In 2000 B&DFL came to the notice of British Airways as a producer of high quality meal accompaniments. After several initial meetings BA formalised the brief and commissioned us to take a look at all dressings in, initially, Club Class. The brief was to manufacture a range of dressings and vinaigrettes that were of high quality restaurant standard but individually portioned in ‘innovative’ packaging.
The problem BA had been ‘living with’ for many years was the fact that only very basic and mid to low quality products were available in single portions. This limited the range of salads that were able to be developed.
Firstly we considered the actual dressings, as the packaging would be influenced by these. To start the ball rolling we manufactured: Balsamic Dressing (Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 7 Star Balsamic Vinegar), Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (with a high content of Tomato ‘bits’), Herb Vinaigrette (The French Traditional way), A Creamy Garlic and Oregano, and a traditional quality Caesar Dressing.
Next came the packaging and the need for innovation in not using anything that was akin to currently available products. Being a Club Class product the packaging had to reflect quality. We quickly came to the conclusion that glass was the only way forward. Very considerable time was spent on sourcing bottles until we decided to have a bottle made for us. To add to the perception of quality we asked for the bottle to be cork mouth and had made bespoke quality Portuguese corks to complete the seal. Tamper evidence was considered and a heat shrunk clear sleeve placed over the cork and bottle neck. This system is an industry standard – retailers insist on it!
A clear look label completed the product and off we went to BA to present.
A very firm ‘Yes’ being the answer, with orders placed one month after presentation for circa 50,000 units per week.
We gave BA Menu Design the flexibility to create many more imaginative salads/dishes as they now had the ability to create just about any dressing chilled or ambient in a single portion quality container. Their Chefs loved the flexibility and have, to date, not let go of it!
