Two New Market Insight Initiatives Underway in the Summer of Covid

June 25, 2020
Posted in: News
Despite the challenges of working in a global organization during a pandemic, USDBC, like so many other organizations has shifted much of its work to take place online. Zoom and Teams meetings have become the norm for now as has a much enhanced digital presence through social media, Linked In, and different online publications. USDBC’s global reps have stepped up market reporting and monitoring. While we anticipate that some of our global staff may be able to travel locally in the not too distant future, the reality is that travel will still be limited and many major trade shows and events scheduled to take place in the next few months may not take place until 2021 or will take place with local staff only.
Despite the challenges and slightly reconfigured work environment, with support from our partners at USDA/Foreign Agricultural service, we have launched a number of new initiatives that will roll out over the next months. Here we present you with two examples:
  • Dry Bean Value Proposition Study – We will look to develop an in depth understanding of the dry bean category, ie likes/dislikes, purchasing/usage patterns, awareness of health benefits, various recipes/dishes that use dry beans, attitudes toward them, etc. This will be done by exposing both consumers and professionals to a number of positioning statements/strategies for US dry beans (i e health benefits, safety, quality, alternate source of protein, versatility/usage, US origin, sustainability, etc) in order to see which one(s) will have the greatest impact on purchasing/sales.
  • Dry Bean Innovation/Ingredients – We will kick off the work of our Dry Bean Innovation committee through a newly established partnership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). This is the next step in our work to promote the use of bean ingredients in innovative packaging and preparations. We will look at all of the new possibilities on the horizon to expand bean consumption including flours, pastas, desserts, snack foods, etc. This is a brand new initiative, please stay tuned for more details.