perfruit trend by adding exotic antiox-idant-rich ingredients such as maqui,
yumberry and black current to some of
its products. The
addition of a salt
replacer in a soup
would make the
product “low
sodium” and grant
it access to a new
market segment.
Adding fiber to a
breakfast cereal
makes it healthier.
New Products
Based on Techno-
logical Innovations.
These don’t come along every day but
when they do, they offer the opportunity to grow many brands, sometimes
creating or changing whole industries.
Freeze-dried coffee is a classic exam-
ple. This technological innovation was
created by Nestle in 1938. It was com-
prised of not one, but many enabling
inventions that spawned
numerous new
brands. An im-
proved process
called continuous
freeze-drying was
invented some
years later and en-
compassed 47 sepa-
rate patents, which
started the whole
process over again.
In turn continuous
freeze-drying made
another new busi-
ness possible: powdered foods.
Packaging Innovations. Many new
packaging innovations have opened
existing products to new uses or new
occasions through enhanced conven-
ience, increased stability or unique dis-
Happy Baby occupies a unique
space in the world of baby food
by staying on the cutting edge
of infant nutrition science.
play methods. Microwavable bags
greatly expanded the popcorn market.
Self-venting bags have recently created
a new market for microwavable frozen
vegetables. Aseptic packaging led to
new space- and weight-saving versions
of many products including soups,
stocks and broths. Multi-layer re-tortable gusseted pouches have created markets for side dishes, soups and
entrees. And, many of these innovations are becoming more sustainable.
Business-Building
Product Development
Business-building product development doesn’t necessarily build the
brand, but it is absolutely necessary to
sustain the business. This is the development that solidifies the brand with
existing customers and is the majority
of development most companies will
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