In June, some of the Ag Entrepreneurship team members (including myself)visited New York City for the Fancy Food Show. The Fancy Food Show provided many new marketing avenues for industry members. In today's post (and the next few), I am going to discuss what I saw at the show and how I think my observations could help entrepreneurs change their marketing techniques or at least update some of the strategies they are using currently. Some of these new ideas include different packaging, flavors, sizes/portions, health conscious, non-edible agricultural products, and restaurant/ wholesale distribution.
Packaging and product design are important parts of product delivery. No matter how great a product may be, a customer may overlook it if the packaging and/or design of the product isn’t eye-catching. For example, JF & B Co (http://www.jfnb.co.kr/) produces frozen chocolates and cakes with beautiful gold overlay, bold colors, and interesting shapes including leaves, roses, hearts, moose, and four leaf clovers. JF & B Co also offers decorations made of chocolate with custom designs or logos. Azienda Agricola Fejoia (www.fejoia.it) is a wine maker in Bergamo, Italy who sells their wine in slightly different-than-average bottles. Azienda bottles their wine in tall, thin bottles. Sitting next to an average wine bottle, the Azienda bottles seem sleeker and catch the eye. Another interesting package is that of Sence Nectar (http://www.sencenectar.com/). Sence is a rose nectar beverage bottled in a clear, textured, cone-shaped bottle with a metal lid. The light pink color of the liquid shines nicely through the bottle creating an almost stained glass appearance.
Not only is Sence Nectar bottled in an eye-catching container, but is also a unique flavor. Sence is made from the extract of the Kazanlak Rose found in Bulgaria. It can be used as a mixer with spirits or served separately as an alternative to juices and soft drinks. Also popular at the Fancy Food Show were honeys. Two companies stood out in the honey market. Both Crystal’s Honeys (http://mvabeepunchers.com/honey/crystals_honey.php) and The Bee Cave Honey Company (http://www.beebutter.com/) have infused flavors and textures into their honey. Crystal’s Honeys offers flavors like wild blueberry, orange blossom, cranberry, and western clover as well as textures like chunky honey. The Bee Cave Honey Company specializes in whipped honey. They take raw honey and whip it until it is smooth and creamy and then add flavors like cinnamon, strawberry, and lemon.
As an entrepreneur, what kind of packaging are you using? Do you think it stands out from competitors? Have you tried to integrate new flavors and/or textures into your products?
