Bertolli Oven Bake Meals™
CHALLENGE: How might Bertolli take their frozen Italian meal success to new levels?
METHODOLOGY: CCD responded by marrying the culinary expertise of authentic Italian chefs with the consumer trends of comfort food and customization to create Bertolli Oven Bake Mealsô.
We developed and tested the line of Italian-inspired dinners from concept through benchtop prototype, featuring the aromas, flavors and restaurant-quality ingredients of hearty, oven-baked Italian cuisine. To help translate restaurant cues to a commercialized product, our chefs included a unique finishing packet of finishing cheese or toasted breadcrumbs. We also designed each meal to deliver a ìplate presenceî unexpected from most frozen meals.
RESULTS: Today, Bertolli Oven Bake Meals have far exceeded Unileverís goals for distribution, market share and sales volume. In fact, strong sales across all four varieties ensure that Bertolli will retain the full lineís shelf allocation in stores:
ï Meat Lasagna Rustica ï Stuffed Shells ï Chicken Parmigiana & Penne ï Tri-Color Four Cheese Ravioli
For more on our approach, email Jeff at jcirese@ccdsf.com.
"This line is a 'bright shining spot' at Unilever these days!" - Barry Sands, Bertolli Brand Manager
©2009 Center for Culinary Development, CCD