Friday, December 23, 2011

Focusing on my Marketplace

Setting out to turn Vegetable Alchemy into a commercial venture the first most obvious path seems to be a restaurant. But then, sometimes when I see the amount of new spots on the streets I wonder, does the world really need another restaurant, even if it is plant base, but not plant only. For the time spent, could I not find some other way of reaching a much broader group of people? Facts, I needed facts on the market in order to define a space I could succeed. I confirmed with my planet smart mascot, Oscar who immediately checked for current details from great sources like The Hartman Group:

1) there is a changing food culture with mass scale meal fragmentation;

2) almost 44% of adults eat alone;

3) we have become a 'snack' culture;

4) whimsy and immediate delivery is critical: turn the retail experience on its head;

5) the Modern family is here: intertergenerational, non-traditional, single parent, unmarried, multi-ethnic, in spite of what marketers say;

6) healthier means having a better quality of life, and fun with it;

7) food culture: way beyond personal preference: value, ideas, practices, ingredients,
preparations, tools and techniques, players;

8) nutrition education move over: show help in daily life inspiring food and cooking;

9) traditional daypart meals are surpassed by 150 additionally cateloged eating occasions;

10) regardless of claim by innovator's it is today the victim of today's marketing mix for money.

Information is only as good as one reads it. I see Time Magazine in front of me: ;What to Eat Now' on a November cover. I skim an article in Town and Country on The Quantum Kitchen which I know. I love both but to me what is important is to address the food chain, the outdate production and product and to the guy on the street, the one who is in for a surprise if we do not adapt. And while I admire a recent spot on TED:

I think the idea that someone in an apartment with kids or solo will have the space and the inclination to have a vegetable garden may be a bit out of synche with the reality of the design, although admirable. Glossy press is fun and informative, but what we need is a new system. Disruptive keeps coming to mind but before I say more, Vegetable Alchemy has to dig deeper for a way to significantly alter daily eating to the betterment of people and planet. It is clear the body needs fresh food, mostly plants. Like Holmes did to Watson, I sent Oscar in his best duds back back to find insights and numbers while I work on the new biology of the kitchen. Until then......

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