Origin of the labels

Have you ever stopped to think about the origin of labels? Today we are going to share with you a brief journey through history to show you the origin of this product that we have been manufacturing for more than 50 years.
What is a tag?

According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, a label is a “piece of paper, cardboard or other similar material, generally rectangular, that is placed on an object or merchandise for identification, valuation, classification, etc.” This definition, which reflects the RAE, encompasses labels of many types and for all imaginable sectors. But, at what point in history did labels begin to be used?

History of labels

Labels have existed since the beginning of human history. These have been adapting to the different times and utilities as well as the materials of each moment. In ancient times you can find elements of Phoenician and Roman culture that corroborate that there was a food market. This was the first function that labels had since they began to be used to transport food from one end of the Mediterranean to the other.

The Phoenicians were especially interested in the metals that they exchanged for cereals, oils or wine that they brought from the indigenous communities. However, the Greeks wanted to exchange other types of products such as fabrics, ceramics or jewelry for food that they could not grow on their land.

All this commercial movement was organized through emporia or colonies formed to receive these products and distribute them. The volume of these exchanges was increasing to the point that the Greeks created a magistracy to be able to manage it correctly. Thus, there would be someone responsible for controlling the types, quality and quantity of the products…

Do you know where we are going?

It was at this time that labels became especially important. The commercial network of the Romans grew to such an extent that they considered it necessary to create mechanisms that controlled the sale and purchase of food. As a measure to control the products that were imported in the amphoras, the Romans forced the producers to record the date and place, as well as the weight, the name of the person responsible for the packaging and the distributor. Due to the archaeological remains found, this information was recorded in the form of a seal on the amphora.
Curiosity: “Do you know which product started using the labels? The chocolate”

We must go back to the 16th century in Europe because it was at that time that the first printed labels appeared. The origin of these was the paper where the first designs began to be worked on.

Thanks to the advances brought by technology such as the machine to create paper, lithography and color printing, graphics have developed by leaps and bounds in the 18th century. Especially with this last contribution since it meant that the labels were not only used to inform but now also served to attract the attention of consumers.

Currently labels have a much more important role because they encourage sales. Future consumers will be attracted to one product or another depending on its format. Invest in your labels and generate more sales.