New Competition for the Bagel and Pizza

Here's a new concept that is positioning itself as competition to the bagel, but perhaps it's closest competitor is the pizza and the donut. Yesterday in Manhattan, we noticed 5th Ave was shut down to a stream of people decked out in red and white with Polska flags. It duped us. We knew it wasn't Casmir Pulaski Day, or Polish Constitution Day (which falls on my birthday). October is officially Polish American month (who knew?!?)

In my world, Kolache RULE! These fruity babies look a little on the doughy-side, more like the coffee cake my friends call Pizza Kolache, and less like the delicate pastries Grandma Belanski made (I inherited her recipe and secret). But the brilliant twist on this old-world pastry is the savory versions concocted by these CIA-trained chef/proprietors. They're onto something brilliant and they should seriously think about coming to Chi-town, which boasts the largest population of Pole decedents outside Poland.

Look for Kolache Mama just outside Roosevelt Hotel: 45 E 45th St. NYC

Knowing the source.... of your food

This new initiative from the government is getting the buzz in food circles this week. I worked in this campaign territory way back at the turn of the century (2000). It's a trend that just keeps growing!

If you've been reading my blog posts over the past year, you'll see this is one of my favorite movements in food culture. Now, what will I buy at the Farmer's Market tomorrow morning?

Food in Bits

FoodTV has just launched (softly) another online food channel targeting younger cooks who are less skilled but nonetheless foodies. The future "celeb chefs" are all twentysomethings, like the dynamic duo of Kelsey & Spike. Or Man Kitchen hosted by The video how-to's are made to order for the Millenial generation. Bit-sized. Fast-cuts. Fast talk. Short ingredient lists. Cheap to make. I have to believe part of the marketing plan is do to some social apps. The network is already signed up as a user with last.fm, flickr and of course twitter (1796 followers as of now).

Last summer, I had the pleasure of talking to Ken Obel (of Cgo's famous specialty retailer Fox & Obel). I told him social networking was still ripe territory for the foodie world since it hadn't reached its full social potential (he scribbled notes as I talked). I think Food2.com has the potential to change the game, just like FoodTV revolutionized food culture back in the 1990s.

Knowing the source...just got more important

I've been writing for the past week about knowing the source of your food as a macro trend that just keeps going and going. What I didn't know is that the government has been looking closely at this too--from a public safety perspective. Today, tne NYTimes reports that the Obama admin is concerned about the ability to trace food back to its source, What has been a marketing advantage now becomes a heightened safety issue and a future hurdle for many food manufacturers who have been missing the boat! I'm somewhat incredulous that many food suppliers are not able to trace their supply chain. Yikes!

Excerpt from NYTimes article:
"federal investigators bought 40 products — including tomatoes, oatmeal and yogurt — from retail stores and Washington and tried to trace them to farms or to the border. Investigators successfully traced the source for only 5 of the 40 products, the report stated. Three of the traced products were egg cartons whose supply chain included only a farm and a retailer. For a tomato, a bag of ice, a bottle of fruit juice and a bottle of water, investigators were not able to even guess the product’s supply chain. For 31 other products, investigators were able to identify only the likely suppliers.

The investigators contacted 220 food facilities to ask about their supplier records....(Among) 118 firms, 70 failed to provide investigators with required information about suppliers or customers, with 6 of the companies failing to provide any information at all...According to an estimate from a manager at a grain storage facility, if grain from one farm were contaminated, millions of bags of flour would be at risk and might have to be removed from retail shelves,”

Source: New York Times: Investigators Find Source of Many Foods Untraceable, GARDINER HARRIS,March 25, 2009

Knowing the source... of your jam

An Australian jam company has executed an idea that a gaggle of us had way back in 2000 for an US food brand. Today, trendwatching.com cited Beerenberg Jam's Provenance Pathway as noteworthy. Their online tool allows one to input the code from the jar cap to track what's inside right back to the orchard. Back in a web 1.0 world, the US company I was working with said they just didn't have the capability to set-up a system like this online. Ooh--it was such a good idea then--and it still is now, particularly as these kinds of applications move to smart phones.

It conjures up those feelings we've all felt when the big ones get away. The regret when a really great idea doesn't move forward. (yes, I'm feeling a little maudlin today).

Knowing the source...of your beer

Having lived and marketed through the "natural ingredient-nothing added-knowing the source of your food" trend since the mid-1990s, I was surprised to see a beer now taking this approach. The "green" plants in Michelob's spot, which turns out be be hops, fist caught my attention. (I had no idea what hops look like. "Man from Munich" showcases the guy who sources hops in Germany. I even remembered the tagline after just one exposure, no small feat(Crafting a Better Beer). It gets me interested in the brand again (even if I'm not the target...last time I saw a 6-pack of Mich was at grandpa's).

This macro trend about knowing the ingredients and the source of the food continues to be oh-so relevant, and continues to pick-up steam as Michelle Obama makes this even more topical. I saw how connecting a brand to this food movement grew Gerber share 10+ points. Smart move for a beer brand to occupy this territory.

Got Pie?

All my trend attenae are shouting, it's time to return to pie. This week, Time Out Chicago writes about Hoosier Mama Pie opening in West Town. The owner, a former pastry chef from some of the most well-heeled joints in Cgo, decided to go back to her Indiana roots and return to pie. Yesterday, a group of colleagues decended on the counter at Apple Pan in LA. Magnificent burgers. Amazing Pie. Chunky layers of banana and whipped-from-scratch cream! Sitting at the counter, I felt we were channeling that famous painting, Nighthawks. Even the sound of the slamming screen door at the front of the restaurant just seemed "right." There's something so comforting, so retro about pie in these times!

Side-note: both of these pie restaurants trace their food culture back to Indiana pie traditions.

Keep Reading the Label

For years, we continue to see data and hear consumers say they are reading the label. Häagen-Dazs Five brings a new itteration to an old trend with it's new, all-natural ice cream crafted with only five ingredients: skim milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and natural flavor. Healthy positioning that doesn't sacrifice the promise of indulgent flavor--smart!

Although--I do think that Subway now owns "5" ($5 footlong....)

Burrata: Oh-so Cheesy Mainstreaming

Last year, Saveur magazine wrote about the "secret" society of fans of this hard-to-find Italian premium cheese. Wrote to some friends in the Italian cheese biz to watch for this to mainstream. This summer, it was menued at Scott Conant's new place in NYC, Scarpetta. My sister just had it at the oh-so-hot Crescent Hts restaurant in San Diego. Now it's on the menu on the new mid-priced Italian mall restaurant that just opened at 900 N. Michigan (Frankie's Scalopini). Expect this cheese to continue to mainstream in 2009. Biggest hurdle will be the capacity of the cheese guys to supply.

Finally, an Old Idea Brought to Life

Way back at the turn of this century, a team and I came up with the idea of being able to trace the "provenance" of the packaged food account we were working on. We built a very successful ad campaign around that idea, which as far as I can track--we were the first CPG to advertise this idea. But we wanted to go even further and allow the consumer to input the code online to learn about the specific farmer and his family that grew the food. Back then, the client was technically unable--or unwilling--to take that leap. Eight years later, Gold'n Plump chicken has built their communications around this very same idea. By entering the three-digit code on justbarechicken.com, consumers can learn the location of the farm where their chicken was raised. Interestingly, "bare" positioning has been seen in baby food, chilled fruit, beverages, granola...and now chicken.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/12/01/daily9.html

Return to the Donut

I think Jack Donaghy of 30 Rock is onto something. The character recently opined, "We off cupcakes and onto donuts." In our Repression-era, donuts just seem to be a better fit of the times: substantial vs. ephemeral. I just noticed small munchkin-like frozen lovables at Trader Joe's last week. And of course, the Donut Plant in NYC continues to defy donut conventions, with the recent intro of a Creme Brule donut. Brother, can you spare a dime?