Product: Familiegerecht (Family meal kits)
Company: Honig
Country: The Netherlands
Customisation is perhaps traditionally something that we associate with luxury goods brands rather than everyday consumables.
However, companies around the world are doing their best to add a personal touch to their products - a degree of customisation that goes beyond mere participation.
In non food markets we have seen several introductions of auto-adjustable cosmetics that adapt according to the user&'s skin colour, such as Almay&'s Smart Shade make-up in the US. In skincare, Mademoiselle Bigoudi launched a line of products that are customisable to the needs and moods of the consumer.
Examples of customisation in food are less common.
In the Netherlands, Heinz subsidiary Honig has just launched a line of family meal kits (Familiegerecht) that allow for a degree of customisation.
The kits include the basic ingredients needed to prepare a meal, to which the consumer adds meat. For example, the kit for Swedish meatballs includes fusilli pasta, herb mix for the meatballs, a powdered tomato sauce mix, and a packet of strong spice mix.
The principle is that the meals have a mild flavour to appeal to children, but the sachet of strong spice mix can be added to the adults&' portions to taste.
The product effectively overcomes a problem familiar to families with young children, where the child may not eat spicy food, but the adults do not wish to compromise with a bland flavour. The solution used to be to prepare separate meals, which may make for family harmony but does little for convenience.
There are clearly huge opportunities in making consumers feel that a product is &'theirs&' and is just for them, appropriate for the occasion, or for the people who are sharing the meal.
Honig appears to have found an everyday meal solution that offers a real degree of customisation - the concept could just as easily comprise basic ingredients and different seasoning mixes to create different flavours or recipes from one kit.
Company: Honig
Country: The Netherlands
Customisation is perhaps traditionally something that we associate with luxury goods brands rather than everyday consumables.
However, companies around the world are doing their best to add a personal touch to their products - a degree of customisation that goes beyond mere participation.
In non food markets we have seen several introductions of auto-adjustable cosmetics that adapt according to the user&'s skin colour, such as Almay&'s Smart Shade make-up in the US. In skincare, Mademoiselle Bigoudi launched a line of products that are customisable to the needs and moods of the consumer.
Examples of customisation in food are less common.
In the Netherlands, Heinz subsidiary Honig has just launched a line of family meal kits (Familiegerecht) that allow for a degree of customisation.
The kits include the basic ingredients needed to prepare a meal, to which the consumer adds meat. For example, the kit for Swedish meatballs includes fusilli pasta, herb mix for the meatballs, a powdered tomato sauce mix, and a packet of strong spice mix.
The principle is that the meals have a mild flavour to appeal to children, but the sachet of strong spice mix can be added to the adults&' portions to taste.
The product effectively overcomes a problem familiar to families with young children, where the child may not eat spicy food, but the adults do not wish to compromise with a bland flavour. The solution used to be to prepare separate meals, which may make for family harmony but does little for convenience.
There are clearly huge opportunities in making consumers feel that a product is &'theirs&' and is just for them, appropriate for the occasion, or for the people who are sharing the meal.
Honig appears to have found an everyday meal solution that offers a real degree of customisation - the concept could just as easily comprise basic ingredients and different seasoning mixes to create different flavours or recipes from one kit.
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