Salad Dressing Questions??

[Alyssa]

I used to own a catering company when I was in Grad School and I have always been a really good cook. One of the most popular things I make are my salad dressings - people always say "You should sell this dressing" etc.

 

Anyway, FI and I have been talking about bottling a couple different recipes and taking some to some state fairs / regional summer food festivals to get a more mass market reaction to see if it is worth pursuing further.

 

I feel so lucky to have such a broad community of women of different backgrounds, cultures, incomes, tastes, etc. so I am reaching out to you girls for some feedback and ideas:

1. See above for Vinegar question...
2. What do you look for in a salad dressing?
3. How important is packaging?
4. How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing?
5. anything else you can think of?

Thanks girls!!!!!

[Alyssa]

PS. Sarah - i am hitting you up for a logo!

[ACDCDCAC]

See above for Vinegar question... balsamic!

What do you look for in a salad dressing? fantastic taste! no "oily" feel in my mouth after.

How important is packaging? very! i love cool designs or fun looking, interesting labels.

How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing? $4-5, unless it is at a fair or show like you mentioned, then i would go up to $6.

anything else you can think of? do we get to be your taste testers??

[LCBride2007]

1. See above for Vinegar question... I honestly have no idea ...
2. What do you look for in a salad dressing? Taste, basically. That's what will make me buy or not buy a dressing again. I don't buy the low-fat stuff, because I usually don't like it as much. I'm also not one to pay attenton to cost or "name brand" stuff.
3. How important is packaging? I'd like to say it's not important, but if I were in the mood to try something new, I might be more likely to choose a package that catches my eye. But once I like (or dont like) a product, it doesn't matter at all.
4. How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing? I am so bad at paying attention to stuff like this, I actually have no idea. If I really liked the dressing, cost wouldn't matter (assuming it's not crazy or something!).
5. anything else you can think of? I think the hard part would be to get people to try your dressing ... so marketing is key it seems. Maybe you could get into some restaurants or delis? I know many people are big into healthier food choices, so if it tastes good AND is healthy, all the better!

[*JillD*]

See above for Vinegar question... I voted for balsamic, it's my favorite, but I also love rice

 

 

What do you look for in a salad dressing? I usually always look at fat & calories, I try not to buy really bad for you dressings.

 

How important is packaging? packaging is not that important, but if it's cheesy I might pass it up and move on because I'll worry that it sucks and not want to waste my money

 

How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing? If it was a dressing I really liked I'd probably pay up to $5-$6 for it, otherwise I buy salad dressing when its on sale

 

anything else you can think of? there is a balsamic dressing that panera bread has and I absolutely LOVE it, but its so bad for you, if your dressing tastes like that (or better, which I'm sure it will) you can put me down for a case, lol!

[Martha]

What do you look for in a salad dressing? I love balsamic, so I love dressing that is light....not thick.

How important is packaging? Not so important. Never judge a book by it's cover! Less is more!

How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing? $5-6

anything else you can think of? Good luck!

[Spazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alyssa See above for Vinegar question... What do you look for in a salad dressing? full flavor but not a lot of fat and calories How important is packaging? I'm a sucker for advertising, I like fresh-looking products (if that makes sense?). How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing? I would pay maybe $4/bottle. anything else you can think of? Thanks girls!!!!!

Alyssa, this is such a cool idea. I would definitely try your dressing. I love balsamic, I put it on so many things.

[angitalia23]

[*]What do you look for in a salad dressing? I love salad, so im always looking for new flavors of dressings but not with so much in them its overwhelming. I like dressings that use real ingredients and are kept low fat.

[*]How important is packaging? To me Packaging sells, i like unique lables and ones that I can tell are homemade or not commonly found in stores..and I love catchy titles of either the company or dressing flavor

[*]How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing? 4-5 dollars a bottle.[*]anything else you can think of? Keep it Unique, light tasting and promote the use of healthy oils.

 

Good Luck Alyssa, very cool!

[Nrvsbride]

I like balsalmic. I love catchy things, they def sell me and make me want to try it. B/c I am on a health kick I would want something that tastes good but has low calories.

 

I think you should keep in mind that most people who are salad lovers ( I said most, not all) are healthy food eaters. So if your salad is really fatty it maybe harder to sell. I would try to stick to something like Europa that has 10 calories per 2 tbsp. I know people love that dressing here in NY. Kraft also has a yummy dressing that is like 15 calories per 2 tbsps.

 

I am willing to pay anything as long as it tastes good! Good luck!

[Yari]

See above for Vinegar question... Balsamic

What do you look for in a salad dressing? Good taste, but low fat

How important is packaging? Very, I tend to purchase items that have attractive packaging

How much do you usually pay for a gourmet type salad dressing? $3.50