There is an old biblical saying, “there’s nothing new under the sun” and when it comes to the development of a product this couldn’t be more true. Since the beginning of time 106 billion births have occurred since the dawn of the human race. If you research the various cultures across the globe you will quickly learn that everyone one has some type of fried rice dish, bread use for rolling up meat and vegetables (sandwich) and dessert sweetened with honey, sugar, syrup etc. Creating a unique product is only a minor part of your goal as a home-based baker. When thinking about how you will develop the perfect product you must first decide what type of product you will bake.
Take a moment to honestly consider each of the following questions:
- What do you enjoy baking and why?
- What is special about your baked good? Is it the texture, taste, visual appeal?
- How much time is involved in making this product? (2 hours for one cake or 2 hours for 5 dozen cookies?)
- Examine the ingredients carefully? Are the ingredients expensive, available and common?
- Does the product you want to develop have a glitch? Contains gluten-free flour or an alternative sweetener?
- Are there other products out there on the market that are similar to yours?
- What sets your product apart from others? (I use a wonderful Melipone Mexican Vanilla that makes my cakes stand out. Do you have a signature ingredient?)
Once you have answered these questions it is time to develop your signature product and pay close attention to all the special ingredients or techniques that will set you apart from your competitors. Think of the yourself as a “creative scientist” in a laboratory (kitchen) using various chemicals (ingredients) to create a unique potion (product) that will entice the masses.
This is the same strategy major food companies use when creating new products. The start with a basic product, for example, a vanilla cupcake, then add flavorings, dried fruits, chocolate morsels, coconut, a variety of ingredients and assess the finished product.
Product development can be expensive and time consuming but it is a necessary step if you want to create a signature product that will attract the masses. Your goal is to create a product that is delicious, good texture, visual appeal and memorable. If your product is similar to all the others on the market you may fail and the beauty of being a small home-based operation is that you can create on a small scale all those products that commercial bakeries may find too expensive or time consuming to prepare.
What will set your product apart from all others?
- Ingredients
- Texture, Taste and Quality
- Visual Appeal
- Packaging
- Ease of Availability
- Affordability
- Low production cost
The recipe checklist is used to assess your recipe development and allow you to provide details about the recipe and all the various dynamics that make it unique.
