As new products are introduced to the market and consumers become more demanding in their preferences, there is a need for an objective assessment of quality.
Ukraine already has specialised competitions that evaluate certain categories of food products, from alcohol to bakery products. But are such events enough to provide businesses with an effective platform for development? It would seem that individual tasting competitions, while helping to increase product awareness, are not always able to bring together different industries and create a real business tool for manufacturers. That's why the market has come up with a competition that combines all food categories and has become a powerful business platform - Favorite Food & Drinks.
The founder of the competition, Olena Sinitsyna, explains why the event is unique, what is behind its concept and how participation in it helps suppliers. How can participation in the competition become not just a diploma on a shelf, but a real support for businesses that want to change quality standards? Read the interview with Olena Sinitsyna in All Retail.
- Good afternoon. Let's start with the story. When and how did you come up with the idea to create an independent tasting competition?
- The choice of tasty and safe food is a concern for everyone. Retailers are asking themselves: "What should I add to my product portfolio to attract and retain customers?". Customers, in turn, want to buy products that will not only feed their families and treat their guests, but also surprise them, give them meaning and emotional satisfaction.
In my opinion, in the context of a wide choice of food products, markers are needed to set guidelines and facilitate choice. Such markers can be the following
independent professional competitions that will inspire confidence in the audience. The experts who evaluate products should be well-known to the general public, if not well-known, then understandable in terms of their professional status.
In Ukraine, there are specialised tasting competitions in certain product categories, such as spirits, wine, beer, cheese, and bakery products. However
There was no effective business tool that would combine all food categories and provide expert opinion, no platform for stakeholder networking. For several months
of reflection, consultations with experts representing the interests of various market players, led to the creation of a project called Favorite Food & Drinks.
- How does the Favorite Food&Drinks competition differ from a regular marketing promotion or internal tastings in retail chains?
- Sometimes we see suppliers in supermarket aisles setting up stands with promoters treating customers to new products. Under
During such promotions, feedback from customers is hardly collected and systematised - what they liked or disliked, what other impressions and opinions they have about the products. And often customers cannot explain their impressions.
During professional blind tastings, experts clearly identify what advantages or disadvantages the samples have and evaluate their appearance, taste, aroma, and degree of transparency,
crispness, etc. (depending on the type of product). The tasters personally enter the scores for each product and each criterion into a system specially developed for the tasting competition.
The results of the evaluation of the food products provided by the suppliers of tasting samples are communicated to them in the Extracts of the Tasting Protocol. For retailers, the competition provides an opportunity not only to improve their sensory abilities, but also to replenish their receptor bank. Participation as a taster is the best opportunity to get acquainted with food products of different product categories in a short period of time, without the influence of external factors (tasters do not know the brands, names of suppliers, commercial conditions), which allows them to focus on organoleptic properties and sensory impressions of tasting samples. Whereas in chains, it is difficult to hide information about the supplier who provided the samples, as certain communications (meetings, certain approvals, etc.) have already taken place before the products are submitted to the assortment committee (for tasting).
Every year, about 50% of the tasting samples submitted to the competition are new developments, with updated composition or imported products that are only planned to be launched on the Ukrainian market.
Continued read on the website of the professional publication All Retail