Glass jar shows off salsa's sass

When Red Gold introduced its premium salsa to the market in 1994, the salsa came in a metal can. From 1997 to 2004, Red Gold saw sales starting to cling to the vine, with a gradual 63-percent decline. So it began to look for a cause. Feedback from customers indicated they had a difficult time using the can's pop-top lid and also had a tough time finding the salsa on store shelves.

That's why Red Gold turned to Saint-Gobain Containers (www.sgcontainers.com) for a glass jar to show off its bright red product instead.

“Our salsa is a premium product of the highest quality and should not be hidden in a metal can,” says Colt Reichart, territory sales manager at Red Gold, Inc. “We had the only salsa in a metal can, which made us look like we were hiding an inferior product. We decided a premium salsa needs to be displayed in a premium package.”

The 17-oz clear glass jars, provided in two sizes, ended the problems conveyed by consumers, who responded to the new packaging immediately. Their response drove sales figures up nearly 15 percent. The new container also spiced up things in May, as a Conversion Recognition winner in this year's Clear Choice Awards sponsored by the Glass Packaging Institute (www.gpi.org).