Practical experience of launching a soyfood product in the ...



Practical experience of launching a soyfood product in the SA market

(With focus on TVP/Soya Mince)

John Wheaton (BSc) – ex Marketing Director, Imana, now Private Consultant

Brief History of Soya Mince Products in SA

Soya, Miracle Food of the East - grown for at least 5000 years in China, where it’s known as the Yellow Treasure and considered one of the five sacred grains (with rice, wheat, barley & millet) – should be the Miracle Food of Africa, let alone the World: land used to feed 1 person on beef, would feed 20 on soya

Successfully grown in Europe and America from the late 1800’s and used as animal feed until early 1900’s. High protein content discovered by George Washington (Peanut Butter) Carver who motivates human consumption; by 1935 soya beans grown for processing equals volume grown for animal feed

Textured vegetable protein (TVP), developed in the late 1950’s, introduced into South Africa in the early 1960’s in the form of ‘meaty’ chunks (e.g. Somos) as a Wonder Food. Unacceptable product taste and texture creates very bad early experiences for most of the market – still influences today’s market negatively

Early soya mince products of the late 60’s (e.g. Funa, Jabula), launched in an effort to capitalise on the enormous Black/Mass market, have unacceptable taste and cheap presentation; create image of ‘peasant food’ – still influences today’s market negatively

Attempts in the early 1970’s at better-formulated soya mince products (e.g. Toppers) result in a marginal image improvement as ‘vegetarian’ or ‘student’ food – here there is still nostalgia and tolerance, rather than total acceptance

Development of Imana

Founder, John Alcock is determined to do something about the scourge of Africa, Kwashiorkor, and make a difference (still a fundamental company aim). Initial re-packaging of a standard (and inferior) product supplied by Tiger Oil Mills to various customers in 1984. Main customer of Imana being the laudable Kupugani organisation

With improving sales, John’s son Paul attends marketing course, bringing John Wheaton into the organisation to give marketing input. Since many companies have tried for years to create this market and failed, the task won’t be simple and there won’t be a single answer

First task is to broaden the customer base by making the product appealing to a wider range of consumers in addition to those of Kupugani. The image and packaging of the product and its distribution would all need to be improved

During this phase, Tiger Mills discontinues supplying their complete product and Piet Theron is brought into Imana to formulate new products. Results in a giant leap in product quality and taste that places Imana Mince way ahead of all other products available, including ‘top-quality’ Toppers

Standard message promoted by the industry that soya mince is an economical source of protein - a ‘cheap meat substitute’ (classification still used by Nielsen) - totally wrong (unfortunately, this message is used by Robertsons in their Knorrox Mince drive into ‘Transvaal’. The result is that these consumers still consider soya mince to be a product for ‘poor people and pensioners’)

Since this is a classic case of negative (anti-) demand, the marketing task is to reverse this demand. Since the negativity is towards the taste, this cannot be countered by promoting cost and nutrition - all efforts need to be directed at improving the product taste and proving this to the consumer by demonstration.

Realising this, Imana Mince is re-positioned on a taste platform supported by face-to-face wet demonstration and taste tests, ultimately resulting in the formation of Imana’s extensive force of promoters

As soon as the Imana consumer message is re-focused to one of great taste (with the promise fulfilled by a superb product) sales improve rapidly. Increasing sales makes re-packaging of Imana Mince into attractively-designed, up-market cartons feasible, positioning Imana as the supreme-quality soya mince compared with Funa, Jabula and even Toppers

The combination of a superb product in attractive packaging, marketed by face-to-face demonstration by a company that is oriented toward customer and community care, not profit at all cost, results in sales that double year-on-year. A market worth an estimated R3 million in 1984 is now worth some R300 million. Imana can truly be regarded as the creators of the modern soya mince market

Lessons for Marketers - Mistakes avoided

1. Production orientation – production facilities improved and expanded to meet consumer demand. Imana did not install expensive automatic plant and then attempt to create the demand.

2. Product orientation – while there is a clear latent demand for this type of product, the method of promotion means constant feedback from the consumers. Consumer wants taste and is prepared to pay for this – feeding schemes and mass-catering operations still focus on price, leading to great wastage

3. Marketing ‘technical’ features – the market does not buy food because it’s healthy and nutritious, it buys food that’s yummy (health and nutrition are a bonus)

4. Assumed intrinsic benefits – Industry knows that soya will feed the starving millions, but do they want it? Without a positive educational campaign a wall of resistance and rumour forms

5. Negative marketing – the market does not buy foods that have no cholesterol, it buys foods that are heart friendly

6. Talking down to consumer – regardless of LSM, consumer does not want to be fobbed off with inferior products designed for peasants, no matter how cheap. Product quality and presentation must be first-class –consumer is not a fool, she’s your wife

7. Ignorance of consumer – learn about the consumer, the culture, eating habits, buying habits, everything. Soya mince is not a Black/African foodstuff, one can’t dump it in e.g. Kenya and expect to make millions; market education and promotion are essential (Examples)

The Future?

Starting in a garage with little more than a dream to feed the people, Imana on its own made that dream a reality. Yes, Imana has grown, but this has cost millions in market development, a development that has directly benefited the TVP suppliers and a horde of me-too competitors (many with dubious products and non-existent ethics). We in the industry know that soya is a miracle food, the food of the future, the only food that will feed the starving millions as resources dwindle. Education and expensive promotion created the existing SA Soya Mince market, expensive education and promotion is required to expand it and develop the rest of Africa.

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