Ventura Foods, Brea, Calif., collaborated with Ring Container Technologies, Oakland, Tenn., for the glass-to-plastic conversion for its Marie's refrigerated salad dressing.

"It was a collaborative design and development process throughout, which involved engaging teams from various departments at both Ring and Ventura Foods," says Tom Kerstetter, senior director of food service sales at Ring Container Technologies. "Once the final designs were selected, both our local and product development teams worked closely to ensure a seamless qualification and transition to PET."

Discussions for Marie's glass-to-plastic conversion began years ago, when Ventura Foods first expressed desire to investigate a packaging change. After collecting data and conducting several interactive engineering sessions and ideation and real-time design consultations, Ring produced 3D models of the new Marie's bottle.

For Ventura Foods, it was essential that the conversion from glass to plastic honor the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Today, Marie's product packaging is 100% recyclable and BPA-free, lighter in weight, making it easier to stack and ship, and more efficient to transport.

"Marie's consumers are passionate about this brand, and demand quality ingredients and premium packaging," says Revay Ripp, director of marketing at Ventura Foods. "Backed by market research and supported by Ring's high-touch partnership that kept our strategic business goals top of mind, together we created a product that we are proud to share with our customers."