CuliNEX - Your Food Innovation Partner’s Post

As a formulator or innovator, do you feel the pressure of coming up with new ideas every day? What if the solution you need is not something entirely new but simply different? 🤔 Think of a fusion dish that combines two favorites to create something unique. You can experiment with sensory attributes, mix and match your ingredients, or rethink how you serve your product. By reimagining your existing products with small changes or twists, you can keep your current customers excited and craving more while winning the hearts and taste buds of new customers! 💕 It's about nurturing and harvesting your brand for the long run. Together, let's reimagine today's concepts and make them more exciting. 🎉 Register to watch the webinar: https://lnkd.in/gXdpUic5 #reimagine #future #2024trends #foodandbeverages

Innovation failure rates (within a year) are terrifyingly high (different studies put it between 75% and 90%) and yet despite these statistics, the pace of innovation in food and drink shows no sign of slowing. I had the pleasure of having Ben Davies from Vypr join me on The FoodTalk Show. We talked about these high failure rates and how too often it is because brands aren't clear on their proposition. Instead they make assumptions and rely too heavily on perceived category drivers (that aren't important to consumers). Nothing can replace truly understanding your customer and picking a clear story for your brand to tell (and then actually telling it well on shelf and in all communications). If you are into innovation this is worth a listen https://lnkd.in/eDr3cYsA

Follow us for insights, tips, and updates on how we can help you transform your food product ideas into market-ready products. Let’s connect and make your innovation a reality! #FoodDevelopment #InnovateWithUs #FoodInnovation #ProductSuccess #FromConceptToMarket

This is how we start the development process for every product we launch. By trying every product on the market (and any market we could be interested in launching into). There's no point in launching something that: A) Is the same as another product out there Or worse... B) Is inferior to another product on the market The next step? We make notes of everything we like (and don't like) about them... And only if we're convinced we can do it better, do we invest time (and money) into exploring it. Because the barrier to entry in CPG is SO LOW compared to some other industries, there is so much innovation. Which is great... But it also means there is a ton of unnecessary innovation (copycat products, inferior products, or products with attributes that consumers don't care about). The photo below was for the initial development phase of our new Juicy Peach flavour where we sampled HUNDREDS of drinks.

The terms 'creativity' and ', innovation' are often used interchangeably, but they are not synonymous . Creativity is looking at a problem area in a different way whereas innovation is creating a value for the existing problem. So, the challenge is in driving creativity towards innovation. But most of the time, some innovations are before time, where a lot of awareness generation or content is needed to make consumers understand the need. And this is where the innovation fails. Understanding the industry, researching if the product is market fit, learning from competitors mistakes and creating a value in the supply chain is exactly what keeps the RnD at FoodNest at par!! #creativity #innovation #researchanddevelopment #healthyfoodmanufacturing

Last week, I was reminded of three crucial insights from consumer conversations: 1) Purchasing food products isn’t impulsive but supported by thoughtful analysis, 2) Consumers' thinking is brimming with potential, they are persistently seeking better ways to accomplish tasks, 3) Minute details matter; no aspect of innovation can be overlooked. If you moderated or participated in consumer research recently, what's a key takeaway you walked away with? Share below!

Innovation is all about timing. It was 2012 and we were scrambling to find new categories to enter in an attempt to diversify our product portfolio. This innovation was going to center around packaging. We were going to offer flavored alcohol products in flexible packaging that created unique usage occasions centered around summer, pool, and beach fun. The problem? Timing. It all fell apart because the timing was off. The market became saturated and some of the products were ahead of their time. The irony? These types of products are now widely available and generally successful in the market. Timing is everything.

Some food for Thought: Unleashing Innovation in the Snack Food Industry 🍙 As someone who's been thinking a lot about food lately, both in my work and on my plate, I can't help but note the vast potential for innovation in the snacking world. How can we achieve breakthrough in the food industry? Here are a few thoughts: ➡️ Tap into Consumer Insights: True innovation addresses real consumer needs and desires. Successful strategy prepares for the future. Understanding consumer pain points, and anticipating evolving preferences, can help build capabilities to be ahead of the curve for future innovations. ➡️ Embrace the Unconventional: Groundbreaking ideas often emerge from unexpected places. Look beyond the obvious and seek inspiration from diverse sources — nature, technology, culture, even seemingly unrelated industries. ➡️ Collaborate and Iterate: Breakthrough ideas frequently arise at the intersection of disciplines. Bring together diverse perspectives — scientists, business strategists, designers, process manufacturers, consumer insight analysts — and facilitate cross-pollination of ideas. The food industry is ripe for innovation, and at Innovia we’ve been building innovation strategies to facilitate these breakthroughs.

In the competitive world of food businesses, a trend has emerged where some companies, especially start-ups, are focusing more on product innovation than consumer needs. This shift is driven by the desire to stand out in a crowded market, often leading to unique and sometimes unconventional products. It's crucial for food companies to remember that their ultimate goal should be to serve the consumer's needs and interests. The balance between product innovation and consumer focus is delicate. What’s your thought on this? Who matters the most; consumers or brand growth. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. __________________________________________ Tick Tock...a step at a time we’re reaching our goal of 100 days challenge of innovation and insight for food start-up

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ABOUT THIS BEFORE? 🚀 Enhancing Innovation in Food Processing with Design Thinking and TRIZ 🚀 In today’s fast-paced world, the food processing industry is constantly seeking new ways to innovate, improve efficiency, and meet ever-changing consumer needs. By **combining Design Thinking**—a user-centric approach to problem-solving—and **TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving)**—a systematic method for overcoming technical challenges—companies can unlock new levels of creativity and operational efficiency. Here's how these powerful methodologies can work together: 🔎 Design Thinking: 1. **Empathize**: Understand consumer needs and pain points. 2. **Define**: Clearly frame the problem. 3. **Ideate**: Brainstorm diverse solutions. 4. **Prototype**: Build low-fidelity versions of top ideas. 5. **Test**: Refine based on user feedback. 💡 **TRIZ:** - Analyze technical contradictions and conflicts in processes. - Apply inventive principles to resolve them. - Optimize functionality without sacrificing quality or speed. Why Combine Them? - **User-Centric + Technical Innovation**: Design Thinking ensures that innovations address real consumer demands, while TRIZ brings structured problem-solving to tackle tough technical challenges. - **Rapid Prototyping**: Use Design Thinking's iterative prototyping to test TRIZ-driven solutions, speeding up innovation cycles.    Application Example: - **Packaging Innovation**: TRIZ can help develop sustainable, cost-effective packaging that extends shelf life, while Design Thinking ensures it meets consumer needs for ease of use.    By **integrating these methodologies**, food processing companies can boost their ability to innovate and create products that are both technically advanced and deeply aligned with user needs. The future of food processing lies in a holistic approach to problem-solving—combining human empathy with inventive solutions. 💬 How are you applying creative problem-solving in your industry? Let’s discuss! #Innovation #FoodProcessing #DesignThinking #TRIZ #CreativeProblemSolving #ProductDevelopment #PackagingInnovation #OperationalExcellence #UserCentricDesign #TechInnovation #LeanSixSigma #SustainableSolutions