Developing New Ideas

Developing a new food idea is challenging, stimulating and creates new interest, but where do original ideas come from? New ideas can be triggered by the creations of others. It is therefore worthwhile to keep abreast of what is happening around us. Here are some suggestions:

• Research the market.
• Visit other establishments.
• Visit your competitors.
• Catering exhibitions, competitions, and trade shows.
• Books produced by chefs.
• Food and industry magazines.
• Food television programmes.
• Food, chef, restaurant websites.
• Chef and restaurant organisations.
• Lectures, food demonstrations.
• Visiting suppliers.
• Gourmet food stores.
• Overseas travel.
• Farmers markets.
• Look at food trends.
• Team focus groups, brainstorming.

Idea screening

Before going into the development stage, screen your idea to eliminate any unsound concepts before you start devoting any time and resources to development. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the idea practical?
• Do I have the craft skills to produce the item?
• Do I have access to the facilities/equipment required to produce the item?
• Can I source the ingredients?
• Is this product suitable for my target market?
• Are there any competitive pressures?
• Will the product be profitable?

Activity

From your market research results, identify ideas and screen your ideas. Do you think they are viable ideas? You should have one key idea for a new product that you would like to pursue.