Freshly-Packaged Foods There's a couple trends that I've noticed. People want to be healthier. Sales of organic products are growing at a steady 20%. Over 20% of BC consumers regularly purchase organic products. Health food stores sales are up, and the media is turning its relentless eye on it - think of the film "Super-Size this" and the best-selling book "Fast Food Nation". Yes, healthiness is certainly a concern. Convenience is also becoming increasingly important. In Canada, packaged food sales are expected to grow reach $30.8 billion this year. Refrigerated & frozen pizza, and refrigerated entrees posted annual gains of 31%. In BC, 29% of food spendings are spent in restaurants. And we're talking about a market that spends over 11% of their disposable income on groceries already. That's big. That's the health market, and that's the convenience market. I believe that a product that can intersect these two qualities can be successful. But let's not forget flavour. In the book, "Food Fight", Brownwell notes that "Study after study shows that taste is the primary determinant of what people eat, with cost and convenience also ranking high". Which is the third trend I've noticed. All these packaged foods companies trying to pretend that the customer will expect restaurant-quality food from a frozen package - bistro pizza, signature soups, rising crust pizza. That's the niche they're trying to create, but what discriminate palette *really* expects restaurant quality food from a frozen package? When you talk about authentic-restaurants, it is always always on a higher level of flavour - even than home cooking many times. This is an opportunity for something that can create a unique niche in the food market. Something healthier than Delissio pizza, something more convenient than fresh produce, something tastier than Pizza Hut, and something more affordable than Thai restaurants. I think one possible product (among others) is what I would call freshly packaged foods. Food that is ready to be cooked, but fresh. It's not a brand new concept either. I mean, butchers sell pre-marinaded meats. Just dump them into the oven. Freshly cut vegetables are found in the produce aisles, ready to be stir-fried. From what I hear, you can buy chopped veges and meat that you can dump in a pot and make soup stock. The idea is not completely new. I'm thinking about someone that devotes their energy to creating recipes and foods that are delicious, convenient to prepare, and affordable. I'm talking chow mein, pizza, fajitas, pad thai, jambalaya, curry chicken. The produce is pre-cut, spices pre-mixed, and flavours that are meant to stand out. I mean, really, stand out. In 30 minutes or less, it's ready, without taking out the cutting board even. I've tried butcher cut marinades... and they're good. But you don't expect restaurant-quality food from butchers, even if they are chefs! No fresh garlic, no onions, and it doesn't even have a name. I say we need something better than this. I ask for fresh onions, fresh rosemary, garlic, ginger, extra virgen olive oil... I say chopped basil, five-spice, brown sugar and only freshly ground pepper. And I'm talking about variety too. This, I think, is the intersection of these criteria. It is a marriage of fresh ginger and lipton side kicks. It is the union of Olive Garden and Old El Paso Taco Kits. I'm not talking about the destruction of the frozen packages and fast food. They've got distribution, massive marketing budgets (more than $1 billion for McDonald's) and a customer base of addicted returnees. They have fast and immediate gratification ("your order is ready!"), appealing taste, and fancy packaging. Nor is it the end of fresh produce. People want control, they want variety, and they want the lowest price they can get. I'm talking about a niche market... people between the two. They want convenience, they want price, they want health, and they want fllllaaaavvvvouuurrr! But everytime they choose one option, they damage their wallet, their liver, or their t.v. couch time. Is there a niche product for people who want more balance? I think so. The market already exists inside supermarkets. I think that this is an opportunity for someone to do it really well. Back to Chris Lau's website