Challenge
A rapidly growing bakery faced a significant challenge and opportunity. A major club store account, with its promise of a dramatic boost in sales, was within their grasp. The catch? The store required an extended shelf life of 90 days for the bakery’s top-selling muffins. Despite significant investment in new packaging technology, the product was still getting stale too quickly, and the deal hung in the balance. With time of the essence, I was brought in to solve this critical staling problem and move with exceptional speed.
Approach
The bakery’s team was talented but stretched thin, juggling multiple ideas and a backlog of projects. My first step was to cut through the noise by pinpointing the single, most critical root cause of the staling issue. This allowed me to immediately retool the approach, shifting the focus from a scattershot effort to a targeted plan emphasising humectants, emulsifiers, and enzyme technology.
To enable the speed required, I tapped into my extensive network of supplier relationships, securing expedited delivery of crucial ingredient samples. In the interest of speed I also leveraged an accelerated stability test, a powerful technique that allowed me to quickly screen dozens of ideas and identify the most promising formulations. Once the new formulation was finalized, I also provided guidance on the necessary label updates, ensuring a smooth transition to market.
Outcome
This focused and agile approach delivered results that went beyond simply solving a technical problem. The new formulation hit the 90-day shelf life target, paving the way for the bakery to officially secure the club store account. The efficient use of resources meant we solved the problem without disrupting the internal team’s focus on production. The project's success enables a new business opportunity that is projected to contribute millions in new sales. The look of relief on the CEO’s face when we hit that target was a powerful validation of the value of a flexible, fast, and results-driven strategy for formulation renovation.
