Thursday, February 24, 2011

Design A Cereal

If you think you know a thing or two about cereal and want to create the next big cereal aisle hit, consider designing your very own cereal and bringing it to a grocery store near you. It's a fairly simple food to create, and there's a ton of flexibility in putting a few basic ingredients together in a bunch of different ways. Here's make your dream a reality.








Instructions








1. Check out the competition. Stroll down the cereal aisle at your local grocery store. Pay attention to which cereals cost the most, which have the most shelf space, and think about which cereal brands and types you see on TV most often. Note the box designs and packaging, and what words are used to promote popular cereals. Words like "whole grain," "healthy," "natural" and "fun" are all big buzz words right now.


2. Decide which audience you'd like to target. The cereal you design should cater to a group of consumers who you think would like your product. Groups like children, the health-conscious, college kids, and dieters are common groups to choose from.


3. Choose the grains and how they should be processed. Corn, rice, wheat, oats, and bran can be mixed and combined in many different ways. The way that the grain is processed will also affect the end product. Learn more about cereal production and methods to help you decide.


4. Determine the shape of the cereal. You could create flakes, clusters, rings, balls and so on. Pick the shape based on the market you are trying to attract.


5. Pick the sweeteners. Use dried fruit, marshmallows, chocolate, sugar, honey, or mix and match to create your cereal. Then, add any other items to the mix to make the product unique and improve the taste and texture like nuts and clusters or even color-changing marshmallows.


6. Design the brand and take your new cereal to the next level. Come up with a catchphrase, mascot or key benefit to use to promote the new product and then begin building your breakfast empire.

Tags: about cereal, cereal aisle, different ways, grocery store, your cereal