A new food and drink business has come up with a novel plan to use Scotland’s best artists to help find a unique label design to launch its exclusive range of wines.
Eat and Drink Italy is to sponsor a new prize at the famed RSW (Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour) Open Annual Exhibition – with the winning painting being used as the brand image for its Tili wine collection.
Eat and Drink Italy Director, Scott Morris, said he hopes to have the bottles labelled in the new design less than a week after he chooses the winning artwork.
Scott, a keen art lover and whose wife Janet Melrose, is an acclaimed and prize-winning artist, said: “This is the first time that I am aware of an art show being used to conceive a brand for a business. Mouton Rothschild have been working with established artists like Picasso, Miro and Francis Bacon for a long time, but not to launch their brand.
“I am really looking forward to seeing the paintings on show and to have the chance to find a truly unique design for our wine range.
“We did think of commissioning a graphic designer or indeed to commission an artist direct, but it just seemed to make sense to sponsor the prize to allow us to find a real one-off design.
“I know it has also caught the imagination of the RSW and the artists are intrigued to find out if their work will inspire the design for the labels.”
More than 300 works are to be exhibited at the RSW show, which takes place at the RSA Building at The Mound in Edinburgh, from November 27-December 12.
Sponsoring the prize will allow Eat and Drink Italy to buy the artwork of its choice and the winning artist will also collect 24 bottles with the newly created label when receiving their prize cheque.
Scott, who operates a series of other successful business interests, started Eat and Drink Italy as a family business run by himself, wife Janet and daughters Amy and Naomi, mainly driven by their love of Italian cuisine and culture.
He has travelled extensively to Italy to source independent and artisan food and drink producers for products including olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and home-grown organic spelt, jams and lentils. The Tili wine range is sourced from an independent family owned vineyard in Umbria.
Scott added: “We are a family run business working with artisan and organic producers from select areas within Italy and its old Adriatic trade routes.
“We like to meet and familiarise ourselves with our chosen producers and feel how their passion is reflected in their products. To find the best we search carefully and select by quality, personality and friendship.
“With all of our sourcing, we like the product to tell a story about the family businesses that create the goods and then we aim to pass on their quality products to discerning foodies.”
Scott added that the business is in discussion with a number of parties about stocking his products and that the wines will be available at winestore.co.uk.
