CASE STUDY
Innovation Strategy & Product Development for Industry Leader
Objectives:
The client engaged us for an innovation partnership to help identify and validate new plant-based product ideas with the goal of expanding their presence in refrigerated retail categories. Our objectives included:
Identifying white space opportunities for plant-based products that align with their current refrigerated and produce-based distribution strengths.
Generating a shortlist of commercially viable, consumer-driven concepts based on robust market and competitive research.
Exploring innovative uses of core ingredients and identifying promising plant protein sources.
Supporting concept development through R&D, consumer testing, packaging exploration, and go-to-market planning.
Deliverables
Over the course of the engagement, we provided a comprehensive suite of innovation consulting services, including:
Conducted in-depth market mapping to identify category expansion opportunities within the client’s existing refrigerated footprint.
Generated and prioritized a broad range of plant-based product concepts grounded in consumer trends and ingredient feasibility.
Researched innovative uses for core ingredients—like certain vegetable byproducts and plant proteins—aligned with the client’s manufacturing capabilities.
Investigated emerging sustainable packaging solutions and assessed their applicability for future product lines.
Developed early-stage positioning and messaging strategies to support concept development and consumer appeal.
Created a structured innovation roadmap, including timelines, testing milestones, and coordination points across internal and external teams.
Results
The project yielded 5 consumer-tested product concepts, all of which are ready for potential commercialization and align with the client’s refrigerated and produce-based footprint. We helped validate strategic whitespace opportunities, identified promising plant protein bases, and developed MVPs using core ingredients. Our work also informed sustainable packaging exploration and supported R&D through testing and recipe development, giving the client a clear path forward for innovation grounded in consumer insights and operational feasibility.