Tomter Mais builds brand identity with a C3500 label printer

Epson's versatile label printers can be used for a wide range of duties. Tomter Mais chose a C3500 to add recipes and product information to its Farmstead products, and to raise brand awareness.

The Tomter family have been running the Haneborg Farm in Norway since 1923. They grow a variety of vegetables for both private customers and business partners including Co-Op Norway, small grocers and local restaurants, and run a farm shop, where they sell their own home-grown vegetables alongside a variety of other groceries. 

Recently, the family decided to buy a colour label printer to improve their branding.
"On the professional market, goods need to be labelled with an accurate packaging date, expiry date and producer information, among other things. We could also see that we could use customised labels to help build the profile of the farm shop and our own products," says farmer and general manager at Tomter Mais, Ole Martin Tomter.

After some research, Tomter Mais decided to buy an Epson TM-C3500 four-colour printer. This printer was developed to allow companies of many different sizes and types to easily produce their own labels, avoiding the turnaround times and high costs of external production.

"The printer gives us much greater flexibility," says Tomter. "Now we can turn new orders around very quickly, and it opens up new possibilities at the same time."

The TM-C3500 has separate DURABrite Ultra ink cartridges, where only the colours used in the printing process need to be replaced, meaning costs for Tomter Mais are kept to a minimum. The pigmented ink creates labels, bar codes, brand labels and tickets that are more durable and crisper than printing with dye-based inks, which is vital when foodstuffs are being handled and transported. 

"So far it's worked out very well. The software included is user-friendly and makes it easy to design the labels," says Ole Martin Tomter.

By finding an effective labelling solution, Tomter Mais can now label more items, more quickly, which improves the marketing of their products and the business in general. For example, the farm shop sells vegetables that many Norwegians are not accustomed to using, such as Japanese rosehips, and customers are more likely to buy them if told how they can be incorporated into meals.

"One exciting possibility is the labelling of vegetables in the farm shop with recipes and usage tips. This can add an extra dimension to the customer experience," says Tomter.

In summer, Tomter Mais also sells vegetables at local retail outlets throughout the region. This is where Ole Martin sees potential for custom labels to really draw customers to the farm, by adding information about their location, the farm shop and pick-your-own produce opportunities available to customers.