Working together with customers to develop new products
NEW YORK The team of plant-based snack manufacturer REDD, Inc. refers to a recently introduced idea to test and improve new goods swiftly as a “innovation playground.” According to Emma Fuerst Frelinghuysen, CEO of REDD, Inc., the online platform, dubbed REDD Lab, empowers and engages the brand’s core consumers while offering insightful information that may direct efforts at reformulation and commercialization.
“We’ve discussed internally about three to five rounds of incubation in the REDD Lab before we’d actually go to market with the product,” she said. “It’s kind of a combination of art and science.”
Radiant Energy Deliciously Delivered, or REDD, is a brand of plant-based bars containing 10 grams of protein and 2 to 5 grams of sugar that are free of dairy, gluten, and soy. A combination of probiotics, prebiotics, and adaptogenic mushrooms is present in the formulations. Oatmeal, chocolate, peanut butter, mint chocolate, and salted caramel are among the flavors.
Over ten years ago, while still an undergraduate at the University of Maine, founder and chief creative officer Alden Blease created the initial version of the brand, which was then known as Rawgasms. When he ran out of fresh food for his college meal plan, he made a snack out of raw nuts, apples, and other things from the bulk bins of the grocery store.
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According to Ms. Frelinghuysen, “he decided to make them into individual servings and sell them at a farmers’ market after people around the campus started asking him about it.” “He is constantly coming up with new concepts and has an abundance of ideas.”
Let’s talk about the REDD Lab, which made its online debut this past fall and offers unique products for customers to purchase and give feedback on. The first products to be tested were two powdered elixirs that promised boosts to immunity and energy. Together with a combination of probiotics, minerals, and mushrooms, the goods also include a blend of pea protein, coconut cream, and cassava fiber. Cold brew latte and chocolate milk are among the flavors.We’re actually reformulating both of the elixirs right now, and we have a new In the coming months, a new taste called matcha latte will be available, according to Ms. Frelinghuysen.”Interesting and unexpected” were the first lessons learned from the launch, she continued.
“We suggested combining the elixirs with water, and the overwhelming feedback we received was that people enjoyed them that way, but when they combined them with their preferred plant-based milk, they were amazing,” the spokesperson said. “The loudness was the other issue. We were essentially asking consumers to mix three scoops of the elixir with one serving in order to receive all the adaptogens, minerals, and protein—and that was a lot of powder. Customers didn’t enjoy putting so much in it because it seemed improper, even if it did dissolve. We changed the formula to provide the same nutritional advantages while adding less volume to the mixture.
Protein bits and sugary snacks that “fit with everything our brand stands for, which is healthful products, low in sugar, functional benefits, giving consumers what they need, and first and foremost plant-based and vegan,” will be tested by the company, she said.
When it comes to working with customers on product development, REDD is not the only company. The Mexican-American meal and snack manufacturer Siete Family Foods introduced Siete Small Batch last autumn to test new ideas online before a wider release. Candy startup Behave made formulation improvements based on data gathered from its low-sugar gummy bears’ direct-to-consumer launch.
“We can move quickly because we have a small team and in-house development,” Ms. Frelinghuysen, who held key positions at The Hain Celestial Group before joining REDD, said. “Go ahead and launch it, get feedback, and make changes later if it’s not perfect.”
According to Ms. Frelinghuysen, testing products online enables firms to get real-time customer data and modify message and recipes accordingly, speeding up time to market and lowering the risks and expenses related to retail distribution.
“In the worst situation, we stop selling it and don’t have to take it back off distributors’ and customers’ shelves if something tastes bad and people don’t like it,” she stated. Since we deal directly with customers, we have a lot morecommand over the chain of supply.