘fad of the month’ (Runaway bride, Cheney, etc) were never my thing. Sigh… why I’m destined for obscurity I guess 🙂
ROFL, omg Jim you have me cracking up….obscurity rrriiiigghht 😛 I don’t think that will ever happen 😀
[Comment ID #28770 Quote]
ROFL YOU’D BE A FLAMING BOOGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Comment ID #28771 Quote]
LOL!! Yeah, I guess ol Ronnie has enough money by now.
[Comment ID #28781 Quote]
not to mention my darling sweet tempered hubby would have a heart attack when he saw them in our kitchen 😛
[Comment ID #28775 Quote]
hope I didnt just end up with another name? 😉
when I stop laughing over it, I’ll let ya know if it stuck……LMAO booger stuck OMG I am backing away from the blog now, this is hurting me
[Comment ID #28773 Quote]
Your right Jim, for a “new” sauce to come out it’s “label’s” got to have that certain appeal. Those “joke-type” sauces dont have that.
I can picture it in my mind, but I haven’t seen it yet?
you know what I mean mrs ryan 😉
[Comment ID #28785 Quote]
ryan, please remove the power cord from mrs ryan’s computer for awhile
remove the power cord? that wouldn’t make a difference, I am still laughing over the stuck flaming booger, I am however going to walk the dog, your safe for a little while 😀
Holy Crap!!! $371.80 for 4 steak knives? Texas indeed!
[Comment ID #28783 Quote]
Depending on the life insurance, could be a way to increase the collection 😉
[Comment ID #28789 Quote]
now you know why he gave me a choice 😉
[Comment ID #28790 Quote]
the thought has crossed my mind 😀 but only for a second, I might miss him a little
[Comment ID #28773 Quote]
Again, I agree with what you’re saying. Though I find them a bit humorous and have purchased things like that, I don’t design things like that. I’m pretty particular myself, espicially since I can’t afford to be any other way. I get a chuckle out of the “cheney sauce” and the sort, but I haven’t bought any. Closest things I have to that is CaJohn’s Queen of Farts and Sir Fartalot.
Jim it doesn’t have to be a funny label are even a “fad” label it just has to be eye catching all you have to do is get people to stop and look at the bottle once it’s in their hands then your ingredients can speak for themselves
Closest things I have to that is CaJohn’s Queen of Farts and Sir Fartalot.
I wonder sometimes if it hadn’t been that those were named already when he picked up that line (Suncoast Peppers) if he’d of done that. I kinda doubt it.
[Comment ID #28792 Quote]
I agree Ryan while the names don’t make much sense a few of them are good for a laugh now and then
Re: Again, I agree with what you’re saying.
What- that I’m headed for obscurity? 😛
but I also know that Cajohns does offer every comedy label sauce with a more wholesome non-comedy label
[Comment ID #28794 Quote]
Absolutely true! It’s just trying to figure out what’s ‘eye catching’ since so many different things appeal to so many different people.
[Comment ID #28799 Quote]
yeah, I agree 100% with that.
[Comment ID #28798 Quote]
It’s interesting to note, and true most industry wide, that his comedy labels outsell the wholesome ones at least 10 to 1. It would seem that we’re a coarse bunch, we chile heads 🙂
[Comment ID #28801 Quote]
I think it’s the initial shock of OMG does that really say that?
[Comment ID #28801 Quote]
sad but true
All of you hit the nail on the head about what I was saying about a label. You must get them to buy before they try in most instances. The label is “generally” what gets this done although word of mouth is good but you have a more limited target group.
In regards to the “private label” comment I made, I absolutely understand that it should be disclosed. I was more or less using it as an example of being able to target different market segments. With that being said, I would love to see some numbers from a Private Labeler that bottles the same sauce for different clients. One crappy label and one professional eye appealing label. Put them on the shelf next to each other and see which one sells better.
[Comment ID #28801 Quote]
Hey Jim I might not no about labels makeing. But I could give some great input. We track are sales at the store. Last week 1357 bottles went out our door about half were fun labels. The rest were the stuff inside. Bret
[Comment ID #28722 Quote]
It sounds like another Mid-Wales to me. I had that problem last week 😉
[Comment ID #28722 Quote]
lookin forward to hearin from you guys, MSK, I am not sure if I should wish you luck on your trollin or not, you guys must be gettin alot of Fresh air 😀
[Comment ID #28789 Quote]
damn, what are they made of ?!?
japanese steel I believe, they freakin rawk….well worth the money 😀
[Comment ID #28818 Quote]
Is that the sales pitch= “They Freakin Rawk!” Talk about eye catching
[Comment ID #28818 Quote]
Yeah japanese steel is v.good. I heard quite a lot about that sort of stuff from a wood turning supplier that I use
LMAO, I don’t believe that is what Kershaw uses, BUT, they could possibly up their sales if they use it 😀
[Comment ID #28822 Quote]
I have scissors made of japanese steel, I don’t have to sharpen them for months I love the way it keeps an edge much better than other steel
Nice write up Dan. Very informative. 🙂
Mr. & Mrs. R, Thanks for the e-mail. We are very appreciative, I told my honey about it when she called and ruined my day!!! She’s coming home a day early from her training class!!??!! Man she ruins everything, and she said she was tired and hungry could I cook dinner? Of course I can if I have to, so I’m going to make a “phone call to Papa Joe’s Pizza” for pizza and wings- such I’m such the romantic maybe I’ll throw in some candle light…….What a guy
[Comment ID #28823 Quote]
Its KAI honey, Kershaw is just the sporting knives division. The steel is VG-10 with a rockwell hardness of 61. The majority of the “Shun” knives have a damascus steel look to it, but you can get them without that, but those lines cost a bit more. This not a sales pitch by any means, but they are the best knives I have ever used.
[Comment ID #28829 Quote]
That would do it for me Vic, so whataya say? wanna take me out? 😛
[Comment ID #28830 Quote]
yeah see “THEY FREAKIN RAWK” :d
[Comment ID #28829 Quote]
ROFL, poor Vic. women can be such a downer 🙁
Labels are more then half of my sales. We track are sales last week 1342 bottles went out the door more then half were the labels the rest were brands and what in the bottles. When I go to shows to buy 1st label 2nd product 3rd brand name. Cajohns, Blairs ,Daves etc etc etc. When do are weekend tasting it’s all about the sauce. So all I can say is keep the labels, the sauce and bottles don’t forget the bottles shape and size. comeing. PEACE BRET
[Comment ID #28831 Quote]
Hey Ryan, it’s on! I do have to admit I’m a cheap date- but I do not put out on the first date either- A guy has to retain his virtue…….
[Comment ID #28833 Quote]
I know your right………But she brought me presents!!!! 9 more sauces, 10 actually but I had one of them already- and like I said I am a cheap date so I guess it all washes out.
you are quite spoiled Vic 😀
[Comment ID #28869 Quote]
“I told you”- She says that all the time
LMAO, she must know what she is talking about then 😉
[Comment ID #28878 Quote]
Hey Hey- NO GANGING UP!! I am innocent of this outrageous allegation I tell ya. SHE bought them…It wasn’t my idea, I was quick to accept and will NOT be taking them back. 🙂
LMAO!!!! it’s like christmas for you, presents abounding
[Comment ID #28882 Quote]
hmmm I am not sure, but, I think Wendy will agree, you are very guilty of the charges 😀
[Comment ID #28883 Quote]
Yup! It’s good to be me……..Actually it will work in your favor also, can you e-mail us your addy- got a little somethin somethin for you all.
I totally agree, I keep trying to convince him of how spoiled he is….. hummm perfume thrown my way would be nice!………….Wendy
yeah you have to reply to the email with yours we have a little somethin special for you too 😀
[Comment ID #28767 Quote]
Jim I’m with you. Never in my life had I heard of people collecting hot sauce. I was a little confused at our first show in New Mexico when people wanted us to sign bottles for their collections. Since reading the blog though and talking to so many of you I’ve learned many things and I think one of the more important things is, I have ALOT to learn! I love the passion these collectors have though.
[Comment ID #28887 Quote]
She’s always trying to balance out bottle for bottle- I am winning right now, but she is going to smell good for all her efforts and I get to dust bottles of hot sauce for mine!!!!
[Comment ID #28889 Quote]
The passion is addicting, and contagious…. not to mention that so many people on the blog are willing and able to help out collectors and manufacturers, etc. It’s like a huge Family, that actually gets along for the most part, it’s not really a competition so much as everyone helping everyone else get ahead it’s great!!
[Comment ID #28889 Quote]
I think “passion” is an understatement…….It is “ALL-CONSUMING” to some of us. I literally eat, sleep, dream, and hunt hot sauce practically every single day and I have found that Wendy is just as into it as I am.
[Comment ID #28890 Quote]
ROFL, well where do you put the perfume bottles? do you guys have room?
I use the perfume and throw them away or Vic has started to ” pimp his sauce ” with a couple.I actually collect fairies. They are in my kitchen and above the fire place on the mantel. 🙂
fairies and hot sauce, now that is an interesting combo, I collect vintage metal purses, and I am in the process of acquiring my first hot sauce 😀
[Comment ID #28894 Quote]
Wendy, ya gotta start blogging under your own name. Got a little confused there and thought I figured out why Vic wants a pink helmet 😛
[Comment ID #28898 Quote]
Hey we are a team- and I don’t need a reason to wear a PINK helmet, hell I used to drive Wendy’s hot Pink truck, it takes a real man to drive a pink truck in the deep south!!!!!!!!!
[Comment ID #28903 Quote]
You’re a braver man than I 😛
[Comment ID #28903 Quote]
LMFAO. I bet you got some funny looks for that
[Comment ID #28892 Quote]
I could only imagine how “consuming” it could be. Please look what happened to Mad. lol
[Comment ID #28891 Quote]
It takes all kinds! A family? Yes one of the most functional, dysfunctional, adventurous, dedicated, obsessed and loving family I’ve come across in awhile. I say all those things in a good way.
“Think of BLP Labels as a label consultant if that is what you need”
that’s exactly what I am talking about, Dan,That is a very cool thing for you to do, This was an excellent article I am glad it was brought to our attention.
[Comment ID #28904 Quote]
So your saying we shouldn’t drive it when you and I go out?
[Comment ID #28905 Quote]
Oh yeah- to top it off she had a painted license plate in the back window that said “RASPBERRY DELIGHT”, I couldn’t go that far- had to draw the line somewhere.
[Comment ID #28910 Quote]
Only if you’re drving 😛
[Comment ID #28907 Quote]
poor mad 🙁
I agree with you on all points of the “family” it’s been a real treat so far 😀
Ok all….Good Night
From the both of us……………………….Vic & Wendy
g’night Vic and Wendy 😀
[Comment ID #28913 Quote]
Goodnight Vic and Wendy 😀
see!!!!!! everytime i start posting, everyone leaves!!!!!
[Comment ID #28916 Quote]
I’m still here man!
[Comment ID #28916 Quote]
Maybe it’s you eman!!!!
I just went to get a cup of coffee… 🙁
[Comment ID #28916 Quote]
Ok you finally caught on eman, 😉
every time you post an automated email is sent to the rest of us that says:
“eman’s back, everyone off HSB, dont post until it’s clear”
Yeah, who ditched who here?
[Comment ID #28922 Quote]
Yeah I get that all the time So far I think it is working 😀
[Comment ID #28922 Quote]
Maybe MAD never got the all clear 🙂 He could be sitting in front of his computer right now – waiting since DEFCON day!
[Comment ID #28926 Quote]
Hey mad you there? You can come out now. The coast is clear I think!
[Comment ID #28927 Quote]
Maybe he took my idea and put on a pink helmet and walked outside…
[Comment ID #28927 Quote]
His email must be down 🙂 Chris – send it again 🙂
Ah the pink helmet! That must be it
[Comment ID #28926 Quote]
Thats friggen great, funny stuff.
you know guys and gals, i am actualy getting worried about Mad. I know we are all joking about it but no one has heard from him.
[Comment ID #28933 Quote]
Yeah I am thinking someone had to cut back or else…
[Comment ID #28933 Quote]
I was actually talking about that with the girls and Mad lives about 10 minutes from us, I think we’re going to take a ride over.
[Comment ID #28935 Quote]
I would appreciate that. I had his phone numbers but they got missplaced. All i have is his address.
[Comment ID #28933 Quote]
[Comment ID #28935 Quote]
That would be great Kristi. Hopefully all is OK and the Mrs just cut him off from the blog.
I’ll give you guys the update once I know anything.
[Comment ID #28939 Quote]
awesome!!!!
How is the business going?
I am with you Eman he has been away for to long, something has to be wrong, hopefully Kristi will know something soon and we can breathe a sigh of relief 😀
Business is going well, picking up every day. We’re getting alot of orders from gourmet shops in NYC and alot of interest in the mid-west. We’re really looking forward to Zest Fest, one for the business and two so we can finally meet some fellow bloggers. Will you be there
[Comment ID #28942 Quote]
It shall be a kicking show no doubt! It will be nice to meet the blog world of the HSB
Aaron, do you live in Texas? Have you been to Zest Fest before?
[Comment ID #28933 Quote]
I’ve been worried about him as well, but there’s nothing I can do short of calling the police. I may make light of the situation from time to time, but I don’t know any more than you guys do so I joke about it just to kind of make it not so bad I guess. I’ve been worred since his 3rd day of not hearing from him.
[Comment ID #28944 Quote]
No and no ha! First time for me to make it to ZestFest! But I do get to go as an employee of Jim of Mild to Wild. I figured he might want some help so I offered. Now I have been to the DFW area several times 🙂
[Comment ID #28945 Quote]
I hope we all get a kick out of this when he comes back to life!
[Comment ID #28942 Quote]
yep, already got the plane tickets and all reservations. We will even have the new baby. 🙂
[Comment ID #28947 Quote]
me too, lets just hope all is well!!!
Well I look forward to meeting you, make sure to stop by our booth. I’ve also been to the DFW area and I have to say I was never really in a rush to go back. They do have an awesome water aprk there from what I remember. Need to escape that Texas heat!
We look forward to meeting you all also!
[Comment ID #28948 Quote]
Wow, that is so great. I’m real happy for the two of you. I have a seven year old boy and it is truely the best! If I wasn’t going to be working all day I would bring him but it’s just too much. I look forward to meeting the whole family. Start ’em out young!
[Comment ID #28950 Quote]
Yeah every time I have been to Texas it has been scorching! I look forward to meeting you guys as well. I can see it now. The HSB gang taking over Zest Fest one booth at a time. We might even stand out 😀
I know of some surprises that will be at Zest Fest! 😉
[Comment ID #28954 Quote]
I would say do tell but then it wouldnt be a surprise! I shall await
[Comment ID #28953 Quote]
Yeah the last time I was there it was 108 degrees, killer heat. Make sure to get a hotel with a pool! If New Mexico was any indication, the HSB’ers will DEFINITELY stand out!
[Comment ID #28956 Quote]
Mwahahahahaha
[Comment ID #28957 Quote]
If the pink helmet and Captain Capsicum show up there will be no doubt!
You still working on shirts eman?
[Comment ID #28957 Quote]
Everyone will be saying “Look at the pasty pale people that spend all their free time on the computer and are now getting sunburned while in the shade” 😛
[Comment ID #28959 Quote]
The helmets will be there, and he is meeting with the shirt people tomorrow I believe. Don’t mean to speak for Eman,but he seems to have signed off for the night.
[Comment ID #28961 Quote]
Thats cool Shirts should make it a little more interesting there!
[Comment ID #28959 Quote]
yep, meeting with the shirt people tomorrow and working on designs as we speak
nope, still here, working on ebay and the shirts
[Comment ID #28962 Quote]
I can tell you this much. I talked to some of the guys that will be there on the phone last night. If the conversation was any indication of what Zest Fest will be like, its gonna just ROCK!
[Comment ID #28964 Quote]
Oh good, I figured you had ditched me for once 😛 Whatcha doin on ebay if I may be so bold?
[Comment ID #28966 Quote]
GOT THE PRE-PRODUCTION QUESO AND MEDIUM SALSA UP FOR BID
sorry about the caps…don’t feeling like re-typing
[Comment ID #28967 Quote]
So two people backed out on the deal?
yep, no biggy though, both had good reasons.
[Comment ID #28971 Quote]
That’s cool. Good luck on the auctions
[Comment ID #28965 Quote]
I AM SO EXCITED I CAN BARELY STAND IT, AND TIME IS STANDING STILL……………… i just have that feeling zestfest is gonna be totally unforgettable!!
[Comment ID #28973 Quote]
thanks bro….looks like the mrs is excited
I am, I love Texas 😀
“THE STARS AND STRIPED ARE BIG AND BRIGHT….”
ok…done singing…..off to bed…nite all
[Comment ID #28960 Quote]
speak for yourself there ryan, “pasty pale people” ??? 😉
you have to get out in the sun every now and then.
besides, you know tracy’s had a Tan for 6 weeks already and Im not that far behind either 🙂
[Comment ID #28974 Quote]
Me too. It shall be a great event for the ages
[Comment ID #28828 Quote]
Thanks Jodie!!
[Comment ID #28908 Quote]
Thank you very much Mrs. Ryan… If there is anything we can help with just drop me line 🙂
[Comment ID #28702 Quote]
Check your email. Dan will get his also