Page 39 - BusinessWest June 9, 2021

The carton for Arctic Blue Gin, made using Hazen Envirofoil, earned Product of the Year honors in 2020 from the Assoc. of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL).
“To magnify visual effect on a very small carton,” the press release for the award reads, “Hazen micro-embossed specially coated poly- ester film with ‘Mercury,’ a unique overall holo- graphic pattern, then metallized the film and laminated it to a solid bleached sulfate board before registered sheeting. The film lamination delivers mirror-like brightness and a liquid- flash effect of full-spectrum color, as well as durable performance for clean scoring and folding.”
Most of those words won’t register with the average consumer. But the effect of the packag- ing certainly does. “This package really stood out,” one judge said. “The embossed areas are like a hallmark and impart a feeling of luxury.”
It’s the latest in a string of AIMCAL awards for Hazen, which also earned the association’s Product of the Year honors in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The latest was for a transfer-metallized carton, featuring custom holography, created for Nordic Premium Beverages’ Arctic Blue Gin, a project made with Hazen Envirofoil, which uses less than 1% of the aluminum of tradition- al foil laminate — one way the company con- tinues to stress sustainability, which is being increasingly demanded by clients.
In fact, it’s understanding customer needs that led Hazen to step into the world of holog- raphy with two emphatic feet in the first place. “In many ways, it’s requests from the custom- ers, information coming in from the market — trying to identify opportunity.”
For background, he explained that the holo- graphic industry saw significant consolida- tion between 2000 and 2004. In the late ’90s, holographic manufacturers were mostly small
mom-and-pop shops, but that changed when larger players started buying them out. One of the catalysts was ... well, toothpaste.
“When Colgate came out with a line of holo- graphic packaging on their toothpaste ... in the world of holography, the world of consumer packaging, that was a major event,” Hazen said.
“I always say I was like Jack and the beanstalk. Dad sent meoutwithabagofbeans— ‘grow the business, son!’ — and I bought this crazy thing called a holoprinter.”
“They gained market share against Crest, and that’s what it’s all about. If they can pick up 1%, it’s massive. Once Colgate truly validated the use of holography, things got pretty exciting.”
Another growth area was DVD packaging
— in fact, Hazen would go on to create holo- graphic images for the DVD boxes for numer- ous major films, including for the likes of Pixar and Marvel. But its entry into that niche came in 2004, when it created the DVD packaging for the TV show Quantum Leap, which involved a custom hologram.
By that time, however, some of the small holographers Hazen used in the ’90s had been bought up, so it turned to one of the big con-
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