February 16th 2023, marked my first day as a mentee at PT. Agritama AGAVI's Innovation Synergy specifically in the Independent Study program Food Industry R&D by the Merdeka Campus. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to get exposure to the world of Research and development through AGAVI because I realize the role of Research and Development (R&D) in the food industry is very important, industrial or manufacturing companies, especially in the field of food, are always required to innovate and develop new products or improving existing products, this is done for the main purpose of meeting changing consumer needs, increasing competitiveness in the market, applying existing science and technology developments, responding to social issues, and adapting products to the latest food regulations .
This main goal will be achieved by carrying out the user-oriented new product development stages in a coherent and precise manner which consists of several stages in general, namely Ideation (idea generation and screening), Development & Trials (concept and product development & production trial), and Commercialization (consumer tests, commercial runs, and product launches).
The steps that can be followed to carry out the new product development process in the food industry are:
- Idea Generation
Idea generation is the initial stage of new product development in the food industry which can be carried out using the design thinking method. Design thinking is a method for carrying out business innovation with a customer-centered approach, so that it can perform problem-solving or provide solutions (Bertao et al., 2023). The stages of design thinking carried out in idea generation are empathize, define, and ideate.
- Value Proposition Canvas
The Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) is a visual description tool to identify customer profiles and identify the value map of the ready to eat spaghetti sardines products being offered, thereby ensuring product fit. VPC preparation can provide an overview in the form of value that can meet consumer needs, from the customer's point of view it can be mapped regarding customer jobs, gains and pains, then product value is mapped through product/service components, gain creators and pain relievers
- Business Model Canvas
The business model canvas (BMC) is structured by providing a comprehensive explanation based on 9 main elements (value proposition, customer segments, channels, customer relationships, key activities, key resources, key partners, revenue streams, and cost structure) which represent the overall business process management with the aim of simplifying business plans. The business model canvas helps companies to create new markets or survive in a competitive environment through business model innovation rather than product innovation, as well as helping to run businesses with limited resources and constraints.
- Product Development
Product development is carried out by compiling project briefs, carrying out pre-development activities, and preparing formulations depending on cost, availability of raw ingredients, claims in the label, and acceptability of the flavor profile.
- Sensory Analysis
Sensory analysis is a method of testing using the human senses as the main instrument for measuring the acceptability of the product, consisting of quality specifications such as visual, aroma, taste, texture, and overall. Statistical testing of sensory results may be performed using SPSS software, ANOVA and Duncan's further tests can be applied.
- User Persona
User persona is research about consumer characters to describe the users who will use our product, this tool can help us understand more about consumer needs, experiences, behaviors, and goals. Types of user persona include goal-directed, role-based, engaging persona, and fictional persona.
- Validation
Validation is an analysis of the fit between the product concept and consumer acceptability, through verification we can identify components which have to be enhanced to give product fit through the verification process.
- Cost of Good Sold & Selling Price
COGS are often also called production costs. Production costs are costs incurred to process raw materials into finished products. The determination of the selling price is also based on cogs plus a predetermined margin by the company to gain profit.
- Quality Function Deployment & House of Quality