Agility From Timelines to Tapioca
The CuliNEX Secret S.A.U.C.E. behind powerful partnerships
Food product innovation today is a complex and critical undertaking. Launching a new consumer food product, reformulating an existing one, or innovating with ingredients and flavors requires a wide array of capabilities: culinary formulation, ingredient sourcing, operational and co-man experience—not to mention the organizational systems and communication processes to get that product into production on time and on budget. If your food company does not possess those elements in-house, or doesn’t currently have the capacity, you can still meet your goals of advancing innovation and achieving a successful launch.
All it takes is a dash of our Secret S.A.U.C.E. At CuliNEX we are Solution-oriented, Agile, United, Curious, and Exceptional. And its “secret” because we let our clients shine and value their confidentiality. In this blog series, we highlight each ingredient in the CuliNEX Secret S.A.U.C.E. to showcase how we become the essential partner for so many food product innovation teams.
This article explores the letter A in S.A.U.C.E.: Agility. At CuliNEX, agility refers to how we swiftly adapt to changes in trends, product requirements, customer needs, and internal dynamics. Often, agility can’t be seen, but it can be felt as our team’s responsiveness mitigates delays and risks, clearing paths for opportunities and solutions to arise. We work in a dynamic environment, and our agility allows us to adjust strategies, processes, and resources to ensure client success.
Adapting to Sourcing Shortages
Typically, when employees head to the airport for a business trip, it’s common to carry a suitcase or two. But for one CuliNEX project team, their checked baggage contained several 100-pound boxes of tapioca flour. They were headed for a product test in California—but the co-manufacturer was unable to obtain that vital ingredient. Instead of delaying or canceling the test, they exercised their agility. They sourced, secured, and delivered the tapioca themselves.
“Product trials at co-manufacturing facilities can be quite the scheduling tightrope,” said Kristen Sparkman, Culinologist III. “Everything has to line up perfectly. And if it doesn’t, we adapt.”
At the time of this product trial, California was experiencing product shortages and logistical challenges. The co-man found it impossible to acquire tapioca flour during the required timeframe.
Addressing the Challenge
Without this key ingredient, the trial could not take place. Instead of canceling or delaying the test, the CuliNEX product development team addressed this challenge head-on by reaching out to its own network of ingredient distributors.
Agility refers to an organization's ability to swiftly adapt to changes in the market and customer needs. It involves being flexible, responsive, and proactive. In this instance, CuliNEX developers were agile enough to achieve what the co-man could not by securing the required amount of tapioca flour in Washington state.
And then they had to be even more agile.
Once they sourced the flour, there was not enough time to schedule a traditional delivery. How were they going to get the ingredients from Washington to California? The team adapted yet again and implemented a spirited solution: they carried the ingredient to the co-man themselves. “When one thing isn’t working, we adapt quickly to find a solution,” said Sparkman.
From Bench Formulation to Home Use
Co-man trials are a vital step in the process of developing food products. Typically, CuliNEX development projects have two to three exploratory rounds. During that time, culinologists make the product on the bench. Pilot testing extends that collaboration after the second or third round and moves the formula that was developed on the bench to real manufacturing equipment.
In this case, once all ingredients arrived at the co-man, the test went well, said Sparkman, and the product went into further consumer research as the client took it to an IHUT (In Home Use Test.)
Flexing as Business Changes
During the earliest stages of a relationship with CuliNEX, before a company becomes a client or even a partner, the CuliNEX Team embraces agility when creating proposals and contracts. When developing a project scope, the team adjusts project parameters to meet our clients’ budgets and fluid timelines. We collaborate seamlessly with multiple external partners and our in-house team of food development professionals. Often, there is a need to expand project scopes or obtain specialized expertise as projects unfold and new areas are uncovered for exploration. The CuliNEX Business Development team collaborates closely with the project team to swiftly revise contractual documents or identify subject matter experts, ensuring the client and team can progress as envisioned. They not only work flexibly with the client but also seamlessly with the CuliNEX R&D team, fostering an environment of great collaboration.
Everyday Agility
The tapioca delivery example is probably one of the more exciting stories, but the CuliNEX commitment to agility plays out in numerous ways every day. “A client changes the direction, or the timeline shifts two months…. Those are some examples of the puzzles that we piece together every day,” said Sparkman.
Examples of the team's agility are visible throughout CuliNEX. You can see it when a planning team readily adjusts schedules or shifts strategies as new information comes to light. It’s apparent when a Culinologist makes modifications to a formulation based on taste test feedback or when a client makes a staffing change, and the CuliNEX team welcomes that fresh perspective.
Delivering Real Value
Agility is the willingness, and ability, to adjust strategies, processes, and resources to respond to changes. This core value allows CuliNEX to innovate faster and deliver real value to clients “Traveling with that much product, fitting it into the rental car—that is challenging,” said Sparkman. But it’s all in a day's work for a company that values and embraces agility.
