Channel-Led Portfoliocreating 'fit-4-purpose' foodservice portfolio
However, the realities of foodservice are very different. Retail products often fall short of the practical needs and performance expectations of operators, chefs, bakers, and baristas.
challenge
Although our partner operated in the foodservice dairy sector for some time, they struggled to break into the ingredients market — particularly with their plant-based dairy alternatives. Despite an energetic launch and a full portfolio of adapted retail products, sales teams saw products listed by customers and distributors but ultimately fail to gain traction. Starting with the Plant-Based Range Actio was engaged to diagnose the issue and develop solutions to revive the underperforming portfolio. Following our core model, we set out with the goal building a deep understanding across three key areas:
- Product Quality (taste and texture)
- Product Functionality (meeting the basic needs of operators and chefs)
- Hero Menu Application Suitability (focused on priority channels).
Investigation Findings – Despite significant investment in R&D and category marketing resources, the company struggled to develop a fit-for-purpose range. Like many branded companies, they fell into the common trap of simply re-packaging retail products, assuming they would meet the demands of professional kitchens and operations — but they did not.
Creating a Foodservice Channel-Led Innovation Mindset
It was clear despite some very capable R&D resources the New Product Development briefs were far from providing R&D teams clarity on priorities related to product functionality & performance. This resulted in R&D teams spending significant effort developing products without a clear ‘End in Mind’. This was huge impediment to success despite the best endeavours of all involved to develop best in class plant-based dairy alternatives
- Product Quality (taste and texture)
Retail food product innovation typically starts by benchmarking against competitors, focusing on finished goods comparison rather than true ingredients testing. Benchmarking is often limited to a ‘home kitchen’ environment. This was the case for our partner customer — their approach failed to account for the demands of professional preparation and cooking equipment, and the impact this had on taste and texture in real-world restaurant or bakery Hero Menu Applications. Basic testing in a professional kitchen quickly exposed significant shortcomings in meeting even the most fundamental product quality requirements. - Product Functionality (meeting the basic needs of operators and chefs)
R&D teams demonstrated a gap in understanding chef needs, resulting in an ingredient product portfolio that lacked consistent performance under typical professional kitchen prep, cooking and reheating conditions. - Hero Menu Application Suitability (focused on priority channels).
Due to a disconnect from professional and commercial chefs, NPD briefs were poorly constructed, leading to a product portfolio misaligned with the functional demands of key channel hero applications. This misalignment resulted in products unfit for purpose and led to repeated development cycles, wasting significant time and resources across dedicated R&D teams
solution
Creating Fit-4-Purpose Channel-Led Portfolios
Actio mapped out the process
- Defining and Demonstrating the Problem: Actio set about i) mapping the current process and approach to identify what were the contributing factors to poor briefs ii) creating a workshop with all stake holders in the room could ‘blind’ taste & trial products compared to competitors’ products in priority channel hero applications to understand the significance of the problem and gap in performance versus competitors. Benchmarking created immediate results in helping all stakeholders realize the size of the gap in product performance. The obvious questions followed, ‘how did this happen?’ and ‘what can we do to fix this?’
- New Benchmarking Tools & Process: Actio developed a standard tool & benchmarking process for the initial trial. It was universally agreed that this tool & process was mandatory best practice. What was missing from the process was a trusted commercial chef who could explain what they wanted from a product. Actio help marketers responsible for developing briefs establish a criterion for the type of chef/technical experience required to provide expert commercial advice on Hero Recipe & Menu Application
- Building Internal Capability: Actio actively transferred benchmarking capability by embedding best practice in creating channel-led portfolios, upskilling internal teams, and aligning processes to ensure long-term self-sufficiency and sustained product innovation improvement.
results
Step Change
Our partner embraced this new methodology and set about developing new capabilities. One of the most rewarding outcomes was the level of ownership taken by category & innovation teams, not only adopting new tools and process but refining and improving over time to deliver the following results:
- Channel-Led Portfolios: Product portfolios are now shaped by high-quality briefs grounded in a deep understanding of operator and chef needs. This shift has ensured that development efforts are purpose-driven, resulting in solutions that are operationally relevant, commercially viable, and aligned with real-world kitchen demands.
- Improved Product Functionality: Targeted innovation delivered a step-change in ingredient functionality, addressing specific performance gaps and unlocking new applications. This approach enabled enhanced product quality, consistency, and operational efficiency tailored to foodservice operator needs. Independent benchmarking by Chefs highlighted key hero product performance in real kitchen situations had gone from worst to best in class.
- Innovation Speed to Market: A new, streamlined process significantly compressed product innovation and renovation timelines by leveraging accurate briefs and focusing on the key functional requirements of food ingredients for the foodservice sector. Innovation efforts that had previously failed or taken over three years were successfully delivered in just 12 months—achieving vastly superior quality outcomes and better alignment with operator needs.
Contact us at the Actio Consultancy Group office nearest to you or submit a business inquiry online.
Having worked with Geoff & the Actio team over many years I am constantly amazed at their ability to understand our business needs and drivers. Our team greatly value their ability to turn strategy into actionable initiatives.
