Facebook just released their second annual Topics and Trends Report. This is their report for marketers that tracks conversation topics that consumers are sharing on the platform, that are growing louder. If you’re in the food industry, this is seriously fun eavesdropping! It can help us spot real trends. Overheard social media conversations indicate that […]
News/Blog
Thought leadership pieces and industry insights from MSource Idea's founder, Lionel Binnie.
Gen Z Food Trends Part II
This is the continuation of the previous post; a point/counter-point between Jim Matorin and Lionel Binnie on our thoughts on Gen Z attitudes and behavior around food. Jim ….Excellent observations Lionel. However, given we are contributing a point, counter point post about Gen Z with our readership, I am going to share some insight that […]
Sears Fades to History
This is likely the end of Sears’ 126 year history. Sears’ last profitable year was 2010 – it has lost $12 billion since then. But Sears holds a legendary place in the minds of U.S. consumers and the Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliance brands it created, loved by shoppers, will continue under new hands. There […]
The Soy Sauce Whisperer
Notes on: ‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat’ I can’t explain exactly why Samin Nosrat’s Netflix cooking show, ‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat’ is so watchable. I think it’s because her energy is so downright compelling. In the series, Samin, a chef who trained at Alice Water’s Chez Panis restaurant, plunges us into cooking fundamentals, and takes us […]
3 Key Stages of Launching a Food Product Business
If you have a new food product you’re looking to develop to sell into supermarkets, convenience stores or other retail outlets, here is the proven path to testing, validation and expansion. Is this over-simplified? Sure. But it is worth laying out the path that many brands have taken. I should say now, that there is […]
Generation Z and Food Trends: A Discussion
Food Consultants Jim Matorin and Lionel Binnie Discuss Gen Z: Jim: My focus of late has been the long-term transformations the restaurant industry will need to implement to offset the shifts in consumer food-away-from-home eating behavior? Significant given the industry’s ongoing quandary will persist, “too many seats, not enough guests.” Given the population demographics in […]
How to Sell to the College and University Bookstore Marketplace
In an earlier post, I provided a high-altitude view of the college and university (C & U) market; from the perspective of selling products into college bookstores and through their dining services. This post is going to dive into more detail on the bookstore side. For more on the food service side, read this post. […]
How to Sell into the College and University Food Service Marketplace
In this piece I’m going to describe how to sell a food and beverage product or concept into the College and University (C & U) food service market. The C & U food service market is all the cafeterias, retail outlets and convenience stores that are located on the roughly 3,800 college campuses throughout the […]
How to Sell to the College Market
Have you ever wondered about how to sell products to the college market? This article explains how to access the college market from two main perspectives; the food service side and the bookstore side. In other words, how to access these students. Of course, there are many opportunities for businesses that sell products and […]
Everything Your Ever Wanted to Know about Food Brokers
by Lionel Binnie What Food Brokers Are, and What They Do for Food Brands I recently spoke with John Wopperer about the food marketing industry. Our conversation was focused on clarifying the topic of Food Brokers, also known as Sales and Marketing Agencies (SMA’s), which is what they’re usually called. John founded his own SMA, Venture […]
