“Your Kitchen to Consumer” with Neil Doty
This month’s Cereal Innovators Webinar was led by Neil Doty, Ph.D. on October 11, 2023. Dr. Doty presented “Your Kitchen to Consumer” to educate viewers on bringing their food innovations to the market. Dr. Doty is also the author of a workbook created to guide people through the process of developing a food product.
Neil Doty, Ph.D .
Dr. Doty has an extensive career providing guidance in building successful agriculturally oriented organizations. Doty's experience involves strategic, business, and marketing planning in cereal grain, oilseed, vegetable, and fruit-based intermediate and finished food, feed, fuel, and fiber products processing and distribution. Doty has been in chief executive management roles with Global Electric Motorcars, LLC, Fargo, ND and Sonne Labs, Inc./Giant Seeds, Wahpeton, ND. Early in his career, Neil was the Director of Product Development for General Nutrition Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA. Doty received his Doctorate in Cereal Chemistry and Technology from North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND and his Master in Business Administration from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, MN.
Dr. Doty started off his presentation by discussing how to properly develop a new food product using a “Go or No Go” process. After each step it is essential to evaluate whether it is a “Go or No Go” to the next step. The steps to achieve a successful product start by the idea and the description. Next, market research and product prototype are important to achieving your goal product. After a prototype is made and you understand your audience, you’ll want to establish a process for development and a business plan. Then, it is time to commercialize your plan. Something that Dr. Doty emphasized throughout his presentation is that in order to be successful and satisfied in your product, you must be involved in every piece of the process.
Dr. Doty explained that there is no right way to come up with your idea; generating an idea can happen through many different methods, such as blue sky thinking, collaborative innovation, brainstorming, opportunity identification, list making, and mind mapping. As long as the product you develop aligns with customers needs, lifestyle, and values, it is on the track to succeed.
There are five different categories of food products that will assist with discovering who your consumer is going to be; ready to consume, preparation needed, ingredients, commodities, and nutraceuticals. Each one of these has a variety of consumers and can be sold in many different marketplaces. Once you have your target consumer, it is time to decide where to sell your product. Market screening is going to help with both these decisions.
Market screening can be done answering the following questions:
Who will use the product?
How will it be used?
What preparation is necessary?
How will the consumer benefit from it?
Who is the competition, their prices and sizes?
How is the product different from competitors?
Where will the product be available?
How will consumers find out about the product?
Dr. Doty covers the marketing tools for the target consumer; product, price, promotion, and place, better known as the 4 P’s. After deciding these aspects of your product, you can assess whether it is a “Go or No Go” to the next step of creating a prototype. During this step it is important to have ingredient specifications and the process for packaging. Once you have a prototype, it is time to fine tune your food product by adjusting ingredients, costs, food safety, quality, production, etc.
The process development starts at the kitchen table, leads to pilot production then factory testing, and lastly full production. The purpose of process development is to manufacture food in an optimal quantity that involves the selection and sequencing of the process steps. This is where an idea of the cost will arise and whether manufacturers can produce your product efficiently and consistently. The final step to food processing is testing the product’s shelf life.
Once the prototype and process plan are finalized, it is time to make a business plan. This includes everything from marketing and operation to the financial and organizational plans. The final step in bringing a product from “Your Kitchen to Consumer” is to launch it!
If you are thinking of developing a food product, Dr. Doty is also the author of “Your Kitchen to Consumer” Workbook. This book is an in depth tutorial of how to launch your food product. If you are interested in buying a copy, please go to: https://www.northern-crops.com/handbooks-1/your-kitchen-to-consumer-workbook