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Amarula’s 400,000 unique elephants

Amarula, the South African producer of cream liqueur, is now releasing a special edition of 400,000 bottles with its well-known elephant branding individualized by HP Indigo digital printing. The goal of the project is to raise global awareness for the remaining 400,000 African elephants, where are endangered. The African elephant has been the icon of Amarula Cream Liqueur since its inception. This limited edition of Amarula Cream Liqueur is an added dimension to the brand’s Name Them, Save Them African elephant conservation project.

In collaboration with HP, SA Litho, a Cape Town-based premium label producer, transformed Amarula’s Cream liqueur bottles into unique pieces using an HP Indigo WS6800 press with HP SmartStream Mosaic variable design technology. Established in 1903, SA Litho is locally and internationally recognized for producing premium quality sheetfed and reelfed labels for a variety of market leaders in various industry sectors.

“Individualizing Amarula bottles is a powerful way to reinforce the message that every elephant is an individual with a unique personality,” said Saramien Dekker, Global Marketing Manager for Amarula. “We have always had a special bond with these magnificent creatures. This campaign is about creating a connection between humans and elephants, and becoming actively involved in raising awareness and saving our elephants.”

In the first stage of the elephant conservation campaign, people could go to the Amarula Website to design, name and share a virtual African elephant, as a way to increase awareness of the danger facing these animals from ivory poachers, explains the company. Each of the bottle labels features an elephant with a completely unique graphic design together with its name. The number of bottles corresponds to the latest census estimation of African elephants remaining alive in the wild. The cream liqueur is produced from the fruit of the African marula tree, explains Amarula, which only grows on the sub-equatorial plains of Africa. The fruit is uncultivated, organic and consumed by elephants.


The production of the one-of-a-kind labels was made with HP SmartStream Mosaic, using two seed patterns in a variable design software algorithm, and the Indigo WS6800 press. In less than a week, HP explains SA Litho completed the printing of the 400,000 labels, produced on a metallic substrate using HP Indigo ElectroInk CMYK and white.


“HP SmartStream Mosaic is yet another way we add value through innovation. We brought this technology to South Africa in early 2015, and employed a brand and communications manager the same year to drive Mosaic and digital printing in Africa,” said Leon Witbooi, Managing Director, CTP Packaging Western Cape. “Months were spent researching strong, proudly South African brands that could use our technology in a way that would add value to the marketplace. This approach was strongly supported by HP Indigo and local supply partner, Kemtek.”