SugarCreek: Brandworthy Food Solutions

Sous Vide Can Help Brands Recapture Waning Consumer Interest

Posted by SugarCreek

Aug 31, 2015 1:00:00 PM

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As consumer habits change, brands do not have the same level of trust and loyalty as they did in the past. According to a recent study, brand trust is down across the board. Reasons for dips in trust range from recent recalls and scandals to worries about the quality of ingredients used. But, responsive and attentive brands can woo customers back. One great way is through attending to new consumer interests, such as sous vide recipes.

Inventive Branded Recipes

One of the paradoxes of modern eating is that people are more interested in high end foods than ever before, but have less time to plan meals, master advanced cooking techniques and source high quality ingredients. Brands are able to insert themselves into this process, and become a part of consumer education, by creating recipes that use their ingredients to make a nourishing, delicious and healthy meal.

Include recipe ideas for meals that consumers can put together from your products on your brand's site or Facebook page. You could also create a standalone cookbook filled with recipes that will help families save time while enjoying high quality meals. Make sure that all recipes have a built-in shopping list to help consumers save time when it comes time to hit the grocery store. Home cooks will feel more comfortable because they are picking out fresh ingredients to use in their meals, and the convenience you offer will endear your brand to the busy shopper.

Meal Kits Save the Day

Sometimes, even a recipe with a built-in shopping list is not enough to give customers the time-savings that they need. Meal kits are a way that many consumers are splitting the difference between shopping for and preparing home cooked meals and simply ordering out.

Sous vide cookery is a perfect style to fit the meal kit approach. The whole meal could be packaged, already cooked for consumers who would simply need to reheat the dish and add any personalized finishing touches. It's a great option for busy professionals—especially for Millennials who don’t want to spend time coming up with a meal idea, but still want to add that personal touch to make a recipe unique. Ready-to-eat sous vide meals would allow consumers to add that “finishing touch” without actually having to cook a meal from scratch.

Brands looking to capture new market share could consider branching out from the grocery store and going the online ordering and delivery route taken by contenders already in the marketplace. There are already a number of delivery services—like Plated, Hello Fresh, Blue Apron and others—offering meal kits that can be ordered online and delivered to the consumer's door. But there’s still plenty of room for growth: Plated recently told Forbes that their number of subscribers increases by 50% every month.

It will take concerted time and effort to win back consumers' trust and interest. But, by appealing to their current desires for innovative, fresh and interesting meals, brands can refresh these relationships. Start looking at your current offerings to see which are appropriate for adaptation into sous vide recipes and sous vide meal kits. By offering your help getting consumers started on this up-to-the-moment cooking trend, you can secure your place in their kitchens and continue to thrive.

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SugarCreek

Written by: SugarCreek

Sugar Creek prides itself on its authentic culinary expertise. With nearly 50 years in the food manufacturing business, we know what Americans want to eat.