Value Proposition

• The value proposition for Gourmet Garden is in offering "herbs that stay fresh for weeks with no waste, so one can have a herb garden ready when they need it every day."

Competitive Advantage

• One competitive advantage for Gourmet Garden is the use of patented technology, including Eva Fresh to prolong the "shelf life of fresh herbs, through refrigeration, without heating, or cooking them."
• The company also partners with trusted suppliers to use only non-GMO ingredients in formulating and processing products.
• Gourmet Garden works with dedicated farmers to sustainably and organically grow herbs, using optimum conditions discovered through years of research. This includes the growing of herb varieties with the best flavor and oils, using GPS systems to sow and water herbs, and the use of optimal growing and harvesting times.

Strengths

• Gourmet Garden owns temperature-controlled vehicles that deliver harvested herbs to its processing facility within 8 hours of leaving farms.
• The company also operates a herb preparation facility in Palmwoods that is accredited by independent quality auditing agencies. The facility uses patented processes to wash, chop, and prepare herbs within 18 hours after harvesting, preserving the natural essential oils in the herbs, and maximizing their fresh flavor and aroma.
• Gourmet Garden has an excellent distribution network of dedicated distributors, merchandisers, and supermarket partners who coordinate to ensure that customers receive quality herbs and spices, no matter the season.

Weaknesses

• According to product reviews, Gourmet Garden products are often out of stock, inconveniencing customers. Also, the prices for Gourmet Garden products are high, and some customers thought that the quantity was small for the price charged. Some customers felt that they were being ripped off and that it was cheaper to grow their own.

Value Proposition

• Shenandoah Growers value proposition is growing and bringing the best ingredients and flavors to consumers who love to cook and those who aspire to learn.

Competitive Advantage

• Shenandoah Growers uses technology to control indoor environments to grow its products. In the United States, it's the only large scale USDA Certified Organic soil-based growing company. It employs high-level science and technological innovation to make sure its consumers get the best products at an affordable price throughout the year.
• Shenandoah Growers is the leading grower and marketer of certified organic fresh herbs for retail in the United States. It has 12 locations across the country where it grows its products, which are supplied to over 23,000 stores daily.

Strengths

• The products supplied to various stores across the country are fresh, USDA organic, and farmed in a sustainable way. Also, they are tasty and come in various types to choose from according to Social Nature review platform.
• In 2018, Shenandoah Growers received the Best Overall Product Promotion award from the Produce Manufacturing Association (PMA). The company won because it had the best online listings, in-booth promotional efforts, and on-site displays.

Weaknesses

• The biggest challenge Shenandoah Growers is facing is the variability in weather and field growing. Since the company's brand (That's Tasty) need to be supplied to retail stores each day throughout the year, the company needs to shift around to various growing regions and fields due to variability in weather. This makes the production costs of the company to increase because it has to rely on indoor production only if it wants to meet the market demand.

Research Strategy

Value Proposition

• For over 50 years, the company has been committed to delivering the freshest products to its customers, offering quality products devoid of artificial preservatives.

Competitive Advantage

• An important point of market differentiation Litehouse has against competitors is its yearly multi-million-dollar investment in R&D, which it considers to be mission-critical for supporting current customers and cultivating new sales.
• On average, its R&D budget grows by double-digits each year to finance its ever-expanding product range, which currently includes over 138 retail salad dressings, apple cider, dips, cheeses, and herbs, as well as organic and non-GMO products.
• On average, the company's R&D department launches six to eight new products every month, meant mostly for private-label customers.
• Apart from its Instantly Fresh freeze-dried herbs, which it co-manufactures with a European freeze-dryer, Litehouse manufactures all of its products in-house through its five production facilities.
• With six retail organic pourable salad dressings, Litehouse's "Organic line is the only triple-certified dressing on the market, displaying USDA Organic, Certified Gluten-Free and Non-GMO Project Verified labels."

Strengths

• The company has grown through over 50 years in the business.
• Being 100% employee-owned, its employees have a sense of pride in its products and relationships with customers, serving as motivation for success.
• Litehouse is the #1 Refrigerated Salad Dressing (RSD) brand in the entire US and Canada, having an estimated revenue of $274.2 million and about 1,100 employees.
• The company's executive team has more than 163 years of combined experience relevant to the business.
• Based on 174 opinions, the company has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 on Facebook. Its Facebook page has 537,185 likes and 531,101 followers.
• Litehouse is active on Facebook, where it interacts with several customers who comment on its numerous posts. Comments from customers are mostly positive, with a majority of them expressing delight in the company's products.
• On Twitter, it has over 17,600 followers.

Weaknesses

• On Glassdoor, several employees have complained about being overworked, working overtime, with lots of weekends.
• One customer complained about her inability as someone with aging eyes to read their expiration dates, as it was written with "yellow ink on a dark blue lid."
• Also, some of its products can be tricky to find at grocery stores. A customer complained that their freeze-dried herbs are only available on Amazon, where it is too pricy.

VALUE PROPOSITION

• The value proposition of Just Add is in offering "Purees and blends, still fresh JUST faster and easier It’s the real thing without any chopping!"

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

• Just Add is an early innovator in the herb puree market. It has been recognized for its innovation in the Casual Dining Awards.
• Considering its early entry into the market, Just Add has the opportunity to grow its customer base while improving its value proposition before competitors enter its market.
• Just Add is also available in major retailers that have access to the United States and European markets including Ocado, Iceland, B&M, ASDA, Dunnes Stores, and Budgens.

STRENGTHS

• The brand has positioned itself as a fitting substitute to fresh herb ingredients.
• Customers buy Just Add products when they have insufficient time on their hands, are feeling lazy or fresh herbs are not available.
• In fact, consumers perceive Just Add puree as not being as perishable as natural ingredients while still delivering freshness that will save them from engaging in regular grocery store visits to purchase groceries.
• Just Add customer perceptions are indicative of a successful brand marketing campaign that should be expanded into new markets to grow Just Add sales.

WEAKNESSES

• Just Add has received some negativity when it comes to its unique flavors. Its garlic puree and ginger puree have received flak for their salt and sugar ingredients that alter the puree taste for the worse.
• Moreover, the chili puree flavor is too bland for consumers. The poor mix of flavors in its ingredients puts off customers which is a concern considering it is an emerging company.

Spice World Inc

Overview

• Spice World positions its products to be the “freshest and most flavorful” supply of garlic in the United States.
• It boasts itself to be the largest supplier of garlic in the United States.
• It offers many garlic products such as fresh garlic, minced garlic, and its “number one” jar garlic products.

Competitive Advantage

• The company offers a wide array of garlic products that are not seen from other competitors. Products include minced garlic, fresh garlic, ready-to-use garlic, squeezed garlic, and others.
• The company’s garlic is grown in farmland in San Joaquin Valley, California.
• The farmland is known to produce high-quality garlic due to its fertile soil and an ideal climate.
• Spice World's garlic products continue to stay on-demand due to its accessibility and quality.

Strengths

• Spice World takes pride in its sustainability efforts, which help the company produce high-quality and healthy products.
• The company has saved in costs and has lessened its wastefulness due to its sustainable efforts.
• Spice World Inc., also takes pride in its extensive distribution network that helps deliver fresh products to its consumers at a faster rate.

Weaknesses

• Spice World suffers from inadequate quality assurance and unreliable packaging.
• Consumers reported that some of the garlic they purchased was moldy and looked old.
• Some consumers also reported that the packaging of the company’s garlic jar products tend to be unreliable as it is sometimes hard to open. In some situations, consumers said that the jar would not close, which led to spoilage and unwanted garlic smell.

Research Strategy

VALUE PROPOSITION

• Goodness Gardens is the home of fresh herbs whereas its farm to table monitoring assures customers of its quality control. Goodness Gardens identifies its products as "100% flavorful created for the love of cooking."

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

• Goodness Gardens has a wide distribution network comprising national, regional and local retailers that also includes online and specialty retailers. Its 32 retail partners include Target, US Foods, Weis, Sysco, and Driscoll Foods, which gives Goodness Garden a wide national and local reach.

STRENGTHS

• Ultimately, the fresh herbs that Goodness Gardens supplies to its customers have grown its customer appreciation. Importantly, its fresh herbs are derived from local farms that significantly improves the brand profile. The local advantage allows Goodness Garden the opportunity to provide customers with a detailed history on the source, transport, and packaging of products that promotes its sustainability and quality advantages.

• Goodness Garden has focused on creating an experience for its customers. The packaging of Goodness Garden products is appealing to its customers. Additionally, Goodness Garden provides recipes and ideas related to its ingredients, which enhances the client experience when using their products.

WEAKNESSES

• Goodness Gardens' products are premium priced. Its expensive prices are considered to be a rip-off by some of its consumers. Customers are concerned that its products value and quality do not match up with the premium pricing.
• Goodness Gardens is beleaguered with food quality challenges resulting in product recalls. In 2011 and 2017, Goodness Garden had a national recall of its chives product as a result of listeria bacteria contamination. In 2011, Goodness Gardens faced a class-action lawsuit from possible poising due to bacterial contamination.

•  Dorot Gardens offers pre-portioned fresh herbs and garlic grown on the company's farm, where they are packaged within 90 minutes from harvesting. Their product packaging eliminates chopping and measuring hence making meal prep time shorter.

Competitive Advantage

• Dorot Gardens produces its own herbs, onions, and garlic, which are harvested and packaged onsite, thus affording the company more control on product quality.

• The company has an unmatched and innovative approach where it markets pre-portioned fresh produce meaning the customer won't need to measure or chop the herbs when preparing a meal.

• The company sells products from its processing plant, and customers can access them through 24 different stores throughout the US. First-time customers of Dorot Gardens receive a discount on purchases, and it regularly offers special offers to customers.

Strengths

• The company has over 3,500 acres of land where garlic, onions, and herbs are grown. Its processing plant is high-tech and fully automated using cutting-edge machinery. This gives Dorot Garden's production line the capacity to produce up to 4,000 trays of fresh packaged produce per hour.

• The company has a robust digital marketing strategy where it uses influencers to promote its products through blogs, social media, and YouTube. It has partnered with the award-winning digital marketing agency called Linqia, and they did a marketing campaign through more than 60 influencers.

• Owing to its innovative culture, Dorot Gardens has invested in the expansion of its facilities to increase production capacity and meet the rising demand. The company has an R&D department that explores new products and approaches to ensure continuous growth.

Weaknesses

• Dorot Gardens' products can be out of stock at times as reported by customers on the company's Facebook page, and the cited products are basil, garlic cubes. Some customers are raising issues about the packaging, and they think it is harder to "pop the garlic cubes." Other customer concerns are about the covering slipping off.

• There are negative reviews on social media regarding issues of quality assurance. These revolve around the products being grown with chemicals, and in an extreme case, foreign objects like staples were found in the company's produce.

Research Strategy

Value Proposition

• The company's core philosophy is "Everyday Food Made Better."
•  Christophe and Katia founded the company to create products that are made from quality ingredients, and offer life-improving convenience for cooking everyday foods.

Competitive Advantage

• Simply Beyond offers intensely pure herb flavors in all-natural non-aerosol sprays. Additionally, the products do not contain chemicals or preservatives like salt, water, or starch.
• The herbs used in products are harvested at their peak and are quickly frozen to preserve flavor and freshness. Further, the herbs are pre-cleaned, chopped, and washed for ready consumption.
• Simply Beyond's herb and vinegar sprays feature a unique air-contact free non-aerosol spray systems that enable to preserve freshness and flavors round the year.

Strengths

• Simply Beyond products are made from non-GMO ingredients and are certified by USDA-Organic.
• Simply Beyond supplies food manufacturers with liquid sprayable herb extracts that are 100% pure, air-contact free, shelf-stable, triple-washed, spun-dried, additive-free, and IQF-frozen.

Weaknesses

• The company has low noise on social media with 1,454 followers on Facebook and 3,541 followers on Instagram.
• Simply Beyond's spray-on herbs and spice contain only 18 servings per container.
• The company offers products in limited categories of organic herbs, vinegar, and spices. Further, the company operates with only 32 SKU's, including variety packs.

Research Strategy

Natural Product

• In the US, natural herb products are popular, meaning that the herb products should not contain any harmful synthetic ingredients.
• Consumers in the US are more aware of a healthier lifestyle, and thus, they shift to natural products, including natural and organic herbs. Customers want fresh, pure, and natural ingredients.
•  McCormick sells natural products. The company maintains its herbs and spices' purity.

Ethnic Cuisine

• Ethnic cuisine is traditional food from ethnic groups. Usually, food from ethnic groups may contain uncommon herbs, such as chervil, lovage, and lemon balm.

• According to the 2018 American Culinary Federation survey, herbs typically used in ethnic cuisine ranked no. 8 among the top 20 food trends in the US. The increasing preferences, diversity, and popularity of ethnic foods have resulted in increased demand for their herb ingredients.
• Examples of popular herbs used in ethnic cuisine are pepper, ginger, and anise from Chinese cuisine, and cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom from Indian Curry.
•  McCormick and Kerry Group sell herbs for ethnic cuisine, such as curry powder.

Fresh Food is Almost Always Considered Healthy

• In a study published in October 2019, 96.2% of respondents believed fresh vegetables were healthy and only 0.9% considered them unhealthy.
• Overall, fresh vegetables were considered healthy by the highest percentage of people at 96.2%, but fresh fruit was close behind at 95.1%.
• Fish, eggs, and chicken were considered healthy at percentages of 85.7%, 76.6%, and 75.7% respectively.
• In a GlobalData study, 59% of consumers choose fresh food because they see it has higher quality than frozen or canned foods.
• The IFIC Foundation noted that "even with nutritionally identical products, consumers are almost five times as likely to believe a fresh product is more healthful than canned and four times as likely to believe a fresh product is more healthful than frozen."

Frozen Food is Considered Less Healthy Than Fresh Food

• In the October 2019 study, frozen vegetables were considered healthy by 66.0% of the participants.
• Frozen fruits were considered healthy by 58.6% of the participants.
• In the GlobalData study, just 19% said frozen food is of high quality compared with 59% who said fresh food is of high quality.

Canned Food is Considered Less Healthy Than Both Fresh and Frozen Food

• Just 27.9% of participants in the October 2019 study considered canned vegetables healthy.
• Canned fruit scored even lower, with just 15.7% of participants saying it was healthy.
• Only 16% of respondents to the GlobalData study stated that canned foods were of high quality.
• In an IFIC study, nearly 50% of respondents said that canned carrots were processed foods.

Canned Meats are Seen as Less Nutritious Than Fresh Meats

• In a survey conducted by Freedonia Focus Reports, more than half the respondents stated that canned meat was not as nutritious as fresh meat.
• A reason given for this perception is that canned foods lose much of their spice during the canning process and additional ingredients are added to make the product shelf stable.

Canned and Frozen Food are More Convenient than Fresh Food

• In the GlobalData study, 48% of respondents said that canned foods were more convenient than fresh food, with just 10% saying fresh food was convenient.
• Frozen food is also considered more convenient than fresh food, with 47% stating that frozen food is convenient.

Frozen Foods are Considered Good Value for the Money

• The GlobalData study found that 33% of consumers say that frozen food is a good value for the money.
• This is a higher percentage than the 28% who consider canned food and 16% who consider fresh food a good value for the money.

Produce Section is Placed First

• The produce section is placed first in the buyers' path to make them feel healthy. Once buyers have healthful options in their carts, such as fruits and vegetables, they might feel good about what they're buying.
• If buyers already feel good about their first purchase, they're more likely to buy less healthful products throughout a store.

Eye-level Products Can Get Higher Sales

• Companies pay big amounts of money to be placed at eye-level. For example, placing more nutritious products at eye level can boost these products' sales. According to experts, "looking up, looking down, bending over, or reaching" takes extra effort and can reduce the likelihood of conducting a purchase.
• When marketing to children, placing food products at kids' eye-level "is a major marketing tactic used by manufacturers." These companies know that if children want a specific product, they are able to beg their parents enough to buy it.

What Works for One Buyer, Doesn't Work for Another Buyer

• Because one buyer is persuaded to buy a product, doesn't mean it's going to work for another buyer. Companies must do research ahead of time to deliver their message to a specific person.
•  Before buying a spot in a store's shelves, it is recommended to study the section where the specific product would fall under as it regards to price point, packaging, and overall look.

Companies Pay Big Money for the Checkout Aisle

• Companies that have their products in the checkout aisle pay large amounts of money for them to be there. This space is called "beachfront property" and is paid "by the inch."
• This section is typically filled with ready-to-eat snacks, like candy bars and chips. Lately, some grocery stores are offering more healthful snack options here. According to studies, placing healthy food options near the checkout area increased sales on many of these items.

In Produce Sections, Wider Displays Sell More

• "The wider the display the more the sales; the narrower the display the less the sales" is they in produce sections. For example, it is best to have fifteen cases on the display "deep and wide and spilling over," than one case of cantaloupes on the shelf.
• With good consumer traffic, this means that one case could generate one or two cases sold per day, while 12 cases could generate 10-12 cases sold per day.

Insights

• In recent years, there has been a shift for consumer to shop along the perimeter of the grocery store — avoiding the aisles in the middle all together. This is in an effort to focus on healthier items like bread, produce, meats, and fruit. Some packaged brands are now attempting to get their products placed in these perimeter areas even if their product would traditionally not fit there.
• Slotting allowances, or the amount a brand must pay to have its product placed in supermarkets, are generally higher for refrigerated products than for shelf-stable products, due to the limited amount of refrigerated space in the store.
•  46% of consumers wish there were more refrigerated and/or frozen items available at the checkout area of grocery stores.
• Consumers increasingly consider freshness of products as a priority, and one way to increase the perception of freshness is by having the product refrigerated.
• Consumers spend the highest portion of their food budget in the middle of the grocery store, however, with "25% of grocery shopping dollars are spent on processed foods and sweets."

Consumers' Perceptions of and Preferences for Fresh & Dried Herbs

• In 2018, 52% of consumers bought fresh herbs.
• Among dried herb sales in the U.S., oregano topped the list ($44 million), followed by parsley at $39 million and basil at $36 million.
• Among Millennials, 37% grow their own herbs indoors.
• Fresh herbs are becoming increasingly popular among American consumers, as there has been a 10-15% annual increase in sales of such from around 2002 through 2017 (the article was published in 2017, which is why the date range ended in 2017).
• According to Rockhedge Herb Farm (based in New York), herbs that are grown locally experienced a 90% increase in demand between around 2012-2017 among its customers (the article was published in 2017, which is why the date range ended in 2017). Furthermore, organic herbs experienced a 10% increase in demand during that same time period among the company's customers.

Additional Findings About Consumers' Herb Preferences

• A nationwide survey of 1,042 U.S. adults (referenced herein as "the survey") found that oregano is the most-well-liked herb, as about 62% like it very much and about 27% somewhat like it. Those percentages and the ones that follow from that survey are approximate percentages because the data graph doesn't state the exact percentages, but rather we estimated such by looking at data points referenced on the graph.

• The survey found that basil was the second-most liked herb, as just over 60% of people said they like it very much and about 28% somewhat like it.

• The survey results identified parsley as the third-most-liked herb among U.S. adults, as about 52% said they like it very much and about 30% somewhat like it.

• Mint was the most-disliked herb, as about 20% of those surveyed said they don't like it.

• About 44% of participants in the survey said they like cilantro very much, while about 25% said they somewhat like it.

• Per the survey's findings, about 41% of people said they like thyme very much and about 37% said they somewhat like it.

• The survey found that about 41% of those polled said they like rosemary very much, while about 36% said they somewhat like it.

• About 37% of participants said they like sage very much and about 40% said they somewhat like it.

• Per the survey's findings, about 32% of people said they like dill very much, while about 36% said they somewhat like it.

• About 32% of participants said they like mint very much and about 36% said they somewhat like it.

Additional Findings About Consumers' Herb Usage

• According to results from the previously mentioned nationwide survey of 1,042 U.S. adults ("the survey"), 42% of participants said they use oregano one or more times per week.

• The survey found that 42% of people use basil one or more times per week.

• Among participants in the survey, 38% use parsley one or more times per week

• Per the survey, 35% of participants said they use cilantro one or more times per week.

• Thyme is used by 48% of people surveyed one or more times per week

• The survey found that 30% of participants use rosemary one or more times per week.

• Sage is used one or more times per week by 24% of the people surveyed.

• Among survey participants, 22% use dill one or more times per week.

• Per the survey, 19% of participants said they use mint one or more times per week.

Research Strategy