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Bandidas

Bandidas

Hey y’all,

April here. Just applied for my LLC last week, signing agreement for a commercial kitchen this week, and getting a bunch of other legal things in order this month before starting production next month. I’ve been hard at work redesigning my whole brand and wanted to share what I’ve come up with. I’m open to any feedback regarding compliance, clarity, and appeal.

A few notes before sharing:
  • There are some placeholders on the right. Nutritional facts, contact info, and manufacturer info will be updated before production begins.
  • The weight will be updated as well after testing
  • This will be a 3x5 in label
  • I do not intend on leaving space for a UPC. I do not plan on going into retail and want to stick with direct to consumer sales.
  • My company’s focus is small batch fruity hot sauce. The brand’s vibe is sweet, spicy, fun, dangerous, sexy, and witty.
  • When they’re all together, they form a rainbow that isn’t just pretty and fun to look at, but the colors also act as a heat scale where the cooler colors are milder and they get hotter as the colors get warmer.
Ok, now with all of that out of the way, here’s what I’ve been working on…

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I appreciate any feedback. Thank you for taking the time to check out my brand ❤️‍🔥
 
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Do you have to list what kind of "acid" is in the mash?

Looks good.

Not sure about the different font for Bandidas on the back, I might take your main font and carry it over. Adds to the brand/story. "Presents" would look good different font as well, maybe like an old Wanted poster font or script.

Also you could tell us more about it on the back. Looks like you spaced out a few sections to highlight, but some don't need to be highlighted. The bold headers with text under in sections would signify you are excited to list something. But refrigerate after opening is not exciting. Neither is the separation part. This should all be together in a small font. Then showcase what is good about your sauce above it and tell us your story or the fictional story of Bandidas and the logo character.

Shake well, separation is normal. Refrigerate after opening.
 
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Nice looking labels and the sauces sound good. Just a couple typo items-
Verde- cilantro (comma) lime,
Is the lemon or lime juice bottled with sub-ingredients?

I wouldn't put the Mfg and Best By dates on the label. First, you are dictating the info must be stickered or hand written on that exact spot. Since I am inherently lazy, that seems like a lot of fussy work to hand write or get a sticker on that exact spot. Also, I don't think customers need information on the Mfg date. Whether you put the BestBy date 24 or 36 months out, the less the customer knows the better. I have to have a batch number for production records and tracking in case of a recall. Your BestBy date can serve as the batch number as long as you keep records. You could also add one other number if doing multiple batches on a production day.

I use these labels with a Monarch label gun. It is waaay faster, can be stuck anywhere on the bottle without having to align it exactly on the corner of the label.

I suggest using the BestBy instead of UseBy. "Use By" indicates it is not safe for consumption after the date. "Best By" means it is OK to eat, but may have some degredation in color, texture or something. Lemon Juice pretty much doesn't expire, but after a few years it turns dark and is not as nice to look at.

Nice looking line up and glad to see you are getting all the details done to get your sauce out there.

Keep us posted and Have Fun!
salsalady
 
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If you get to the point of wanting UPC bar codes, you can have them printed on small 3/4"x1"add on stickers. I don't have UPCs incorporated into any of the hot sauce labels, only on the salsa labels. Our local store just recently changed ownership and I now have to have UPCs on all the different sauces. I kinda skirted the regs in that 'technically' each flavor of salsa is supposed to have it's own UPC. Mild, Medium, Hot, Scorcher. I just use one UPC on all the flavors as they are all the same price. Also, the store doesn't call me up and order more Medium and more Hot. I make the batches, deliver it, take care of stocking.

I do the same thing for all the bottled hot sauces. One UPC for 4-5 sauces. All the same price.

Also, some regs may have changed, but Nutritional Information is NOT legally required if under a certain size production. May be required for sales over state lines, but not for in-state and at local markets. And the same for UPCs. Not legally required, but some distributors or stores may require a UPC for acceptance to their store. It has to do with the checkers not having to key in the price by hand. Faster with the barcode and less chance of human error keying in the wrong price.


Side note- One of the national BBQ contests requires the sauces to have a UPC to be accepted into the contest. Which makes absolutely no sense if they are trying to keep the entries as approved sauces. Anyone can buy a couple bar codes, print them and a label out, slap it on a bottle and send it in to the contest. In No Way does a bar code ensure a properly licensed PA approved sauce. grindsmygears.....



OK, back on topic....:lol:
SL
 
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Since you are circling the heat scale mark instead of using a red bar/thermometer, how about a lasso? Or make the circle yellow/gold (the hoop earring color) so it is better seen. Also HOT is in caps, Mild not but I assume that's by design. Makes sense but an exclamation after HOT! would drive it home.

You need a little instagram icon by the username, don't assume people know what site uses the @.
Not sure you need a hashtag?

"Made" & Bottled in could be Crafted & Bottled in. Small change but helps with the perceived value of it being more of a craft sauce.
 
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One more small nit pick, looks like the bandana matches the label color except the red one looks darker.
 
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When first looking at the HOT label and scrolling down, it took a couple of looks to realize the circle was the indicator. A lasso like Boss suggested might help. Maybe have the rope tail on the left, right, top, bottom, tilted a little one way or the other...or keep them all the same? You'd have to do a mock up to see what looks better and catches the eye. Having the circle the same color as the scale probably didn't help to see it was the indicator. A different color (brown? like a rope?) would help separate it from the scale. Another idea would be to make the circle look like a hand drawn circle. The ends don't connect, one end is tapered like a painted or felt pen.

I also like the suggestion of using the same 'old west' font for Bandidas on the side panel.

Is there something super special about 'made and bottled in Wash DC'? That information can be seen in the Contact Info/Address area. Most states have some"Made In..." programs for local producers. If you have to have the' Made In' logo on the label to get into certain Local Only stores, it might be worth it to include on the label. If not, that area could be used for a 'Romance' panel with suggested uses and flavor descriptions. Reinforce the heat level.
 
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salsalady said:
Nice looking labels and the sauces sound good. Just a couple typo items-
Verde- cilantro (comma) lime,
Is the lemon or lime juice bottled with sub-ingredients?

I wouldn't put the Mfg and Best By dates on the label. First, you are dictating the info must be stickered or hand written on that exact spot. Since I am inherently lazy, that seems like a lot of fussy work to hand write or get a sticker on that exact spot. Also, I don't think customers need information on the Mfg date. Whether you put the BestBy date 24 or 36 months out, the less the customer knows the better. I have to have a batch number for production records and tracking in case of a recall. Your BestBy date can serve as the batch number as long as you keep records. You could also add one other number if doing multiple batches on a production day.

I use these labels with a Monarch label gun. It is waaay faster, can be stuck anywhere on the bottle without having to align it exactly on the corner of the label.

I suggest using the BestBy instead of UseBy. "Use By" indicates it is not safe for consumption after the date. "Best By" means it is OK to eat, but may have some degredation in color, texture or something. Lemon Juice pretty much doesn't expire, but after a few years it turns dark and is not as nice to look at.

Nice looking line up and glad to see you are getting all the details done to get your sauce out there.

Keep us posted and Have Fun!
salsalady
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Thank you for the feedback and proofreading!

The lemon and lime juice is squeezed by yours truly. Do I need to specify that in any sort of way?

Heard on the MFG date. My day job is in a production facility and part of the packaging include the MFG date and I think I just did it out of habit. But yay now I can save space! And good idea, I made a spreadsheet template for tracking recipes and creating batch IDs for everything based on the dates they were produced. I should probably include the best by dates on those templates as well.

I jumped the gun months ago and bought a little labeler that has labels that will fit in that corner so I don't wanna waste it. And since I'm making everything in small batches, labeling them isn't too tie consuming.

Heard, agreed on best by versus use by.
 
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salsalady said:
If you get to the point of wanting UPC bar codes, you can have them printed on small 3/4"x1"add on stickers. I don't have UPCs incorporated into any of the hot sauce labels, only on the salsa labels. Our local store just recently changed ownership and I now have to have UPCs on all the different sauces. I kinda skirted the regs in that 'technically' each flavor of salsa is supposed to have it's own UPC. Mild, Medium, Hot, Scorcher. I just use one UPC on all the flavors as they are all the same price. Also, the store doesn't call me up and order more Medium and more Hot. I make the batches, deliver it, take care of stocking.

I do the same thing for all the bottled hot sauces. One UPC for 4-5 sauces. All the same price.

Also, some regs may have changed, but Nutritional Information is NOT legally required if under a certain size production. May be required for sales over state lines, but not for in-state and at local markets. And the same for UPCs. Not legally required, but some distributors or stores may require a UPC for acceptance to their store. It has to do with the checkers not having to key in the price by hand. Faster with the barcode and less chance of human error keying in the wrong price.


Side note- One of the national BBQ contests requires the sauces to have a UPC to be accepted into the contest. Which makes absolutely no sense if they are trying to keep the entries as approved sauces. Anyone can buy a couple bar codes, print them and a label out, slap it on a bottle and send it in to the contest. In No Way does a bar code ensure a properly licensed PA approved sauce. grindsmygears.....



OK, back on topic....:lol:
SL
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I could use that for three of the sauces that share the same price. Unfortunately I would need a couple more UPCs cause the other two flavors have different prices:

Roja $13
Naranja $10
Amarilla $12
Verde $10
Azul $10

I will also be selling them in a bundle with a sticker for $50. But also, I'm not interested in being in retail cause of shelf space. Unless somebody bugs me for it, I'm not gonna pursue it for the time being.

And that's very interesting. I only plan on stocking 48-72 bottles of each sauce while I get started and only produce enough to get up to par. I will consult with my partners at the commercial kitchen that I signed up with in DC.
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
Since you are circling the heat scale mark instead of using a red bar/thermometer, how about a lasso? Or make the circle yellow/gold (the hoop earring color) so it is better seen. Also HOT is in caps, Mild not but I assume that's by design. Makes sense but an exclamation after HOT! would drive it home.

You need a little instagram icon by the username, don't assume people know what site uses the @.
Not sure you need a hashtag?

"Made" & Bottled in could be Crafted & Bottled in. Small change but helps with the perceived value of it being more of a craft sauce.
Click to expand...
I like the idea of making the circle a different color than the scale itself and will apply that. A lasso would be too complex for me to implement at this point. And yes the HOT is in all caps for emphasis. I will try it out with the exclamation point. I'm not a huge fan of flames on bottles for two reasons:

  1. They either have a certain amount of flames and I have no idea what the minimum or maximum flame count is
  2. The have all the flames on the bottle but only some are filled in while the remaining ones are blank. While this answers the first concern of mine, the graphic design monkey in my brain is bothered by the empty flames. I know, I'm really weird about certain patterns and stuff.
Heard, I had the instagram logo on my first round of labels with the old design and it looks like I forgot it this time. Good catch. And yea I don't think I do either. Almost none of the hot sauces I have feature a hashtag or an @. But I like the ones that do like TRUFF. They put @SAUCE on their bottles. No instagram logo. and yea I agree that it doesn't consider consumers who don't know what that means, but the minimalist in me likes the simple look. There's one sauce I'm looking at here that I love but won't name cause I'm bothered by the long line of social media logos under their website name. It has a logo for Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, and instagram. Yuck. Ok now I'm just ranting.

Anyway, I like "Crafted". Good call.
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
One more small nit pick, looks like the bandana matches the label color except the red one looks darker.
Click to expand...
You're right that the red one is darker. The weird thing is, my color palette does have darker shades of each bandana than the label itself. I think the other bandana colors could be a smidge darker. Cause I just double checked my labels on my iPad just to confirm that they are different colors and they are, just not by much. Thank you for noticing.
 
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salsalady said:
When first looking at the HOT label and scrolling down, it took a couple of looks to realize the circle was the indicator. A lasso like Boss suggested might help. Maybe have the rope tail on the left, right, top, bottom, tilted a little one way or the other...or keep them all the same? You'd have to do a mock up to see what looks better and catches the eye. Having the circle the same color as the scale probably didn't help to see it was the indicator. A different color (brown? like a rope?) would help separate it from the scale. Another idea would be to make the circle look like a hand drawn circle. The ends don't connect, one end is tapered like a painted or felt pen.

I also like the suggestion of using the same 'old west' font for Bandidas on the side panel.

Is there something super special about 'made and bottled in Wash DC'? That information can be seen in the Contact Info/Address area. Most states have some"Made In..." programs for local producers. If you have to have the' Made In' logo on the label to get into certain Local Only stores, it might be worth it to include on the label. If not, that area could be used for a 'Romance' panel with suggested uses and flavor descriptions. Reinforce the heat level.
Click to expand...
Oof I thought her meant to have the mascot holding a lasso. Having a little tail could be nice. I will try that later this week. The circle actually is a hand drawn circle but I think it's too smooth so it doesn't look like it is. Perhaps a finer tip would make it look more hand drawn.

Yea I tried that font on the back panel and it's really hard to explain why it looks weird but yea it looks weird. Especially when the text is small. I use an app on my iPad called Procreate for all my graphics and the font is called Patched if you wanna play around with it too.

When I was making this in Sacramento, CA, the whole right side was actually taken up by the logo so there was no info like that on that side. Just Made & Bottled in Sacramento, CA. Some assets I moved from the old labels to this. Removing that would give me more space for other blurbs. Good catch. I do like the "Made in DC" graphics.

Thank you again so so much @thehotpepper & @salsalady!! Your feedback has been much more helpful than literally everybody else who's just like "looks good." Don't get me wrong, love praise. But I crave constructive criticism.

On that note, any positive notes??
 
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salsalady said:
When first looking at the HOT label and scrolling down, it took a couple of looks to realize the circle was the indicator. A lasso like Boss suggested might help. Maybe have the rope tail on the left, right, top, bottom, tilted a little one way or the other...or keep them all the same? You'd have to do a mock up to see what looks better and catches the eye. Having the circle the same color as the scale probably didn't help to see it was the indicator. A different color (brown? like a rope?) would help separate it from the scale. Another idea would be to make the circle look like a hand drawn circle. The ends don't connect, one end is tapered like a painted or felt pen.

I also like the suggestion of using the same 'old west' font for Bandidas on the side panel.

Is there something super special about 'made and bottled in Wash DC'? That information can be seen in the Contact Info/Address area. Most states have some"Made In..." programs for local producers. If you have to have the' Made In' logo on the label to get into certain Local Only stores, it might be worth it to include on the label. If not, that area could be used for a 'Romance' panel with suggested uses and flavor descriptions. Reinforce the heat level.
Click to expand...
Also I looked it up, I can only use the official "Made in DC" logo if I'm a resident. I live in Maryland but will produce in DC so I don't qualify 😥
 
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It certainly gets my attention that's for sure. Feels like a black silhouette of a horse or gun should be incorporated somewhere to help bring the theme together. Maybe just a small silhouette to indicate the heat level. Good job so far and good luck!
 
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Grass Snake said:
It certainly gets my attention that's for sure. Feels like a black silhouette of a horse or gun should be incorporated somewhere to help bring the theme together. Maybe just a small silhouette to indicate the heat level. Good job so far and good luck!
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Thank you! The original label and mascot did wield a gun but it got some unenthusiastic feedback. I haven't made a new arm that wields a gun for this new mascot but maybe I'll try it out and share it here. In promotional material I do plan on her having a horse and gang of fellow Bandidas. Think the Fantanas but for hot sauce.
 
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The gun isn't needed imo. If anything you could give her a tattoo of two crossed guns. This would accomplish two things. Show she is a badass and show guns without showing guns (but symbolically on your character). Not needed imo but could be cool.
 
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Bandidas said:
You're right that the red one is darker. The weird thing is, my color palette does have darker shades of each bandana than the label itself. I think the other bandana colors could be a smidge darker. Cause I just double checked my labels on my iPad just to confirm that they are different colors and they are, just not by much. Thank you for noticing.
Click to expand...
I checked too with a hex code checker lol. Yeah the red is "more" darker and I agree you could darken the others, I think it being a little different is good, noticeably different like the red.
 
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Indeed. You can just say Fresh. If there's room you could add it before the Zest as well. If your garlic is fresh you might want to say that as well. People can add garlic powder and just say garlic. I understand saying it too many times can sound wordy. Often if a veggie is plural it means fresh. Example, onions. You can say onion and it could be powder. When you say onions it 99% of the time means fresh. Do what works for you. White Onion sounds fresh so I think it's fine.
 
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Quick note on UPCs
I recently got some - I think you can do one at a time, but they do them in blocks which gives you a "prefix" for your company (at least that batch of codes). Although I currently only have about 5 products that will be using them, I got a block of 100 instead of a block of 10, because I have enough stuff planned that I'm definitely going over 10. Not sure how much of that 100 I'll end up using but they should last me a while.
 
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