In 2018, Dustin Sterlino along with his business partners were preparing to open a new spirits company—Mount Diablo Distillery in Antioch, California. From his previous experience in the spirits industry, Sterlino knew the brand and products would need to set him apart from the competition and deliver customers something truly unique and exciting.
So Sterlino developed a brand built on humor and high quality, marketing the benefits of being a small business with a local following. Additionally, he came up with a highly creative way to label the spirits products. Working with a few local printers, Sterlino created what he called the “Bartender’s or Tender’s Grip.” (Patent and trademark pending)
“The Tender’s Grip” is a unique bottle label that features a textured “grip” surface. It is designed to enhance a bartender’s grip on a spirit bottle and reduce the number of bottles that unintentionally slip from the bartenders’ hands. It is made with Mactac’s StreetTRAX® non-skid, grit-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) film, which allows images and designs to be printed directly on the film’s grit-coated surface.
Sterlino designs and prints the labels with an HP Latex 315 wide-format printer, has them die-cut, and then uses a combination of hand apply and machine techniques to wrap the finished labels to the bottles.
“At first, I worked with my print partners using another product, but the product wouldn’t cut well and was causing the blades to break,” said Sterlino. “One of the very helpful printers introduced me to StreetTRAX and it worked perfectly!
“The ‘Tender’s Grip was a huge success within the bartender world and with business/bar owners. I’ve received many calls from bar owners saying that the grip label works great, and they are saving money with Mount Diablo Spirits because other bottles slip through bartenders’ hands.”
StreetTRAX (STX1528P) is a 13.5-mil non-skid, clear grit-coated, outdoor-stabilized white film that is coated on one side with 2.0-mils of an aggressive, permanent PSA that bonds extremely well to flat or slightly rough surfaces. Images can be directly printed on the grit-coated surface using solvent, eco-solvent, UV, UV-gel, and latex inkjet print methods. It is supplied with a 90# poly-coated release liner for excellent stability through the printing process.
While designed for the production of outdoor sidewalk and parking lot “floor” graphics, StreetTRAX is a versatile product that can also be used for various specialty applications.
DISCLAIMER: The Mount Diablo Distillery ‘Tender’s Grip’ label is currently patent pending. The label or its use is available for purchase or license by interested parties for mass label production.
