Monday, April 27, 2009

Welcome to the Movement!

By Tim Mulder

I can't believe it! I am so pumped! We just conducted a major market survey of some competitive brand tortillas, and I was completely blown away at the superiority of our product! I guess I have become so accustomed to the great flavor and texture of our flour tortilla that I didn't realize how awful the other brands actually taste. One competitor product was so dry and hard that it tasted more like cardboard than tortilla. I am not only saying that because of my bias, but you too would say the same with one taste of our whole wheat tortillas. This new product will make other tortilla brands obsolete. Our tortillas our so wholesome and the ingredient list so simple that a first grader could read it in just one breath.

Also, we are closer to a business name that is soon to launch the world's best tasting commercial brand of whole wheat flour tortilla. We are leaning toward the business name of Created Whole. We like this because our company is dedicated to bringing to market the very products that we for years questioned, "Why doesn't anyone do it like this?" Since no one was meeting the needs of the consumer, we decided to jump in. Now, you will have a choice to select those foods that are wholesome, great tasting, and competitively priced. If we can't make it better than the competition, then we will not make it, period. End of story.  This is not just a company, not just a tortilla, but Amy W. put it well when she said, "This is a movement!"

Get on Board!
Tim Mulder

Sunday, April 26, 2009

How Do You Make A Tortilla Choice?

It's been a few days since my last post. I have been working on the business plan, pricing, and sales forecasting, as well as doing research.

Over the last week, I have been hitting the grocery stores to see what tortilla products are on the market. How does the consumer know what is "good?" To trust just the label may not clearly state the product that it represents. Food manufacturers can use deceptive tactics when it comes to food labeling.

I was in Whole Foods Market, taking some tortilla notes on my iPod, when two women walked up. The younger said, "Oh, they must be out of them. They should be right here." Curious, I asked, "How do you know which one is good?" They proceeded to tell me which tortilla they were searching for and how great they were feeling since going gluten-free. The encounter was insightful, and it brought to my attention the gluten-free food boom. It's important to think about how this could affect our business.

So, I need to enlist your help with this research
Here are some questions that you can help answer.
  1. Do you buy tortillas, and if so, what kind?
  2. How do you make your choice?
  3. What is your choice based on (price, packaging, ingredients, habit, recommendation, other)?
  4. If you don't purchase tortillas, why not?

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Confused Consumer

How do you decide which products to buy when there are so many to choose from? I went to two grocery stores today to take an in-depth look at all the competitor products that are on the shelves. 5 shelves of tortilla products, and I thought, oh my, sensory overload. I began jotting down prices, noticing packaging, and reading ingredients. I was so appalled at the ingredients. There were ingredient lists 3 inches long with stuff that I couldn't even pronounce. What happened to making tortillas with what God created? I am so frustrated that many products marketed to consumers are not what they say. For example, a certain tortilla product said it was whole wheat. It looked nutritious, and the packaging created an appearance of healthy, but the first ingredient was unbleached white flour. These competitor products are making health claims, but that doesn't mean that the product is healthy! What a challenge for the a consumer who is wanting to make healthy choices. Sometimes, reading a nutrition label is like understanding a foreign language you've never heard before. One thing that popped out at me was the marketing of low carb. There is so much carb confusion, that people are being misled to believe that any grain product is "bad" or will cause weight gain. On the contrary, whole grains have many benefits, and carbs are actually are good for you.

My anger was coupled with excitement, because our product is superior to what is currently available. There is nothing on the market like our whole wheat tortilla product. This is an exciting opportunity for us to help the consumer confusion: give them a simple, natural product in an industry where there is little to none.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Name This Baby

Many of my friends are at that stage of life where they are spending 9 months of the year making lists of names for a little munchkin; their new little munchkin. Of course they cannot let the little darlin' pop out unnamed, or remain that way for too long, so they think up adorable names like Emma Joy or Andrew Chase. Inevitably, someone will ask the question, "Does Emma have a special meaning?" In our society, names have significance. Names create an identity and gift someone a sense of individuality. This is not only true for people, but also for companies. Currently, I have no need to make a baby name list, but I do find myself needed to name a significant and newly developing aspect of my life: a flour tortilla business. The experts say that a name can make one the talk of the town or doom it into failure and anonymity. KnowledgeWorx You Know! has compiled a list of companies and the origin of their names. It's pretty interesting to think about how colossal giants like Google or Apple became identified. A friend, Jared C., came up with the name Unleaven Heaven: cute and catchy. Great for a blog name, but does it work for a specific product? Is it a great name for a whole wheat tortilla? Not so sure, but I'm feeling the pressure, because how does one launch a business without a name? One doesn't. This is number one priority. This baby has to be named!

The question that you can help answer is:
"What would you name a 100 percent whole wheat flour tortilla?"

Here is a picture of qualities that we believe are inherent to our product.

We need a name for our tortillas! Give us your ideas!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Why Tortillas?

People inevitably ask, "Why do you want to, or why are you starting a whole wheat tortilla business?" This idea of selling homemade, whole wheat tortillas was birthed over a year ago, but due to timing and other pressing crises, the tortilla didn't make it into the production stages. Over a year later, the tortilla is back at the forefront of the thoughts of my Mom, Brenda, Dad, Tim, and I (call us "The Three Amigos").

We, The Three Amigos, stew over how to get this product to market, and during these conversations, I doubt, thinking, "We wanted to do this last year, so what is going to make this different this year? Why will it work now?" The fear brings on discouragement, and I question if this is really the route God wants us to take. Interestingly, I was reading my Bible, and I came across this passage: 2 Corinthians 8:10-12. I blinked a couple times, wondering if I had read the verse correctly. I was so impressed that God was speaking directly to me. He was addressing my fears, knowing my thoughts, and seeing my heart. He cares. Not only about this tortilla venture, but about all ventures.

From the research we have conducted, we are confident that this business will be successful for many reasons, some of which include the following:

Let Me Introduce You To...

Do you ever get caught in a rut of doing the same routine over and over? You'd like to do something different, try something new, but you never seem to step out of your box. Let me help! I know just the thing to add spice to your routine.



(Commence announcer voice and flashing lights)


"Introducing the inspiration behind this blog..." (drum roll)

"The all new, all natural, 100 percent whole wheat flour tortilla. Developed and engineered for quality and taste by Tim Mulder.