Research Valley

Though it celebrated 25 years in business in 2007, every day is still the salad days for Del Sol Food Co. Inc.

The Brenham-based company is the maker of the top-selling specialty brand Briannas Fine Salad Dressings.

“We literally went from nothing to No. 1 in those 25 years,” says Jerry Brown, president of the company his sister started and his mother owns. “The secret is just an absolute focus on quality. From conception to blending to packaging to shipping, we’re fanatical about all of the steps.”

Not bad for a family-owned business with about 50 employees located in a community of about 15,000 smack between Austin and Houston. It’s a location that has helped the company grow.

Brenham is within easy reach of Texas’s main hubs and the major markets along the East and West coasts, Brown says. The company sells in every state as well as abroad, notably in Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

“It’s a perfect part of Texas,” Brown says. “It’s good for national and international distribution.”

The company’s product line appeals to a generally upscale clientele looking for sophisticated, healthier options to traditional ranch, blue cheese or Thousand Island. Briannas’ dozen or so varieties include Ginger Mandarin, Chipotle Cheddar, Blush Wine Vinaigrette and its top seller, Rich Poppy Seed.

Most are made exclusively with natural ingredients, all of them include high-quality canola oil, which has also helped sales as awareness of healthy eating has increased, Brown says.

And the attention to quality has built a loyal following. Customers write letters about using dressing in chili and stews, as sautés and marinades, and on wraps and endless other things besides salads, says Carin Simmons, Del Sol’s food service director.

While the flavors may sound fancy, Brown insists they’re born of a simple test: What appeals to their own taste buds. “It’s not particularly sophisticated,” he says.

Simmons vouches for the down-home approach. Forget the focus groups, what ends up in Briannas bottles is what the family thinks tastes good with input from employees and customers, she says.

“It’s real homestyle,” she says. “It does taste like you made it yourself.”

Still the results impress the professionals, too. Briannas brands have won numerous awards – its Asiago Caesar took home back-to-back Best Taste Awards in 2007 and 2008 from ChefsBest, an independent judging organization.

The company has also received numerous kudos for its distinctive, but elegant, packaging. Most of the bottles feature a simple black border around a white background that frames a colored sketch of either a dominant ingredient or a serving suggestion.

The idea, not surprisingly, also comes from members of the family, Simmons says, crediting the look for converting customers.

“Packaging is everything in getting the first sale,” Simmons says. “Before they can know what you taste like, they have to pick you off the shelf.”