Glass is Gold for Salsa Sales

The company decided to reassess its packaging. Red Gold now is using 16-oz glass jars manufactured by Saint-Gobain

05/11/08 Red Gold, Inc., Elwood, IN, marketers of beans and various tomato-based products, used to market its salsas in steel cans. But as its salsa sales declined, the company decided to reassess its packaging. Red Gold now is using 16-oz glass jars manufactured by Saint-Gobain

Colt Reichart, territory sales manager for Red Gold, says, "We felt our salsa was a product of the highest quality and should not be hidden in a metal can. We decided a premium salsa needs to be displayed in a premium package. That's why we chose glass from Saint-Gobain Containers. Prior to conversion from metal to glass, Red Gold salsa received the most complaints from customers regarding the packaging. Once we converted, Red Gold salsa is now the most complimented product that we offer."

Packaging, production lineup

The new glass jars are hot-filled using filling equipment from Elmar Industries, Inc. . The jars display a premium appearance with their black, 82-mm, regular twist button (RTB) metal caps, supplied by Silgan White Cap Americas  and  bold, 6-color-printed, die-cut paper labels, supplied by Fort Dearborn Co. The labels are applied using a Canmatic labeler from Krones, Inc.

Since adopting the easy-open/recloseable jars with clear view of the product contained in the package, Red Gold reports that consumers have responded positively, driving Red Gold's salsa sales up by nearly 15%. The Red Gold, Inc. salsa jars received a 2008 Clear Choice Award from the Glass Packaging Institute