SUCCESS STORIES
Innovation: Gap Analysis & Renovation
At Stir Foods, we recognize that your business is our business. As part of our constant commitment to customer partnerships, we conduct ongoing gap analysis research looking at consumer behavior, market insights, and foodservice trends. When we identify a gap in the market, we surface it with our customers and work closely with them to determine how best to approach a new product offering to fit comfortably into that space.
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Our team noticed evolving tastes and consumer preferences, specifically with respect to Mexican cuisine offerings in the United States and Canada as things like Taco Tuesday began to become more popular at home and when dining out
Our customer’s product offerings stood to benefit from a fresh SKU to fill the gap identified in the market
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Stir Foods’ gap analysis research found an opportunity in the ready-to-use sauce market, specifically with crema-inspired Mexican condiments for tacos featuring fresh ingredients like lime, sour cream, cilantro and chile peppers
Our team brought the opportunity to our customer, a major grocery retailer in the North American Market, during our annual innovation meeting
Working closely with our customer, we created a first-to-market private label offering of a crema-inspired condiment
RESULTS
The new condiment quickly became the retailer’s #1 product with us
Innovation: Gap Analysis & Renovation
At Stir Foods, we recognize that your business is our business. As part of our constant commitment to customer partnerships, we conduct ongoing gap analysis research looking at consumer behavior, market insights, and foodservice trends. When we identify a gap in the market, we surface it with our customers and work closely with them to determine how best to approach a new product offering to fit comfortably into that space.
-
Our team noticed evolving tastes and consumer preferences, specifically with respect to Mexican cuisine offerings in the United States and Canada as things like Taco Tuesday began to become more popular at home and when dining out
Our customer’s product offerings stood to benefit from a fresh SKU to fill the gap identified in the market
-
Stir Foods’ gap analysis research found an opportunity in the ready-to-use sauce market, specifically with crema-inspired Mexican condiments for tacos featuring fresh ingredients like lime, sour cream, cilantro and chile peppers
Our team brought the opportunity to our customer, a major grocery retailer in the North American Market, during our annual innovation meeting
Working closely with our customer, we created a first-to-market private label offering of a crema-inspired condiment
RESULTS
The new condiment quickly became the retailer’s #1 product with us
Development with Direction
When we develop new products, we look to gold standards derived from restaurants, popular or authentic recipes, and existing products on the market. These gold standards give us direction throughout the entirety of the development process.
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Our customer–a top US retailer–approached us to help them develop a line of internationally inspired Thai & Indian sauces
They provided direction for development asking us to place special focus on pulling inspiration from dishes in restaurants in their city
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In order to provide the best result, the Stir Foods team visited reputable restaurants in the customer’s geographic focus area as well as other culinary hotspots, including Toronto and Chicago
Our culinary team evaluated the sauces from those restaurants to determine which sauces and flavors were common amongst the top items
We keyed in on differentiated elements tied to improved flavor over comparable market solutions (e.g. toasting spices, and freshness of green ingredients)
RESULTS
Our customer’s products continually over perform against national brands, even when prices fluctuate
Development with Direction
When we develop new products, we look to gold standards derived from restaurants, popular or authentic recipes, and existing products on the market. These gold standards give us direction throughout the entirety of the development process.
-
Our customer–a top US retailer–approached us to help them develop a line of internationally inspired Thai & Indian sauces
They provided direction for development asking us to place special focus on pulling inspiration from dishes in restaurants in their city
-
In order to provide the best result, the Stir Foods team visited reputable restaurants in the customer’s geographic focus area as well as other culinary hotspots, including Toronto and Chicago
Our culinary team evaluated the sauces from those restaurants to determine which sauces and flavors were common amongst the top items
We keyed in on differentiated elements tied to improved flavor over comparable market solutions (e.g. toasting spices, and freshness of green ingredients)
RESULTS
Our customer’s products continually over perform against national brands, even when prices fluctuate
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A customer we had been working with for years had a delicious and successful plant-based mayonnaise that we helped them create when the trend toward plant-based condiments was in its nascent stage
In order to be first-to-market with this product, we moved quickly and as efficiently as possible given the technology available to us at the time
Our customer’s plant-based mayonnaise was popular and performing well, but a better understanding of the ingredients and technology involved in the product suggested that some changes would save time and money while keeping the end-product relatively unchanged
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The Stir Foods team suggested changes to the ingredient list as well as the associated technology to take advantage of various efficiencies in the process, leading to improved production speeds and cost reductions
Changes improved the product’s stability and increased its shelf life while improving its sensory qualities which led to improved perception by consumers in an increasingly competitive space
Renovation & Optimization
Our team prioritizes keeping abreast of technological advancements in the ingredient space–we seek out and test new technologies that may help improve formulas and production capabilities.
RESULTS
Significantly improved our customer’s sales in an increasingly competitive market while increasing production speed and saving our customer money on the cost of production
Renovation & Optimization
Our team prioritizes keeping abreast of technological advancements in the ingredient space–we seek out and test new technologies that may help improve formulas and production capabilities.
-
A customer we had been working with for years had a delicious and successful plant-based mayonnaise that we helped them create when the trend toward plant-based condiments was in its nascent stage
In order to be first-to-market with this product, we moved quickly and as efficiently as possible given the technology available to us at the time
Our customer’s plant-based mayonnaise was popular and performing well, but a better understanding of the ingredients and technology involved in the product suggested that some changes would save time and money while keeping the end-product relatively unchanged
-
The Stir Foods team suggested changes to the ingredient list as well as the associated technology to take advantage of various efficiencies in the process, leading to improved production speeds and cost reductions
Changes improved the product’s stability and increased its shelf life while improving its sensory qualities which led to improved perception by consumers in an increasingly competitive space
RESULTS
Significantly improved our customer’s sales in an increasingly competitive market while increasing production speed and saving our customer money on the cost of production
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Our customer could no longer keep up with demand for their signature pasta sauce, a staple in their restaurants
The restaurant had outgrown their capacity, but wanted to ensure the final product created in our facility was indistinguishable from the one they’d spent years perfecting
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Starting from a kitchen recipe, our team of product developers and chefs worked with our customer to replicate their process on a large scale
Our team visited their restaurant and we invited their stakeholders and chefs to visit our production facility to observe the process and taste the product as it came off the line
Commercialization
Sometimes customers simply outgrow their physical space. Our chefs are adept at recreating delicate, signature sauces on an industrial scale, and our kitchens are inherently versatile, allowing for endless configurations to create consistent sauces that maintain their small-batch taste even on a scale that our customers couldn’t replicate on their own.
RESULTS
Preparing ingredients and replicating the nuances of their signature sauce on an industrial scale, Stir Foods was able to support them opening more locations and increased their capacity tenfold
Our customer now outsources approximately 95% of their saucemaking to Stir Foods, leading to both labor and time savings, enabling them to refocus those hours and dollars into expanding the business
Commercialization
Sometimes customers simply outgrow their physical space. Our chefs are adept at recreating delicate, signature sauces on an industrial scale, and our kitchens are inherently versatile, allowing for endless configurations to create consistent sauces that maintain their small-batch taste even on a scale that our customers couldn’t replicate on their own.
-
Our customer could no longer keep up with demand for their signature pasta sauce, a staple in their restaurants
The restaurant had outgrown their capacity, but wanted to ensure the final product created in our facility was indistinguishable from the one they’d spent years perfecting
-
Starting from a kitchen recipe, our team of product developers and chefs worked with our customer to replicate their process on a large scale
Our team visited their restaurant and we invited their stakeholders and chefs to visit our production facility to observe the process and taste the product as it came off the line
RESULTS
Preparing ingredients and replicating the nuances of their signature sauce on an industrial scale, Stir Foods was able to support them opening more locations and increased their capacity tenfold
Our customer now outsources approximately 95% of their saucemaking to Stir Foods, leading to both labor and time savings, enabling them to refocus those hours and dollars into expanding the business
All of our customers enjoy the benefits of our diligent research, trend analysis, and culinary expertise. We pride ourselves on knowing what the market is doing and where it’s going so we can help position you to be ahead of every curve.