Baking&Snack - December 2016 - 44

"Reliability is paramount
to our success at
Manildra. Our team works
tirelessly to ensure our
customers get what they
need, when they need it."
- David Stutz and Craig Siljenberg,
Operations Team, Manildra Group USA

NICHE MARKETING

attract true niche consumers, they can
bring brand-loyal users into a niche
experience."
Food manufacturers must identify a
target niche and then market their product's features to satisfy the specific need
while considering price, production,
quality and customer demographics.
"The most important thing is to understand who your target is," said Cara
Figgins, vice-president, Partners, A
Tasteful Choice Co., Kent, WA. "Once
you know that, then you can focus on
marketing different features and benefits
of the product or change the packaging or
other characteristics to better position it."

Looking for authenticity
Smaller companies can compete with
the larger ones because they have more
product development flexibility and usually deploy tech-savvy marketing cam-

Fancypants Baking. "It's hard to find food
manufacturers whose owners still care so
much about their products that they personally oversee quality control and are
willing spend a Friday night at home doing recipe development with their kids."

New niche occasions
Purposeful snacking driven by the need for
energy, satiety and indulgence has blurred
the lines between traditional meals and
snacks. Seventy-three percent of snacking is
driven by the desire to fill unsatisfied needs
around food, according to the International
Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA)'s
"Snacking Opportunities: Building Better
Snacks."
These new niche occasions create a
need for snackable foods that are portable, convenient, single-serve and offer
enough variety for all dayparts. Today's
consumers are all about fulfilling per-

"In 2017, strong niches will continue to be
more alternative ingredients, no additives
or preservatives, non-GMO and organic."
Cara Figgins, Partners

800-323-8435
info@manildrausa.com
www.manildrausa.com

paigns to introduce products, according
to Innova Market Insights' 2016 Top 10
Trends. Small companies tend to do one
thing, but they do it well, and this appeals
to the millennial need for authenticity.
"Millennials tend to buy products from
smaller entrepreneurs or start-ups they
feel are more authentic," Ms. Nielsen
said. "These entrepreneurs usually create
products starting with a vision to fulfill
a personal need, tell a story, improve on
current products, or meet dietary needs
and issues, like allergy or gluten-free."
Boston-based Fancypants Baking Co.
focuses on two niche markets, namely
allergen-aware consumers and those
looking for an authentic, better-foryou cookie. "I believe that our authenticity is something that resonates well
with the millennial demographic," said
Steven Evancho, director of marketing,

sonal needs during the eating occasion.
Baked goods and snacks are well-suited
to be marketed to occasions and can be
positioned as convenient or served fresh.
"In-store bakeries now offer smaller
portions and individual servings made
with quality ingredients that allow a small
indulgence, an on-the-go snack or the
opportunity to sample a variety of flavors
and choices," Ms. Nielsen pointed out.
Again, consideration of the eating occasion is vital. Consumers are not sitting
down for big meals but opting for smaller
meals and snacks. It's less likely they will
buy a whole pie or cake for dessert unless
entertaining a large group.
"Catering to the new eating occasions
is a good move for food manufacturers,"
Ms. Nielsen observed. "They can create
and supply niche products for different
moments of the day, for example, some-

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Baking&Snack - December 2016

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