Catch The 96

Did you know that it takes Safeway just one week to do as much business as Whole Foods does in 30 days, or what Wal-Mart does in 60 seconds? Often, when talking with people about our tortilla company, there eyes light up, and they'll say, "You know what you should do? You need to get into Whole Foods!" This is a little humorous, because they will make the statement with the conviction that the idea has never surfaced ever before.

We have a healthy product, that has a niche in Whole Foods or Trader Joes, but our tortilla is also for those that have never stepped foot into a Whole Foods Market. There is a thriving industry outside of the growing 108 billion dollar organic and health market. 96 percent are currently not buying natural, organic, or healthy products. Now the question is, why spend all the energy and effort marketing to 4 percent when there is a huge potential of people outside of that need to be reached?

These people that fall into that 96 percent may not be engaged in the natural or organic markets, not because of disinterest, but because of mis-information, cost, convenience, or dare we say, taste? We are firm believers that healthy products don't have to taste like health (i.e. cardboard tortillas or tasteless entrees). What's great is our tortillas can fit into both the health food markets and the mainstream markets, and the plus side is, we don't have to educate people on what a tortilla is, because everyone has heard of a tortilla.

Zappos has created a thriving business of selling shoes, along with other items, online. Shoes, historically, are a product that people want to try-on, but Zappos has skirted that issue through free returns, great customer service, and their tag line of "selling happiness." Some companies are capable of telling consumers what they need, for example, take Apple. No one knew they needed an iPad until Apple told them, and iPod is now synonymous with MP3 player. These companies have not followed the historical way of business, but have created a better way that works. This is something to admire.

An idea for us is to heavily market Created Whole tortillas through our online store. When you think of where to buy whole wheat tortillas, the first place probably is not cyberspace, but why not? It's convenient, cuts out costs that the consumer won't have to pay for, and at this point gives us more of a direct relationship with our customers. We hope to be the Zappos of online tortilla sales while developing devoted followers like Apple.

Check out these interesting articles:

The Future of Wellness: Lessons From The 96 Percent
A World of Consumers Exists Beyond Whole Foods Market

Order your tortillas online at http://www.thebesttortilla.com/

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?