These are not just steaks. These are aged steaks.
Any butcher can offer aged steaks.
Everything in this shop underlines quality and provenance. The elegantly cursive gilded logo, the nostalgic Plum Pudding notice on the wall evoking comforting Dickensian hints of Christmas, plenty, family and jollity, the bloodied aprons of the butchers, the carcasses they are constantly hefting...
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Yesterday in Waitrose, I watched a 10-month old toddler in a pushchair lean over to the supermarket basket his father had placed by his pushchair, while his parents chatted, waiting in the queue to pay. He chose this product and some bananas from the other products in the basket. He recognised "his" product by the colours, shape and texture of the packaging. I could see him enjoying the colour and feel of the Ella's Kitchen pouch.
His young, new, mother looked at me and said: "I know I should be making him home-cooked food, and I do but sometimes it's so easy to buy these..."
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I've been in the aisles a lot recently interviewing consumers about packaging - what catches their eyes, what suggests natural and what doesn't, what's new, what's old. Women notice the nuances of packaging: the shape of the bottle, the shine of the cardboard on the cardboard sleeve, the colours, the font, all the pack messaging .... nothing misses their beady gaze.
So, how can you do it well? Here's a new example to learn from.
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Compost Californian style, snapped by my Californian winery owner cousin. Thanks, Kathleen!
I think we can all relate to the wider message of this packaging.
Don't accept any old crap.
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I am currently addicted to Fru's blackcurrant and raspberry mini pot, a delicious tiny fruity mousse-y confection, with the same calories as a yogurt. It cheers up my lunchtimes no end.
My thanks to James Averdieck, the founder of Gu and Fru. Here are the five things he says he wished he'd known when he started the business:
1. The importance of equity when considering funding/incentivisation. Equity is precious - don't give it away easily just because your business is worth nothing at the start. One day, if your business is successful, 1% of the business could be worth £300,000 - which puts a lot into perspective.
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