Understand your Customer
In this time of conscientious consumerism, customer’s expect more—from the brands they buy and the restaurants they enjoy. They want more transparency on where their food comes from and what’s in it, and more information on how it’s raised and harvested. Increasingly, our customers are also looking for more commitment to sustainable practices in farming and ranching. That’s why, in order to meet consumer expectations, it’s not enough to know your supplier. It’s equally important to understand the end consumer and what’s valuable to them. So, let’s meet our customers.
The Meat Lover
These are your avid meat eaters who don’t limit their red meat consumption, and are often grillmasters themselves. This audience is less interested in the health benefits of bison and more interested in what meat and cuts are available, for home cooking and dining out. Adventurous with their grills and smokers, meat lovers are often part of a bbq tribe who enjoy sharing knowledge, tips and suggestions on how to ‘master the meat’. Adding game meat, like bison, to their repertoire makes them feel like the king or queen of the grill.
The Gourmand
Premium quality over premium price is what motivates this customer. They shop at specialty retailers and markets, as well as looking for premium/gourmet products online and at more mainstream retailers. They love to try new things but are pretty brand loyal if they find a product that ticks all their boxes. Gourmands are culturally-diverse, both in their backgrounds and food choices. And like the Flexitarian and Researcher, they look for ‘clean labels’ – products that contain minimal ingredients that are natural, recognizable, and perceived as better-for-you.
The Flexitarian
Flexitarians are primarily plant-based but do enjoy (quality) animal protein every so often. These are the ‘make your animal protein count’ people. They look for the least processed, most ‘natural’ foods they can find that are also locally grown and raised. Animal proteins like pasture-raised bison are a natural fit for this diet, which is more flexible than vegetarian or vegan diets. Healthy eating combined with ethical consumerism is what drives this growing demographic.
The Researcher
These folks are most interested in where their food comes from, how it’s raised, and what goes into making it. They actually read nutritional panels, scan QR codes and basically do a deep dive into the foods they consume. They will be aware of the divergent health studies of ‘red meat’ but are educated and search out fact-based information on the food they and their families consume. The Researcher is price conscious (part of the research), but understands that value in a product is about more than just sticker price.
The hospitality industry is no different when it comes to meeting their expectations. As a long standing supplier to clients in Canada and Europe, we know what chefs and restaurateurs care about when purchasing the best quality bison meat. They want youthful animals that have been pasture-raised without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics. They care about sustainable ranching and good animal husbandry from farm to plant. And they expect product that is safe, consistent in cut and quality, and tastes amazing.
Value goes hand in hand with quality, and we’re talking more than nutritional value. Building and maintaining a delightful customer experience, and the processes to deliver on that experience, is how we’ve built our Noble Premium Bison brand.
