Introduction

If you are a FMCG Food and Beverage start-up founder or CEO and you want to understand your target consumer preferences, find some inspiration or if you are looking for a great day out with your team or your customers, you have come to the right place.

In this blog post I want to show you how a food safari can help you gather valuable data around trends and culinary culture to make informed decisions.

So you can select the perfect flavour profile and texture for your product that your target consumers will love!

To make your life easier, at EPICSI, we offer a fully organised food safari day in London. If you are interested in learning more, check out our services here.  

What is a Food Safari?

A food safari is an immersive day to eat and drink a selection of retail, artisan, restaurant and fast food products.

The purpose is to immerse yourself in a different food and cultural experience that you are used to, try new things, understand your target consumers and spark creativity and inspiration.

It is now super easy to try new foods in your own neighbourhood. But one of the best cities to discover loads of them is of course London.

London is now one of the top cities for foodies, with its incredibly big choice of cuisines, supersize foods, vegan options, trendy flavours and experiences.

You have the choice between retailers, award winning and Michelin stars restaurants, global fast food chains, artisan and independent shops and street food markets.

Why doing a food safari?

Let’s now have a look at why you should go on a food safari.

Understand Culinary familiarity

Food can open your eyes in terms of a region's culture, history, and traditions. A food safari helps you explore the culinary familiarity of the country where you're planning to launch your product.

That’s why if you want to have your product in the UK, London is the perfect spot.

Even though certain cuisines have been transformed and mellowed to fit the Britain's palate, it is still a very important exercise to do, as flavours are more likely to succeed if they align with existing flavour combinations.

Find Benchmarking products

Because you are going to try quite a lot of different products, some that may not be related to your product category, you are going to find benchmark products. It can be any specific characteristics that you like in products such as the concept, flavour profile, texture, colour, or their appearance.

The purpose for your project then is to use these benchmark products as your north star to guide you, especially during product development and tasting.

Spot trends, target consumer behaviour, and gaps

Going on a food safari is the perfect opportunity to spot emerging trends and potential future ones, popular flavours, market gaps and understand your target consumer behaviour.

Not only it will spark your creativity but it will also help you make informed decisions for your project.

Get Inspired

London is the perfect place for a foodie to feel surprised, inspired, and excited. With 100s of different foods to choose from, from posh restaurants to street food markets, from traditional to themed menus and from simple to extravagantly indulgent, there is something for everyone.

This is the opportunity to indulge your inner child without worrying about the logistics and the cost. Just enjoy the day and let yourself be inspired.

Build Deeper Connections

We all know that when food is amazing it is extra special to share it with someone. Whether you do it with your team, your suppliers or customers, this is an opportunity to create moments you will not forget.

You can learn more about where people come from, what food they like or don't like, and the memories they have with certain foods. Food is so ingrained in us that it naturally brings people closer together.

Doing a food safari is not just about eating and drinking all day, even though it is a really nice thing to do. It can be integrated in your Market Research.

Peek into the kinds of food and drinks your target consumers love, their favourite restaurants, takeaways, and street food markets.

The better you understand their taste buds and behaviour, the easier it will be to choose flavours, texture and colours that they'll love.

To make your life easier, at EPICSI, we offer a fully organised food safari day in London.

It is designed to help you find some inspiration and understand your target consumer palate to guarantee the success of your next product launch. If you are interested in learning more, check out our services here. 

My top places to go when I organise a food safari

Best Bakery

🔸Miel: https://mielbakery.co.uk/ 
🔸Arome: https://aromebakery.co.uk/about 
🔸Ole & Steen: https://oleandsteen.co.uk/

Best Dessert

🔸Humble crumble: https://www.humble-crumble.com/ 
🔸Chinchin: https://chinchinicecream.com/chin-chin-ice-cream/soho/ 
🔸Creme: https://cremelondon.com/tools/bundle-builder/9zWm/new 

Best Street food market

🔸7 dials market: https://www.sevendialsmarket.com/ 
🔸Mercato Metropolitano: https://mercatometropolitano.com/ 

Best Spanish tapas

🔸Iberica: https://www.ibericarestaurants.com/ 

Best Vegan restaurant

🔸Mildreds: https://www.mildreds.com/ 

Best Tasting menu

🔸6-by-nico: https://www.sixbynico.co.uk/london/ 

Conclusion

As we discussed, a food Safari is more than just about eating and drinking all day and having a good time. It offers valuable insights into your target consumers – their preferences, behaviours, food and beverage choices, market gaps and current trends.

It can inspire and help your food and beverage business with your existing products development (EPD) or new products development (NPD).

If you are looking to improve your current product or design new ones, a food safari is the perfect fit for you.

To make your life easier, at EPICSI, we offer a fully organised food safari day in London. If you are interested in learning more, check out our services here. 

Link to related blogs you may enjoy

🔶 Mastering Your Palate: How to Use a Flavour Lexicon 

🔶 What is flavour profile and why is it important to launch a successful product in the market?

🔶 10 Tips to Elevate Your Tastings & Drive Successful Product Development