INTRODUCTION
I love snacking and snacks, both savoury and sweet.For me snacks are a treat I look forward to and more often than not crave. I love full-fat (read full-taste) snacks. They’re supposed to be a pleasure to eat, guilty or otherwise.
If the prospect doesn’t make your mouth water and the eating make you smile, both inside and out, what's the point ?
I am also one of the probable majority who once they start find it either difficult or impossible to stop, the end of the bag, invariably family sized, a disappointing if not momentarily painful jolt back into reality - why didn’t I buy more?
Along with the soft-drink and fast-food industries, the Snack-Food industry has endured increasing pressures to produce healthier alternatives. These as with most food products labelled ‘lite’ or ‘low fat’ have resulted in both reduced mass (fulfilment) and reduced taste which for myself, and I’m sure many others has meant I only ever tried them once.
Despite this, an ever increasing demand for healthier ingredient snacks has seen the emergence of a sector experiencing progressive growth, outpacing overall food and beverage sales growth in the USA and outstripping demand for traditional snacking formats in the UK.
Influences/trends include -
- A nationwide obesity and diabetes type 2 crisis, though not exclusive to the USA or UK
- Increased preference for products perceived as more healthy (although often misleading especially within the Health & Fitness industry)
- Busier lifestyles and eating/snacking on the go
- Increase in gym memberships and physical activities
- Resultant focus on lowering carbohydrate and increasing protein intake
- Increasing preference for organic or GMO free foods
- Increasing concerns over fillers and preservatives etc
- Increasing preference for simple and recognisable ingredients (clean labelling)
Whilst the majority of traditional snack-foods cannot address a majority of the above, with the exception perhaps of certain nuts and popcorn, there is one (traditional in Southern Africa for 400+ years and experiencing progressive growth in the UK) that delivers on most if not all of the above without compromising on massive taste - Biltong ! (apologies to Vegetarians/Vegans)
Biltong in it’s original form is a naturally lean steak, or game meat, dry cured with nothing but whole food spices. The flavour has the richness of steak, the kick of fresh cracked peppercorns and aromatic coriander with the complexity of a well aged prosciutto. It’s delicious, filling, nutritious (Vitamins,Minerals and health/fitness supporting amino acid by-products), low fat, low carbs, low sugar and high protein.
With ideas to broaden biltong’s appeal across multiple customer segments I trust this plan presents an opportunity to build a brand and product range that will define and dominate a new space/category within the Maltese savoury snacks market alongside crisps and nuts etc, and muscle-in on the protein, health and energy bar markets whilst presenting export opportunities for both.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
In terms of non health & fitness market focused products, the UK is dominated by ‘own label’ producers, the majority of whom rely on the internet to sell out-with their local counties. Of these the majority have brands of South African heritage or are based on their farm/location or family name.These account for exactly half of the 42+ producers/sellers, and of the remaining 20 the following are not dominated by the word ‘Biltong’ (ie. Biltong Man, Biltong South, Biltong2U etc.) -
M-eat / Kings / Unearthed / Barefoot / Naked Ape
Products specifically focused on the Health, Fitness & Sport sectors include -
Kings / Beef-it / Strive / Go Nutrition / My Protein / The Protein Works
I had/have 2 requisites for a brand name. The first that it would straddle both markets, Relaxation & Recreation and Protein/Health & Fitness.
A 3rd children/teens sector focused on Study/Play is also planned.
The second and slightly more ambitious, is that it would sit comfortably alongside the major energy drinks brands like Redbull, Monster, Rockstar etc. with a view to creating and building a brand capable of attracting future acquisition enquiries...
Although not a brand specialist or designer and obviously open to alternative ideas I trust the name underpins the mindsets of people of all ages tackling modern day life. The image started out as an exploding ‘Infinity’ symbol but I prefer the way my chosen one removes conformity and adds a sense of freedom/fun/joy ? to what is a brand with serious intent.
It should also lend itself well to t-shirts, stickers, banners etc ... ... and in the future, 'Maltese' blood orange based energy drink ?
THE PROBLEM
In terms of the snack food industry, both savoury and sweet, the major problem is centred around health (fats, sugar, carbs, preservatives, artificial colours and sweeteners to name a few) and is becoming increasingly applicable across multiple consumer segments -- Traditional snackers
- The health conscious
- passive, active and sports-people (amateur and professional)
- A new breed of millennial consumer eating/snacking on-the-go and/or eating 5 smaller meals per day.
Although the snack industry is now aggressively addressing the health issues I believe their offerings strike a compromise between taste, nutrition and price.
Healthy options whether baked to reduce fat content or laden with fruits/nuts to imply healthy ingredients are either so light in substance/weight or so small in size to both meet industry/ manufacturer imposed sugar/fat/calorie figures and suppress/negate unavoidable price rises that they fall short of adequately satisfying even the slightest hunger. Bar possibly Popcorn they also often fall short on their implied, and therefore less than truthful health claims !
SOLUTION
There are four elements to the solution, 2,3 and 4 in no particular order ... 1. To maintain biltong’s long-standing heritage and produce traditional Biltong that will be an immediate hit with the island’s colonial (Southern Africa/Australia/New Zealand) population, both resident and holidaying. As either ‘Jerky’ consumers or familiar with the same, the Americans and Canadians will join this segment along with the Scottish/Welsh/Irish/English given biltong’s rapidly growing uptake in the UK
2. To bring Biltong kicking and screaming into the 21st century and to break into and promote Biltong as the snack of choice within the bar/club/music festival sectors. Current adventurous ? producers have gone as far as both additional flavours, ie. Teryaki, Sweet Chilli, Hot Chilli, Chutney and specifically targeting the sports/fitness sectors but I don’t believe they go far enough to take on the established sector players with any serious intent.
3. To capture and secure the local market with ‘Made in Malta’ products that will appeal to the local palate and as a result present a barrier to entry against any potential UK imports. Rabbit, Fish and Back-Bacon variants are also to be explored ...
The addition of a traditional South African dried sausage, called Droewors (not dissimilar to traditionally dried Maltese sausage) should both appeal to the older generation and introduce them to additional/alternative products.
4. To break into and take progressive market share within the Health (Wellness)/Fitness/Sport sector
BILTONG - TRADITIONAL
Naturally lean steak flavoured with nothing but whole food spices. The flavour has the richness of steak, the kick of fresh cracked peppercorns and aromatic coriander with the complexity of a well aged prosciutto. It's a flavour you simply can't compare.It can be eaten (gnawed ?) as a large stick, my preference and the bigger the better, as thin sticks (stukkies), or as chunks or thin slices if busy/driving/sharing or in disapproving company ...
It’s the perfect accompaniment to an ice cold beer, preferably watching your favourite sport (field/ track-side or on TV) or simply chilling, alone, with friends, or loved-ones ...
It’s also a great snack whilst on the go - doesn’t crush, squash, or melt and is more fulfilling than any other snack gram for gram. It’s also significantly tastier !! The fulfilment (hunger satisfaction) is a result of both physical substance, ie. chewable as opposed to melt-in-the-mouth and the chewing process. Thoroughly chewing your food not only allows you to absorb more nutrients but provides 'oral-sensory stimulation' which tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating, and so helps quell hunger.
BILTONG - 21ST CENTURY
Although I haven’t personally found a drink biltong doesn’t go with (which may well say more about me than biltong ?), an idea for making biltong more appealing to the un-initiated masses is flavour pairings, the intention being to broaden appeal across multiple drink preferences, age groups and genders. Once I started researching flavour pairing (which doesn’t exist in the biltong sector) I stumbled across the American KRAVE Jerky Company who are doing something similar although not as refined/targeted nor as adventurous as it could/should be. I suspect (though could be wrong) their pairing recommendations were developed for pre-existing jerky flavours rather than the other way around which is what I would like to do. (Their site is worth a look at https://www.kravejerky.com/pairings)Without the guidance of someone who understands flavour pairing and of course whether getting specific flavours into biltong is even possible (although I’m sure that if there’s a will there’s a way?) my current thinking is as follows -
With respect to millennials, research on their drinking habits has been both surprising and encouraging. Using the US as an example, The Nielsen Company report the alcoholic beverage market at $211.6 billion in annual sales. Millennials of legal age, whilst only representing 25% of adults over 21, account for 35% of beer consumption and 32% of spirit consumption according to Nielson. The Wine Market Council reports that they consume 42% of all wine in the U.S
With respect to quality, although millennials are value-conscious the vast majority reject mass-market alcohol beverages, helping to fuel the rising popularity of handcrafted, artisanal, micro-brewery, small batch, single barrel and single malt alcohol products. Over 40% of millennials equate price with quality, while only 27% of baby boomers do. This trend seems to be born out in wine sales. Last year, says the Wine Market Council, 37% of high-frequency wine drinkers purchased at least one bottle of wine over $20 per week, nearly doubling 2010’s number.
In terms of variety, the above doesn’t translate into brand loyalty with millennials being quoted as being ‘famously’ fickle. They’re seeking variety, innovation and flavour.” Wine Spectator magazine concurs, writing that “It's not an exaggeration to say the millennial American consumer has the most varied set of tastes of any wine drinker in history …
Young wine drinkers are clamouring for diversity in regions and styles more than ever.” As is the case with much of the millennial generation’s consumption and experience-seeking habits, they’re adventurous and like to try different things.
They also value information and whether drinking in groups or alone are more apt to tell the whole world about it !
Of millennials who drink wine, again according to the Wine Market Council, over 50% talk about it on Facebook and more than a third do on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. No doubt millennials are just as digitally gregarious about their experiences with beer and hard liquor. Millennials listen too, eager to know what both peers and experts have to say about alcohol products. About 60% consider wine reviews “extremely” or “very” important, compared to about 20% of baby boomers.
As such, alcohol-related businesses willing to pursue innovation, originality and quality, millennial tastes will reward them with economic opportunity !!
Flavour pairing gets even more interesting with the next idea ...
The thinking here is for a versatile product option that
a. doesn’t try and force consumers to choose between their favourite and/or healthiest snacks and
b. fits well with the recent trend by major snack brands to boost sales with larger bags that open out into sharing bowls. [In the UK, the overall savoury snacking category increased by £100m (3.5%) to £2.9bn in 2015-16. Half that increase was attributable to ‘sharing’ packaged snacks - Kantar Worldpanel and thegrocer.co.uk]
Applicable to both traditional flavours and those paired with drinks (above) the plan is to offer a complimentary mix of biltong, dried fruits and nuts in appropriately designed packaging. There is currently only one (that I can find) company in the UK doing the same thing. Called Naked ape (www.thenakedape.co.uk), they market their products as Paleo Snacks within a Paleo Diet focused web site which may or may not alienate them from potential consumers ?
I would like to explore packaging that separates the three components so as not to alienate/exclude any vegetarians or non-red meat eaters within groups nor taint the taste of any one component, whether shared or offered. I would also like to explore the inclusion of dipping sauces. Whether this is a replacement for new/paired flavours or compliments them with additional depth of flavour is something to consider. It would both make the product more versatile (especially with multiple contrasting sauces) and add to the social experience of sharing ...
Capturing the Maltese market is critical and in order to do that (and appeal to tourists) would like to develop a range of dried meat snacks featuring traditional ingredients, both meat(s) and herbs & spices.
Although this plan has only mentioned beef thus-far, biltong is also made from a variety of game including Impala, Kudu, Oryx, Springbok, Duiker, Ostrich, Zebra, Warthog (Southern Africa), kangaroo (Australia)... The South Africans also do a fish version, (a West Coast delicacy) traditionally made from whole, salted and dried small mullet, considered their version of anchovies. Herring and mackerel may also be suitable ? They are eaten pan-fried and served between thick slices of farm bread, spread on toast garnished with a coriander, tomato and corn relish, or simply as they are (dried) with a side of black coffee and apricot jam.
Back to Malta... having looked at the ingredients for both Stuffat tal-Fenek (rabbit stew) and stuffat tal-qarnit (octopus stew), would like to start with a traditional beef biltong flavoured with a combination of onion, thyme, mint, basil and parsley, lightly brushed during drying with sun-dried tomato paste (Isaac’s recipe for sure !) Have seen quite a few variations on so-called traditional recipe’s, several with the addition of curry powder ? In keeping with tradition the biltong/fruit/nut version would feature walnuts and sultanas.
With respect to a game version, rabbit is said to make awesome biltong (although I have never seen/tried it) with the following quote warranting it’s experimentation - 'The rabbit biltong is ridiculously good. It might be one of the best things I have ever eaten, bold statement I know. The grain and texture of the meat is so fine it almost melts in your mouth with no toughness at all. I will definitely be making a lot more of this!'
Although pork isn’t suitable for making biltong, back bacon apparently is ! Being a lover of bacon and given both the price, and inversely the quality of Malta’s local pork (unsure whether this translates into bacon prices but will look into it further on in the plan) this could make for a traditional snack that competes with the oily and wafer sliced Italian offerings ?
A fish version could be made with Lampukki but price and experimentation with regards to taste and texture will have to precede any choice(s) outwith those used in South Africa.
Finally a dried sausage called Droewors, sold alongside biltong in Southern Africa and emerging markets but made from beef and/or game meat only ! Spices include salt, ground black pepper, coriander, singed and ground, ground cloves, nutmeg powder, brown vinegar, 25 ml brandy (optional), 25 ml marsala (optional). Whilst the Maltese version is pork based and differently spiced I think one, both or a combination of the two could prove popular alongside our biltong products. Sized as per droewors would make them snacking friendly and in my opinion, a vastly superior alternative to the likes of Peperami etc. (UK Peperami sales increased 8.3% to £52.5m accounting for a 43.4% share of the meat snack market during 2014 - more recent figures are unaffordable !)
What is probably most interesting/exciting about taking on this market is the fact that even with the addition of more sector focused herbs and spices (ie. those considered having antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties) the core properties of TASTE, fulfilment, nutrition, low fat, low carbs and high protein will remain unchanged therefore making biltong the only product to comfortably straddle both Recreation and Health/Fitness/Sport sectors whilst out-performing ALL competing products.
The only fundamental differences will be branding, portion/packaging options and sales & marketing collateral. Although it’s taken a long time biltong is finally making it’s presence felt in the UK health sector. Of the 42+ companies producing and selling biltong, 5 are health industry focused and 1 straddles both. All are selling in outlets (supermarkets/health-stores/gym/BP M&S Simply Food Forecourts) and online.
What has surprised me most about researching this sector is how the protein, energy and health bars stack up against biltong. Happily not that well ... The following illustrates general consensus across hundreds of sites that don’t have a vested interest in the products they are discussing/reviewing -
- One article contained a blind comparison of 3 bars, 2 industry leading protein/fitness bars and either a Mars or Snickers bar. With protein values removed all three were indistinguishable in terms of carbs, fats and sugars. (Unfortunately I didn’t bookmark the page and haven’t yet been able to relocate it !?)
- A Consumer Labs study of 30 protein bars that found that 60% of the bars tested failed to match their nutrition labelling claims.
Highlights (or lowlights) of the study revealed -
- 1 out of 12 protein bars met the labelling claims.
- 1 out of 8 meal replacement bars met the labelling claims.
- 4 out of 10 diet bars met the labelling claims.
- 2 products exceed their claimed amounts of fat.
Half of the bars tested exceeded their claimed level of carbohydrates, some by a significant amount.
It’s likely this was because glycerin was not counted as a carbohydrate by some manufactures, although the FDA requires it’s inclusion.
Consumer and health pundit discussions/debates include -
- Protein sources (lab created)
- Dietary fibre content (IMO’s or isomaltooligosaccharides are digestion resistant therefore overstating digestible fibre content).
- Sugar content, natural and unnatural, visible/disclosed and hidden and those with high glysemic load
- Carbohydrate content
- Non-natural ingredient lists
- Taste/nutrition/price compromise ...
The following tables compares biltong with a range of protein/health bars starting with the long term market leader Quest, and Mars’s (May 2016) sector entrants Mars and Snickers Protein bars, the latter included because as household brands they are likely to attract more consumer attention !?
Have stopped here. The following 29 pages contain equipment lists, costings, etc.
