If you’re a reseller looking to expand into new product categories, cold storage labels offer something most resale products don’t: recurring revenue from customers who desperately need a problem solved.
Here’s the scenario: A company is losing money because their labels keep failing. Bottles are arriving at retail with labels sliding off. Warehouse inventory is becoming untrackable. Production lines are shutting down because barcodes won’t scan. These aren’t minor inconveniences. They’re operational crises that cost real money and damage reputations.
Here’s the opportunity: Most resellers don’t understand why these labels fail. They offer generic solutions that work fine in controlled environments but fall apart under real-world stress. When you can diagnose the problem and deliver labels that actually perform, you become indispensable.
You don’t need to become a materials engineer. You just need to recognize the failure patterns, understand what’s causing them, and partner with a manufacturer who can deliver the right solution.
When Cold Storage Becomes a Label Graveyard
Imagine you’re talking to a craft beverage producer. They’ve spent months perfecting their branding, thousands of dollars on label design and they’re finally ready to hit retail shelves. Two weeks later, they’re getting calls from distributors because the labels are peeling off in the cooler cases. Some labels have fallen off completely. Their beautiful brand is literally on the floor of the grocery store.
This isn’t a rare problem. It happens regularly in cold-chain environments – breweries, wineries, food production facilities, pharmaceutical storage, any business that refrigerates or freezes their products. The labels look perfect at room temperature, but the moment they hit cold storage, problems emerge.
What’s actually happening is a cascade of adhesive failure. Standard label adhesives are designed to work at room temperature. When temperatures drop, the adhesive becomes less tacky and loses its grip. Add condensation into the mix (which happens every time a cold container enters a warmer environment) and you’ve created a slip-and-slide between the label and the container. If that container happens to be made from polyethylene or polypropylene (which most plastic bottles and containers are), you’re dealing with a low-surface-energy substrate that’s already difficult for adhesives to bond with. The result? Labels that curl, slide and eventually fall off completely.
The Solution? Let’s Get Techie
The solution requires cold-temperature adhesives specifically formulated to maintain their bond in refrigerated and frozen conditions, paired with moisture-resistant synthetic materials like BOPP or polyester that won’t absorb condensation and weaken.
Here’s why this matters for you: These aren’t one-time purchases. Cold-chain labels are consumables that require consistent reordering. Once you solve the problem, you’ve likely won a long-term account. And because these applications require specialized knowledge and materials, customers do not expect to pay bargain-basement pricing.
Thus, when solving a cold storage label issue, you’re not competing on price. You’re competing on solving a problem that’s costing your customer (or prospect) money every single day.
The conversation starter is simple. When a prospect mentions products in coolers, freezers, or refrigerated environments, ask: “How are your labels holding up in cold storage?” If there’s even a hint of hesitation, you’ve found your opening.
Will Prettyman is General Manager of Wise’s Labels Plant in Anderson, SC. Wise manufacturers industrial/prime labels and tags, traditional forms, and digitally printed products and services for resale only. For more information, visit www.wbf.com or email Will at [email protected].
Want to read more Wise blogs? Visit our P+PM blog archive here.
