MEL’S GOURMET FOOD MARKETING PLAN By: – Paritosh Mathur ID Number:67832 Table of Contents 1. Business introduction o Company introduction o Industry context ; market situation o Target markets o Competitive advantage o Key elements of the current marketing strategy 2. The future growth opportunities o Opportunity 1 o Opportunity 2 3. Marketing strategy o Marketing goals o Target markets o New offerings o Pricing ; positioning strategy o Distribution plan o Promotional tactics 4. Examination of the impact of the proposed strategy on net profit, intangible assets ; stakeholder value o Net profit o Intangible assets o Stakeholder value o KPIs 5.
Conclusion 1. Business Introduction • Gourmet Food The word Gourmet refers to high-quality beverages and foods of great taste, which are commonly sold at higher prices because of their care, authenticity, quality and expenses during manufacturing, Marketing, merchandising and Packaging. In the world of food, Gourmet is used instead of “specialty ” and “Premium “. The Taupo and Hawke Bay areas in New Zealand were presented to more than 33.5 million spectators in an episode of the popular celebrity Chef Nicholas Tse show released this month. The popularity of these international chefs is a testament to the growing interest in international gourmet cuisine. Once customers had a fancy in buying ingredients for dishes such as the French pot-a-fire, Hungarian stew, Lebanese kibbeh or British Yorkshire pudding, but the market now attracts many customers on the hunt for authentic Indian gourmet food.
Food that is basic gives way to food that is not-so-basic and gourmet food is at the pinnacle of not-so-basic food. Food categories. (2012, February 1) Profile of MEL’S Gourmet Foods The company is owned by an Indian couple Avi Kewalramani and Melisa Hurst. Their upbringing and food & hospitality background developed a sense of passion and love for food and exotic flavors. After coming to New Zealand in 2000 they were asked the recipes for Indian dishes during office hours and friends get togethers.
Positive word of mouth, overwhelming response and the need of good gourmet Indian food triggered and idea of opening their own business which is now a company. The next question was the name, Melissa’s inspiration was Lisa’s which offers Mediterranean food dips. Her name had nothing to do with Mediterranean food, but Lisa found a gap in the market. As they were coming into a market where there were quite a few brands out there claiming to be Authentic Indian Mel’s is proud to be New Zealand owned and operated. The couple is happy spending nights designing logos and creating beautiful, ethnic designs for the labels. Vision Statement To be every household’s name and choice of brand of choice with New Zealander’s when it comes to gourmet Indian food.
Mission Statement The team at Mel’s Gourmet aim to be New Zealand’s preferred brand in the category of Premium Indian ‘ready to use’ gourmet foods. They take pride in delivering a high-quality product at affordable prices and at the same time ensuring great value for money and customer delight. • Industry Context and Market Situations Mel’s Gourmet Indian foods are different from other products in three ways: TASTE – They are quintessentially Indian. Authentic original recipes are used so the products are fresh and taste amazing. EASE – Preparing the products is effortless, requires no sweat ready in minutes.
TEXTURE – Each packet of Mel’s spices contains whole herbs and spices. • MELS Products and Services Spice Mixes 1. Tangy Tamarind Chutney: A piquant dipping sauce 2. Tandoori Marinade: A spice rub for grill or bbq 3. Rogan Josh Masala: A robustly spiced curry, great for making Biryani 4. Madras Coconut Masala: A potent South Indian curry with Coconut, Chilli, Tamarind ; Spices 5. Korma Masala: A creamy spiced sauce with Cashew nuts ; Cardamom 6. Hot Vindaloo Masala: A spicy Goan curry sauce with Chilli, Vinegar ; Spices 7. Butter Chicken Masala: A creamy spiced sauce 8. Bhajia Mix: A batter mix for Onion Bhajis 9. Mel’s Poppa’s Brinjal Pickle Services Designer Cakes- They prepare designer cakes for wedding’s as well as Novelties for mostly any theme Contract Manufacturing They manufacture and develop products for other companies. Classes They also run cookery classes at their studio. Classes are available in Indian cooking and Cake Decorating. Recipes Original authentic recipes are used which deliver deliciousness in the kitchen every time. Freight Freight charges are included in the order if you order a minimum of 6 units.
Freight charges for less than 6 units are $7. Rural delivery is an extra $5. CHALLENGES Of course, there will be challenges, legal hurdles and logistical considerations. You must store food products safely, package items attractively, fulfill the orders with various shipping options and meet any legal requirements for marketing food online. Getting food licenses and permits involves meeting various local, state, federal and even international regulations.
If you sell your products at fairs, festivals and retail locations, other problems and issues will surface. You might need be able to use the restaurant’s kitchen for food preparation, but if your business grows, you could require additional workspace and employees. • Target Market The below-mentioned segments are identified as a target market for MEL’S GOURMET Foods. • People who live and work in New Zealand, who are looking for quality ingredients needed to prepare their favorite international cuisine. • Families who like premium quality, authentic gourmet meals to take home and prepare for their families with ease.
• People looking for high quality, unique gifts, and kitchen supplies. The last ten years have seen an increase in New Zealand’s explorations of foreign and gourmet foods. If this can be attributed to famous chefs, travel abroad, new health regimes, or the increasing accessibility of ingredients once dark, it seems that Gourmet and adventurous palates are there to stay. The proliferation of visitors has forced this once isolated community to meet and offer a greater variety of food and experience that they would seek by themselves, and many residents are now as sophisticated in their food tastes than ours.
• BUYER PERSONA 1 Background Food blogger Always busy Loves convenience Always on the go Foodie Likes experimenting Hates waiting long time for food delivery Demographics Male 34 Urban Earns $60.000 Behavior and Interests Reading food magazines Watching YouTube cookery videos • BUYER PERSONA 2 Background Manager Human Resources at ANZ Bank Hates Cooking Loves Indian food Orders food from outside during get-togethers Likes to show off Demographics Female 36 Urban Earns $110.000 Behavior and interests Travelling Spice collection • COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE MEL’S Gourmet foods have a great competitive advantage as they have already established a following among family and friends and had to spend less time marketing because of positive word of mouths. They are distributing their range of products all over New Zealand and people were even take them for their friends and family to Australia. They also update recipes on social media quite frequently using their own products which develop better relation with customers and at the same time keeps them updated. The variety of spices, condiments and other services offered by Mel’s is an unconditional advantage as the number of Indians living in New Zealand and visiting the place is in a huge number. The popularity of Indian food all over the world.
There are a lot of Indian food establishments and a large number of people who are eager to learn the Indian Recipes. Also, the owners are from a food and hospitality background and their ethnicity and food knowledge ensures perfection in every packet. • Competitor Comparison MEL’S GOURMET FOODS SPICE N EASY PASSAGE FOODS Indian authentic gourmet products More Range of Products like masala, cumin, turmeric powder and More into Organic Food, Rice, snacks. Less Range of Indian Food Founder of Indian Origin Founder of Indian Origin Non-Indian Company More Range of Cakes Less Bakery Range Less Bakery Range Less Range of Legumes More Range of Legumes More Range of Thai and Chinese STUDIO Easy Recipe Kit, Cookery classes • There are a lot of Growth opportunities for MEL Gourmet foods by bringing a new range of food products like legumes, organic food etc.
• By reaching B2C clients will also be an added advantage for the company. • Enhancing outreach to individual food lovers in the country will be an advantage. • MARKET TRENDS According to Food Services and Agriculture the gourmet retail space has witnessed rapid expansion in the last five years and is expected to grow over the next few years. Currently pegged at US$1.3 billion, the gourmet food market in New Zealand including retail, cafes and restaurants is growing at a compound annual growth rate CAGR of 20% and is set to cross US$2.740 billion by 2019. The sale of gourmet products has benefited from the so-called hourglass market phenomenon. This is when the demand for a product by the consumer is strong, either at the top or at the lower end, and low in the middle.
In the past, products like luxury chocolate had a finely defined niche. Their target audience was the wealthy consumers who were able to pay for the products either as gifts or for personal enjoyment. Today, gourmet products are becoming the mainstream, but those who are better educated and more mundane, due to their exposure to more refined foods and beverages in cafes and restaurants, whether through Watch celebrity Chef shows or by your own travel abroad. These consumers choose the highest standards of flavor and quality when it comes to choosing their drinks and food. Beverages and confectionery are Product Classification 2012 2015 Compound Annual Growth Rate 2012-2015 2018 Compound Annual Growth Rate 2015-2018 Compound Annual Growth Rate 2012-2018 Beverages & Confectionary $9,904 $14,700 10.4% $22,701 9.1% 9.6% Gourmet Foods & Ready-to-eat Meals $8,000 $15,100 10.0% $21,516 17.0% 11.0% Condiments & Cheese $4,230 $5,435 6.5% $7,252 5.9% 6.2% • KEY ELEMENTS TO THE CURRENT MARKETING STRATEGY 1.
Product Mel’s is a trusted brand name offering good quality and taste. It started its operations from a small business in 2006 to becoming a big company. Imports orders all over New Zealand and the products are easily available in every food store, superstores and hypermarkets. Offering a vast range of products which are gluten-free and created in a HACCP approved kitchen in Auckland from ready to eat curries and sauces, to spices and cakes it is catering to mass audience 2. Price The financial year 2013-14, Mel’s had good revenues. At its onset the brand wanted to penetrate in order to capture maximum part in gourmet foods market all over New Zealand.
The company knew that some customers by nature were price-conscious so they decided to adopt a competitive and penetration policy for its products and kept its prices lower than its rival brands. It has a reasonable pricing strategy that makes its products affordable and within range. Small packets were introduced so that it became easy buys. Large sales volumes have helped the company in achieving greater revenues. 3.
Promotion Competition has been a driving factor which has led to Mel’s making some good changes in its promotional policy. It has adopted Profile Advertising strategy and consequently has designed several mailers. brochures and attractive posters for enhancing brand visibility. The company took help of print media and advertised about its entire product range through newspapers, magazines and social media. The company has paid special attention to its presentation and packaging so that it can maintain taste, freshness and flavor of the product for a longer time-period. 4.
Place New Zealand has seen a boom over the last few years in the tourism sector and the growing popularity of gourmet food and still limited options available for Indian gourmet food in New Zealand Mel’s has hit the right the target market. The Flat Bush road where Melissa Hurst has lived with her family for seven years provides a snapshot of the area’s growing diversity. The 2013 Census indicated 52,400 identified as Asian. the diverse range of cultures in the area also made Mel’s work and more interesting. In the past decade there has been significant change of tastes among local residents have changed and people have made themselves to be more in love with spices. 2.
THE FUTURE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES Better consumer lifestyle, urbanization, high income, are increasing the demand for on the go convenience foods, thereby powering the gourmet food market growth. Changing food consumption behavior among consumers, increase to spend more on such food and the busy work lifestyle which provides less time to cook at home are a result of the rapid urbanization Innovative products in functional ingredients, convenience, and organic foods and advancement in areas of packaging technology are expected to provide a future growth opportunity in the sector. 1. To cater to the needs of Food Establishments like hotels, restaurants regarding ready to use Indian spices which in turn help them to enhance business by providing authentic Indian taste. 2. A great opportunity to become a leading supplier of authentic Indian spices to the food lovers for domestic as well as commercial use. 3. MARKETING STRATEGY • MARKETING GOALS 1) Expanding business internationally with supplies across major countries by 2020 2) Since it has already mass market expand to premium product service in niche high end market by mid-2021 • Future Target Markets 1) Food Establishments 2) Organic food suppliers 3) Premium luxury clients who want high end products and service Marketing of spices has undergone a sea change.
Ready to use spice mixtures, and other value-added products designed to fetch better returns have come into the market and are widely accepted. Indian spices come in a variety of forms like whole spices, spice blends, crushed spices, curry mixes, curry pastes, pickled spices. • NEW OFFERINGS/POSITIONING IN HOME CHEF Keeping in mind the current situation and market reach, Mel’s is pretty strong but for it to be the future of gourmet foods it has to generate new ideas and strategies. The concept of In home chef is the future. Bringing a unique tailored dining experience in the comfort of you own home.
Mel’s will handle everything from the shopping, to the cleanup. They will be prepare a one of a kind menu for the customers special evening by using their own range of products. Since they already provide cooking classes this concept will work wonders. It will be priced at 75$/person all inclusive. WEIGHT LOSS SNACKS In 1970s scientists described a link between eating a high-fiber diet and a reduced risk of cancer. However, consumers did not immediately increase their consumption of high-fiber cereals.
Today we are living in the same time, introducing healthy on the go snacks for weight loss and keto diets will hit the right spot. Snacks like diet chips, multigrain bars, mix seeds can be consumed on the go. The price will be 15$ respectively. Distribution PROMOTIONAL TACTICS: 1) Tie up with a Celebrity – PR team will invite media personnel to do an in-store demonstration on one of the selected gourmet food items.
Further negotiation can be done for advertising with the newspaper or blog for a percentage off coupon that is exclusive to their paper only. The newspaper also has the opportunity to do cross-promotion for their columnist as well 2) Social media advertising through channels like BuzzFeed, Tasty which are popular. This will give the brand international exposure as well as cater to the needs of the premium offerings it has intended to deliver. 3) Sponsorship- Food festivals, night markets, sponsoring events which will result in high brand equity and recall. Holding live demonstrations and giving out free samples to people visiting the performances, before and after the show.
4 EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED STRATEGY ON NET PROFIT, INTANGIBLE ASSETS & STAKEHOLDERS VALUE NET VALUE: Mel’s is a popular trusted brand with vast market share ad recognition. Let’s imagine few statistics which are based on general assumptions of the company’s revenue and sales and other factors in order to calculate it’s net income Revenues a) Product Sales b) Cooking classes Total $50000 $14000 Variable costs a) Materials b) Wages $800 $9000 Contribution Margin $47000 Fixed costs a) Rent b) Licenses/permits $3000 $500 Net Income- $43500 The above chart proves that based on basic expenditures Mel’s is incurring a profit of $43500 INTANGIBLE ASSETS: 1) Customer service 2) Brand name 3) Trademark 4) Goodwill in the market STAKEHOLDERS VALUE Gourmet food business has impact on various stakeholder groups. These groups show concerns and interests based on their market contexts, here are the major groups that determine the company’s social responsibility: 1) Customers 2) Employees 3) Communities • The promoters name and goodwill will increase when products will be liked by more outreach to people. • The faith of people using products will add value to the vision of promoters KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOS 1) Quality of Products 2) Taste 3) Aroma 4) Shelf Life of Products 5.
CONCLUSION Recent trends in increased consumption of gourmet foods in the market and growing health concerns have made a significant change in perception. Spices are now perceived as an essential ingredient of foods and not merely another commodity. The future success of spices industry, to a great degree, depends on the ability to establish standards and regulation for production, processing and marketing the commodity. To conclude regarding products offered by MEL’S Gourmet foods it was found that it is the leading manufacturer of Indian curries and spices in the region. The company has emerged as a leading brand in the New Zealand market. As per the competition by other players like spice and easy and passage foods it was found that they are well-settled players in terms of these products in the market but don’t have that brand recognition and goodwill.
With key performance indicators, and future goals it is found that the company is trying to reach maximum people and food establishments in the country to establish itself as a major brand in the international market as well. As per the competitive strategies, it will increase its outreach with new trends and innovations and targeting both niche as well as mass markets with different product and service range. Mel’s by 2020 will be the premium leading brand in gourmet Indian food. References Bajaj, C. (1991), “Foreign Collaborations: An Innovative Option”, IIMB Management Review, Vol.
6, No. 1;2, pp.142-145. Gourmet foods: A new challenge. (1985, January 1). Gifts ; Decorative Accessories Saxena, S. (2018). A Study of Factors Affecting Brand Switching for Processed and Packed Ready-to-Cook Food Packs.
SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3164049 The Qualities That Make Food, People, and Places Gourmet. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thespruceeats.com/gourmet-defined-1665527 Senauer, B., ; Degeneffe, D. (2010).
Food marketing. Boston: McGraw-Hill Create
