an industry brain trust dedicated to
Inspiration & Innovation
in the sustainable food marketplace
We Are
A boutique Research & Development firm - comprised of a network of food industry insiders -
that develop projects aligned with future consumer trends.
We typically only work on projects that allow us to first view a food innovation through the prism of human gut interaction along with taste.
UFS is a think-tank for the food industry
Our clients are typically medium sized food, or related industry, clients that want to bring their unique ideas to market quickly and cost effectively.
It is important that our clients understand that we are 'choosy' about projects we take. We need to prove to ourselves, your 'idea' is one that can elevate world food security along with being fair to its supply-chain.
OUR WORK TRANSFORMS BUSINESSES AND ELEVATES THE CAUSES WE STAND BEHIND
RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT
Recipe Formulations
Unique Processing Flows
Raw Ingredient Sourcing
Supplier Identification
Certification Programs
Costing Analysis
Demographics Study
BRANDING & CONTENT
Brand Strategy
Social Media Strategy
Naming
Visual Identity
Product Label Packaging
Sales & Marketing Materials
Packaging Development
OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT
Quality Assurance
Brand Management
Production Management &
Quality Control
Logistical Operations
Supplier Relations
Industry Sales Activities
Procurement Management
THE 'Unique' APPROACH
Our goal is to help innovate new and existing brands within the natural & organic marketplace by creating products that jumps off the shelves, educates the consumer, and instills a level of loyalty that helps increase distribution and product sales. It's our goal to conceptualize and commercialize brands and product innovations that communicate all of their standout qualities effectively and efficiently.
Our unique approach to looking at food innovation starts with the gut. We believe there is more than the initial flavor profile that brings consumers coming back to a product time and again. How a human body actually biochemically reacts with a food is key to understanding the longterm loyalty factor of consumers in this ever changing marketplace.
Project
KICKOFF
KICKOFF & DISCOVERY
UFS projects typically begin with a kickoff and discovery workshop. During these first meetings, our goal is to:
1. Gain an intuitive understanding of the company/brand, its reason for existence, its future goals, and what the hope is our branding, strategy, and/or product design innovations will accomplish.
2. Establish a common understanding of the competitive landscape, the product’s value proposition, and your ultimate goal for the product.
MARKET RESEARCH
MARKET RESEARCH
The data and metrics behind a brand’s audience inform every decision the company makes, especially marketing. Our process to uncover data and building a strategy about your audience and their buying behaviors is intensive, but essential before we make major decisions that inform branding and content. We understand working with established companies, who have done extensive research already, so consider this a collaborative process where we learn what they have done, and expound upon what they haven't.
Our Process includes 3 Main Steps:
Industry Research
Understanding Audience Needs
Understanding and Evaluation Your Product
The most important thing to understand is that this is not research to uncover if there is a market opportunity for the company in the first place. We assume this research done. They are now investing in the business as a product of certain market insights. The purpose of our research to understand more about the brands potential customers and how to sell to them most effectively.
1. Industry Research
Before we begin designing, our team will become experts in the clients industry. We will track the latest developments in their potential markets, understand trends - what has been effective, what is effective now, and understand & anticipate what will be effective in the future. There has been an overwhelming acceptance of organic groceries in the United States for the past ten years, but these trends have a shelf life. We are seeing a surge in consumer understanding in this category. This is where consumer surveys and industry product research comes in to understand what differentiates products and why. We'll then review consumer spending reports to understand when, where and how the brands potential clients purchase high quality organic products and use this information to inform our design and brand message decisions.
2. Understanding the Audience's Needs and Behaviors
Understanding what’s been done in the market, but most importantly what hasn’t been done will help us fill that void with the Brand's business. We will conduct surveys of a wide range of your target audience to understand the gaps in the industry and answer questions like:
What does the brand believe as "truths" about their organic products? Why?
What are the selling points for the brand's organic products?
What initially attracts consumers to this newly branded product? What market category(s) is this product in?
What are the pieces of information on a quick website that influences them to purchase?
Once a consumer is interested, what is the sales process? Is there an approach that is innovative, enticing, and cost-effective at the same time?
What are the biggest influencers in their buying decisions?
3. Understanding Your Product
This is where we will dig into what key information is important to include in the brand messaging and packaging copy. What are the key elements that make your product different? From this we will make decisions on how to showcase your product on shelves and create a create a Messaging Brief based upon our findings and what the priority of your product "characteristics" should be. Finally this sets the stage for the ensuing Technical behind-the-scenes work that must happen to validate these innovative claims.