When was the last time you ate a meal that contained nuts? Maybe a bowl of nuts at the pub last weekend? Maybe a packet of M&Ms whilst watching a movie last night? For me and my family it was 2 years 3 months ago. It was the day my son was rushed to hospital. It was the day my son was in a coma battling against the effect of a previously undiagnosed nut allergy.
It changed our world. It certainly changed our buying habits. Before my son safely returned home, the pantry was practically emptied. It’s not simply a case of avoiding the obvious. You see, supermarkets and food producers have a nasty habit of slapping a ‘may contain nuts’ label on pretty much every product that comes out of their factory and onto their shelves.
No nuts, will drive you nuts
Orange juice? May contain nuts
Butternut Squash? Yep, that may contain nuts
Sliced ham? You guessed it… may contain nuts
This isn’t the territory of the obvious products, the Snickers bar or the Reeses. This is practically every food available. Fresh, frozen, prepackaged and organic.
The minority. The 1%.
The problem for us? We’re still in a minority. Less than 1% of people suffer from a nut allergy. So, the decision taken by food manufacturers, whether to slap a ‘May Contain’ label on a product? “Well, if it only impacts 1% of the market, we better be safe than sorry. We can afford to lose 1% of our total market.”
So. 1%. That’s around 600,000 people here in the UK, 3 million in the USA. Would you develop a product that caters for just 1% of the population? Here’s a company that has.
Eureka! We can have our cake and eat it
The Just Love Food Company know their market. Their founders lived the experience that we, as a family, have. They’ve shared in their own story. A story very similar to our own – a struggle to find a food brand that accommodates for the nut allergy sufferer. They produce a wide range of cakes that carry a nut free promise.
It just so happens that Mike Woods, the founder, decided to do something about it. He’d worked in the food manufacturing industry for 20 years before setting up Just Love Food. He had a plan.
Just how big is the market, again?
It’s not about the 1%. This is a crucial element for anybody looking at a niche market to understand. Around every niche business there’s a sphere of influence. It just so happens that this sphere is one that’s exceptionally wary of the repercussions of offering a nut allergy sufferer food that ‘may contain nuts’.
For every 1% of the market there’s the immediate family. So, in my family of four, that’s 4 birthdays, 4 birthday cakes. For every party our children attend, that’s a dozen or so further cakes. For every family gathering, there’s a few more cakes. For every school outing, there’s another widening to the niche influence. Suddenly the market looks a whole lot bigger. Research from the US shows us that:
- 1 in 3 food product purchasing decisions has been influenced by a nut allergy
- 67% take nut allergies into account when selecting snacks for an event that involves children
- 50% have received warnings or guidelines from their children’s school
Put simply, the majority of cake shoppers will be aware of the implications of serving a cake that ‘may contain nuts’ to a group of children.
The market isn’t the 1%. Just Love Food recognise this. It’s in their mission statement:
- We are a food business who wants to make great product
- We make a difference for allergy sufferers and their family and friends
They don’t simply put a cake out there without thought for the quality. This is about quality food that an allergy sufferer and their family and friends can enjoy. Without worry.
Champion your niche
It’s a consistent theme behind every business that champions their niche. We’ll give you a great product AND champion your cause/passion/interests.
Just Love Food is a tremendous success story. Their products are now stocked on the shelves of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, Tesco & Sainsbury. They own their niche. A fast growing niche. A brand that stands for something. A brand that matters.
Their cakes take a prominent position on the shelves of the UK’s biggest retailers. They’re not just bought by those who, like me, are concerned about nut allergies, one half of the Just Love Food proposition. They’re also bought by families because they fulfil the other half – it’s a great product.
That is how you grow your niche. You cater for your core. You add the necessary ingredient of a damn fine product and then see your product grow into the mass market.
Build a brand that matters
Just Love Food aren’t alone in recognising the niche. A Swedish manufacturer, Frebaco, now offer nut-free muesli stocked by Tesco. Unlike Just Love Food Company, Frebaco haven’t yet embraced their niche. They haven’t told the story of their reason to become a nut-free supplier. Their website simply states what they do, not why they do it. Offering a product that fulfils a need is one thing. Offering a product that embraces a need is a wholly different proposition
Again, the story that defines your niche is a crucial factor. That’s what we, as humans, buy into, rather than buy from. To spread a story, you need a story. A story that’s shared with your consumer. Just like Just Love Food do.
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