The Opportunity: As the food supplies in the United States continue to be challenged to optimize for feeding the masses and appealing to emerging customer tastes, one large food source remains untapped: insects
The Solution: A cricket protein popsicle as the pilot product of a cricket protein food brand that excites customers to go outside their comfort zone and add a new, easily producible food to their diet.
Research
Initial Trend Intersections
The rapid increase in peoples interest to add protein to their diet and insects as food are two cultural trends that are massively on the rise.
Insight: As desire grows for increasing protein intake and consumption of traditional protein sources like meat decreases, there is an opportunity for insects to fill the gap.
Customer Value Identification and Infrastructure Feasibility
I looked at trends in culture, design, commerce, and tech to gain further insight into the protein revolution's customer values and the feasibility of using insects as a food source.
Market Canvas
I looked at the current cricket food products on the market to understand where they are not meeting customer needs.
Market Opportunity
Opportunity for cricket food products that are reasonably priced and excite customers to eat.
Leading Competitor Analysis: Chirps
Due to their position as the first prominent company in the market making something other than protein bars, Chirps holds the largest market share in the market opportunity area.
Upon examination of customer reviews, there is a lot of negative feedback, underlined in black, about the price and taste for their leading product the Chirps Cheddar Cricket Chips.
Insight: Customers were willing to pay the $18 for a small bag of chips just because they were curious enough to try the food, but good taste and lower prices would be required to make them buy again.
Insight: Customers were willing to pay the $18 for a small bag of chips just because they were curious enough to try the food, but good taste and lower prices would be required to make them buy again.
Reinforcement of the market opportunity can still however be seen underlined in green:
Insight: People are curious and excited to try food made from crickets.
Insight: People are curious and excited to try food made from crickets.
Branding
MoodBoard
To create a eye catching brand to excite millennials and gen z consumers to go outside their comfort zone, I pull inspiration from some bold food packaging designs.
Fun fonts and bright contrast are essential to the fun nostalgia of these brands, but the simplistic graphic elements prevent
branding from becoming overwhelming.
Colors that are appealing in the food production world such as orange, green, and yellow were heavily considered in the
branding.
branding from becoming overwhelming.
Colors that are appealing in the food production world such as orange, green, and yellow were heavily considered in the
branding.
Color Selection
The brand color selection was inspired by one of the pantone colors of the year, Very Peri, and colors that are appeal in the food industry and food production. Then I collected user feedback data to see which color scheme was resonating with potential customers.
Option 3 dominated as the most voted for color scheme
Brand Identity
The Brand identity system is build around feeling fun and surprising, daring customers to try the adventurous products.
Corporate Partnership
To support one of Crikey's core company values of sustainability the company would donate part of every purchase to the Center For Biological Diversity's Save the Insects Initiative. This initiative works to protect endangered insects such as butterflies, tiger beetles, native bees, ladybird beetles, and fireflies. Crikey customers can know that their purchase not only gets them a delicious snack but also supports a cause that aligns with their own values.
Pilot product
Popsicles
Popsicles were selected as the pilot product because they are familiar and delicious desserts. It is much less daunting to try crickets when they are wrapped inside of a delicious sweet treat that most people grow up loving! Also, popsicles were an easy food product to prototype myself so that I could collect initial user reactions and feedback.
Flavor and Ingredient Selection
Two flavors were developed for the pilot test: one to follow emerging food trends and one to be approachable and familiar to customers.
Black Sesame Strawberry
The flavor is inspired by the rise in popularity of Asian flavors in United States food trends. The nutty flavor of the sesame complements and hides the flavor of the cricket extremely well.
Key Lime Pie
This flavor is targeted at providing consumers a friendly American classic. The acid of the lime flavor helps to cut the flavor of the powder, of which the residual taste is passable for the crust.
User testing
Taste Test Set Up
I collected feedback and reactions from two groups of taste testers: piedmont park volunteers and my senior capstone classmates for a total of 45 samplers. Below is my very official setup in Piedmont Park where I had 15 people try the samples over the span of an hour.
Taste Test Stats
After conducting both the class room and park taste tests the following metrics were recorded.
Specific User Feedback
From the samplers, I got some key pieces of feedback.
This taste tester was really excited about how the popsicles would pair well with other things he does for his health.
This sampler loved the adventure element of the popsicle and admitted it was that element that got them to try it in the first place.
Lastly this taster could see how a product like this is on the up and coming!
next steps
Following the positive user feedback and the 93% initial product approval Crikey! wants to garner more momentum through social media adds like the one below, building its social medial presence, and get more people trying popsicles at local pop ups. Also, Crikey! wants to research further food product areas they could potentially sell.
