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Heavenly Taste Biscotti Marketing Research

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Table of contents

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM .......................................................................... 1

LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................. 2METHODOLOGY & SAMPLING ..................................................................... 3

DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 6

PRE-SURVEY...................................................................................................................7

POST-SURVEY.................................................................................................................8

CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................... 9

PLAN OF ACTION ...................................................................................... 9

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................9

K IOSKS IN MALLS............................................................................................................10

RESTAURANTS...............................................................................................................12

NEW FLAVORS...............................................................................................................15

WEBSITE....................................................................................................................17

LIMITATIONS .......................................................................................... 19

REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 30

Table of illustrations

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assisting Mr. Joey Fabrizio and the Heavenly Taste business in achieving a successful

expansion and increasing the awareness of this notable brand.

Literature Review

Heavenly Taste Biscotti Company is a family owned business. The company

began a few years ago with the creation of a new recipe for biscotti by Domenica

Fabrizio. She began making her biscotti and people loved them to the point that people at

her workplace were asking for orders (De Santis, Agata)i. After a short period of time

everyone was telling her that she should open her own business. Eventually when the

demand became large enough she decided to concentrate fulltime on the production of

biscotti. In 2007 she opened Heavenly Taste biscotti and started manufacturing biscotti

with the help of her four children and husband. Since opening the store praise for

Heavenly Taste biscotti has spread like wildfire. Every month more and more Montreal

cafés are carrying Heavenly Taste biscotti.

The company’s values, mission and purpose are different from its competitors

because it is not only about making profit but the company’s founder has a dream of

helping the poor and meeting the needs of those who are less fortunate (Manna, Jon) ii.

The Heavenly Taste values include a high quality product and an outstanding reputation.

Presently the company has the reputation of having the best biscotti in Quebec.

Heavenly Taste Biscotti biscuits are homemade and hand baked. The delightful

biscotti cookie is twice baked in the oven which gives it a long shelf life. It does not use

oil, butter or milk. These cookies are a real holiday treat and it is possible to order biscotti

for special occasions such as a wedding, Christmas and birthday celebration.

The Heavenly Taste Biscotti mainly conducting Business-to-Business

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transactions. The primary reason for this is that the volume of Business-to-Business

transactions is much higher than the volume of Business-to-Consumer transactions.

Currently this company is producing two different types of biscotti; the high-end and

lower-end. The high-end biscotti is priced around $8, and lower-end biscotti is priced

around $3 a piece. The lower-end is sold through various coffee shops such as Café

Depot, and the high-end is sold in high-end hotels, high-end restaurants, and different

important conventions such as Cirque du Soleil and Festival de Jazz ( L'Informateur De

Rivière-des-Prairies - Montréal )iii.

There are many competitors in the industry endeavouring to sell various types of

biscuits and biscotti. A biscuit differs in quality, flavour and texture. It is a very

competitive market since barriers to entry are low. Companies are trying to build brand

awareness and distinguish themselves. Manufacturers are attempting to influence

consumer demand for their products by positioning their product differently with regards

to perceived quality and flavour. Main competitors of Heavenly Taste Biscotti are E-Café

( É Café Canada Biscotti)iv, Dolcetti Desserts (Global Manufacturers)v, Melinda’s

Biscotti (MelindaBiscotti)vi, and Touche Bakery (Touché Bakery)vii. E-Café and Dolcetti

Desserts are Heavenly Taste Biscotti’s main local competitors, while Melinda’s Biscotti

and Touche Bakery are its national competitors. However Heavenly Taste Biscotti is

considered the leader in the local (Quebec) market since the qualities of its products are

considered far superior.

Methodology & Sampling

A quasi-experimental design was used to gather and collect information from the

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sample group and was employed due to budgetary and time constraints. A one group pre-

test-post-test field experiment was utilized to understand the customer’s perception of

Heavenly Taste Biscotti in a natural setting. The null hypothesis for this experiment was

that customers have no propensity to buy Heavenly Taste Biscotti after sampling the

biscotti. The alternative hypothesis is that after sampling the biscotti customers have a

propensity to buy Heavenly Taste Biscotti. The independent variable for this one group

pre-test-post-test experiment was the Heavenly Taste Biscotti while the dependent

variables were the customer’s perception of the product and their willingness to purchase

it. Heavenly Taste provided the researchers with only one box for sampling hence the

reason for the small sample size. The box contained 15 biscotti therefore each biscotti

was divided into three to maximize the sample size. Therefore, the convenience sample

contained 45 respondents from different cities. A convenience sample was used since

data could be gathered quickly, efficiently and with little relative cost.

External and internal validity could have been comprised which is expected when

performing a quasi-experimental design. There were some random sampling errors; a

couple non-respondent errors in which a few of the respondents refused to take part in the

experiment and one non-item response error in the survey. Experimental bias was very

probable in this experiment which could have been translated into the guinea pig effect,

the Hawthorn effect or both. The researchers who asked participants to participate in this

experiment could have inadvertently hinted at the aim of the experiment which may have

lead to unintended effects on the results of the experiment. This may have caused the

respondents to alter their normal behavior or attitudes to cooperate with an experimenter

or, it may have revealed to the subjects that they were participants. These two effects are

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more than likely to have occurred in the experiment.

The one group pre-test-post-test experiment consisted of three distinct parts; a

pre-survey, a taste sample of Heavenly Taste Biscotti and a post-survey. First, the pre-

survey questionnaire consisted of 7 fixed-alternative questions and one rating question.

Questions relating to brand awareness, purchasing habits, product appeal, purchasing

intentions and product association were asked in the first part of the survey. Second,

respondents were asked to sample the product and no one declined to do so. Third, the

post-survey questionnaire also consisted of 7 fixed-alternative questions and one rating

question. Questions relating to product quality, customer perceived quality and

purchasing intentions were asked in post-survey. The aim of the one group pre-test-post-

test field experiment was to measure customer propensity to buy Heavenly Taste Biscotti

after tasting the sample.

For the sake of practicality, categorical scales were used prominently to measure

the responses of the test subjects. A couple of numerical scales were also used to measure

the results. Cross-tabulations were abundantly used to ascertain relationships between

variables. Five different cross-tabulations were utilized to identify trends and

relationships; respondents who heard about Heavenly Taste and how they heard about it,

respondents who purchased Heavenly Taste and their purchasing habits, rating the

biscotti visual appeal and taste of the biscotti, buying the product at a regular coffee shop

prior to tasting the product and purchasing the product after sampling it, and rating the

quality of the product with how much a respondent would be willing to pay for this

biscotti at their regular coffee shop. Excel charts, graphs and formulas were used to

compute the results of the surveys while percentage distributions and means were

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employed to analyze the results of the research.

Considering certain biases, errors and inadvertent effects that occurred in the one

group pre-test-post-test field experiment, the researchers are confident in the results that

were computed and analyzed in the research. The researchers have tried to contain and

limit the amount of errors and biases displayed in the experiment. The researchers feel

that the results of the research are indicative to a certain degree the general public’s

opinion of Heavenly Taste Biscotti’s.

For other primary data, the researchers called many restaurants to identify the

price range of desserts and to inquire if the desserts were made at the premises. An

independent case study concerning Felix & Norton cookies was conducted by the

researchers to ascertain the company’s expansion growth strategies. Secondary data was

used by the researchers to obtain information about Felix & Norton.

Data Analysis

After conducting a survey on 45 respondents of different sex and age, data was

gathered and processed in order to draw conclusions concerning Heavenly Taste Biscotti.

The survey had two distinct sections: the pre-test and the post-test. Respondents were

asked to answer the questions from the pre-survey and then they were offered a sample of

Heavenly Taste Biscotti. After tasting the sample they were asked to answer the questions

from the post-survey. The purpose of having both pre and post surveys was to identify if

tasting the biscotti would influence the respondent’s perception and assessment of the

product. Heavenly Taste Biscotti relies heavily on the product itself to promote the

company, because of its originality and high quality.

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Pre-survey

In the pre-survey when respondents were asked if they had previously heard of

Heavenly Taste Biscotti a staggering 73% of them had never heard of the company. But

of the ones who knew about the brand half had seen it in a coffee shop. However the

coffee shops that sell Heavenly Taste Biscotti products only carry the lower end biscotti.

Accordingly most consumers do not know about the higher quality biscotti. Besides only

10 of the 45 respondents had already bought Heavenly Taste Biscotti and none of them

purchased the product on a regular basis. Thus Heavenly Taste Biscotti seems to have

very limited exposure in the market.

Respondents were also asked to rate how appealing the biscotti looked on a scale

of 1 to 10. The results reveal that the average rating was 7.13 out of 10 (See Appendix 1).

The respondents were also asked if they would consider buying biscotti if they were sold

at their regular coffee shop as well as if they were sold through online delivery. The

respondent’s answers uncover that contrary to the 78% who would buy it if it was

available at their local coffee shop only 13% of respondents would place online orders for

Heavenly Tastes Biscotti. Therefore if there is to be an online order & delivery feature on

the Heavenly Taste Biscotti website it should be aimed at companies rather than

individuals since the service is most useful when ordering large enough quantities. Lastly

before tasting the product respondents were asked to associate it with a dessert, snack,

biscotti, or another product. 49% of respondents believed it was more of a dessert while

27% associated the product with actual biscotti (see Appendix 2). Based on this

observation, it would be wise to consider introducing the Heavenly Taste Biscotti to

dessert retailers and restaurants.

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Post-survey

Respondents were asked to rate the biscotti after tasting a sample. In contrast to

the average rating of 7.13 before tasting the biscotti the respondent’s average rating was

8.76 after tasting a sample. Moreover respondents were asked if after tasting the sample

they would consider buying this product. The results went from 78% before the

respondents had tasted the biscotti to 87% after having a sample (see Appendix 3). Thus

these observations confirm that the company should continue using the actual product as

a promotion tool in itself. Handing out samples at popular public places should be

considered to promote the Heavenly Taste Biscotti. When asked if they would purchase

biscotti at a mall 76% of the respondents agreed they would. Accordingly it could be a

profitable alternative to consider renting a lease in a popular mall in order to open a

Heavenly Taste Biscotti kiosk enabling consumers to have the opportunity to discover the

biscotti and Heavenly Taste Biscotti. Increased exposure would be beneficial.

Furthermore 76% of people who completed the survey said they would purchase biscotti

at a restaurant if it was advertised in the menu. In addition when asked to evaluate the

quality of the biscotti 78% of the respondents rated the product as high quality. Since

more than half of the respondents would buy the biscotti at a restaurant and perceived it

as a high quality product, Heavenly Taste Biscotti should contemplate the possibility of

distributing its products through high end restaurants. On the other hand the respondent’s

rating of the biscotti confirms that the high quality positioning Heavenly Taste Biscotti is

right for its product. The survey results reveal that although the respondents perceive the

biscotti as a fine product they would not be willing to pay a premium price (see Appendix

4). 44% of them indicated they would pay from $0.50 to $1.50 and 38% said they would

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pay from $2.00 to $3.50 for single biscotti. However customer’s who perceive the

product to be high quality but are not willing to pay premium price could be easily

attributed to consumer behaviour. Respondents were also asked if they thought a box of

biscotti would be a great gift idea or treat to bring as a dessert to a friend’s house. An

astounding 93% of them agreed it would make a great gift or dessert. As these results

suggest it would be a great venture to have a distributor of high end Heavenly Taste

Biscotti in a location that is more accessible to the general public and presented in gift

boxes to the public.

Conclusions

In summary, there seems to be a lack of brand awareness for Heavenly Taste

Biscotti. The respondent’s age, sex, nationality and occupation had no influence on their

propensity to buy. Moreover the willingness to purchase as well as the ratings given to

the biscotti increased after the respondent’s had tasted the product. Hence Heavenly Taste

Biscotti should keep advertising its taste and high quality. Furthermore based on the

research observations, respondents would buy this biscotti if they were available at a mall

or at a restaurant and they perceived the product to be more of a dessert than a snack of a

biscotti. Respondent’s evaluated the biscotti to be a high quality product and indicated

that it would make a great gift. It would be a lucrative endeavour to advertise and sell the

biscotti at popular malls and high end, trendy restaurants. It would definitively increase

Heavenly Taste Biscotti’s market size and brand awareness.

Plan of Action

Introduction

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The first step of the action plan recommended by the researchers should be that

Heavenly Taste hires staff to produce at capacity. Based on the results of the research, the

ideal target market would be Canadians of different social status and occupations that

have disposal income and who are occasional purchasers of desserts. Heavenly Taste

which is a B2B manufacturer should target companies that serve customers who fit with

the ideal target market described above. Heavenly Taste which sells medium and high

quality biscotti should have different positioning strategies for both products. The

medium quality biscotti is a more casual product and should be reserved for coffee shops

and possibly mall kiosks. According to the results in the post-survey, 76% of the

respondents would buy Heavenly Taste biscotti if they were promoted in malls. This

could be a great opportunity for Heavenly Taste to expand while maintaining their high

quality standards.

The Highest quality biscotti should be aimed and exclusively sold to high end

hotels, golf courses, restaurants and venues hosting special events. At such outlets the

price of the biscotti could be altered by the companies who sell them. It would be a

mistake to sell the high end biscotti in local coffee shops and malls since it would devalue

the brand. High end hotels, golf courses, restaurants and special venues would buy the

rights to such an exclusive product. These two positioning strategies should be the

benchmark of Heavenly Taste. Considering the results of the research, the researchers

have suggested feasible opportunities to expand the business while maintaining the

Heavenly Taste values of high quality and exclusivity.

Kiosks in malls

The suggestion of developing kiosks in shopping malls is based on a case study of

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Felix & Norton. Like Heavenly Taste Biscotti, Felix & Norton began their cookie

business in Montreal. This concept would allow Heavenly Taste Biscotti to mimic the

steps Felix & Norton in order to grow and succeed in this city. Some other similarities

they share that validate the comparison further are their common goal to maintain the

quality of their product to ensure customer satisfaction and relationships, and the desire to

contribute to society.

Felix and Norton started off as a small shop and through word of mouth the

cookies gained attention and fast demand. Within 10 years the company launched their

stores in 40 different locations across Canada and used this as an opportunity to build

lasting relationships with their customers. After 18 years in business Felix & Norton was

sold to the La Bonbonniere and Sweet Factory chains which are located in major

shopping malls.

More recently Felix & Norton has introduced a new and innovative form of

distribution. Their bakery-on-wheels allows them to drive around to various locations and

events to bake and sell fresh cookies directly to the customers. The environmentally

friendly truck is powered by clean-burning propane and solar energy.

Based on the case study done on Felix & Norton and in conjunction with the

results of the experiment, opening a couple of strategically located mall kiosks would be

a great opportunity for Heavenly Taste Biscotti to expand while preserving its values and

standards of high quality. Shopping malls offer the luxury of constant traffic and could

generate a great deal of brand awareness and reputation. Moreover, shopping malls are

much more accessible to the general public than driving to a manufacturing facility.

Based on the results of our post-test survey 76% of the respondents said that they would

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purchase Heavenly Taste Biscotti if they were accessible in malls. Another 93% of the

respondents said that it would be a great gift idea and a good dessert to bring to a friend’s

house. This could provide considerable business for Heavenly Taste and could generate

perhaps a more regular purchase of the product. At the kiosks customers would buy a jar

or a box of biscotti which would cost them less than purchasing regularly at a coffee

shop. Each mall has different leasing prices so Heavenly Taste should consider carefully

which mall it enters. The results of the research suggest that after sampling the biscotti

customers have a greater propensity to buy the product. A way to create an incentive for

consumers to buy the biscotti is through cause marketing. By promoting that a portion of

the earnings will go to a charity, people will be more inclined to at least try the product.

Once they have tasted it, as concluded in the research, this is when consumers will be

more likely to purchase the product. This idea is also something that would fit well with

Domenica Fabrizio’s values, as she is a huge supporter of many charities. This kind of

cause marketing could be used in the kiosks and it could potentially increase more brand

awareness, goodwill and generate more sales. Also, simply giving out free samples at the

kiosks would generate a positive buzz because it would increase the early rate of

adoption, increase brand awareness and sales.

In sum, based on the results of the experiment Heavenly Taste Biscotti

should consider diversifying its business portfolio by including a new growth opportunity

by vertically integrating into a consumer market.

Restaurants

With the abundance of restaurants in the Montreal area, it is important for

restaurateurs to offer something unique to attract customers and to challenge competitors.

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Incorporating Heavenly Taste Biscotti into high-end restaurants would help the brand

maintain and build its image. Both share the value of providing high quality products to

their customers, and the price of this biscotti falls into this category of restaurants.

However, when selecting which restaurants to associate with Heavenly Taste has to be

aware of the restaurant’s positioning and observe if it is consistent with its own.

To maintain the uniqueness and rarity of the biscotti it would be important to pick

only one or two high-end restaurants in every major part of Montreal. In this case,

because the target market consists of young adults who are more likely to have disposable

income, the locations must follow these consumers. Therefore prime locations should

include Plateau Mont-Royal, Old Montreal, Downtown Montreal and Little Italy. Some

examples of restaurants in the Montreal area that seem to be relevant with Heavenly

Taste Biscotti’s values are Ferreira Café, Vargas, Bistro Cocagne and Verses Restaurant.

(Appendix 1). These restaurants were selected based on various characteristics that were

relevant to receive the most positive response to acquiring the biscotti. The characteristics

include the restaurant’s reputation, price range of desserts, the homemade quality of their

desserts and the business values. They also each have dessert menus which do not include

biscotti as an option.

The Heavenly Taste high-end biscotti has a market price of around eight dollars

and therefore would be sold in restaurants for a higher price to make a margin of profit.

Assuming the restaurants sell it for 10-15$, this addition will be very similar to the other

prices on the dessert menu (Appendix 5). There is also the option of adding the biscotti to

a dessert that is already a part of the menu such as ice cream or even create an espresso

and biscotti combo.

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Although it is a challenge to sway restaurant owners that this particular biscotti is

something they should have on their menu there are concrete arguments that can be

useful. The biscotti’s long shelf life and exclusion of oil and butter as ingredients are two

major factors that can potentially intrigue restaurant owners. According to “Big Boom for

Healthier Groceries”, 74% of respondents said that they are more now than ever

concerned with their fat and cholesterol intakes (Currence 1)viii. Therefore, this low-fat

biscotti would be a great dessert option for people who take care of their health and

weight. Furthermore, the majority (76%) of respondents surveyed answered that they

would be willing to purchase a biscotti in a restaurant and several even mentioned that “it

would be great with a coffee” and “after a big meal, it would be nice to have an option of

a biscotti.”

However, even with these numerous arguments, it may be very difficult to

convince a restaurateur who does not know much about a product to add it to the menu.

The alternative to this is going straight to a restaurant supplier and partnering with them

to distribute the biscotti to high-end restaurants. This would be of great advantage

because the supplier in question will already have high-end clients and could serve as an

intermediary for the distribution. This would be a more legitimate way to approach a

restaurant owner to carry the Heavenly Taste Biscotti because it would be mentioned

from their supplier, someone whom they are already in business with and whom they

trust. An interview with Mr. John Kalantzis, part owner of a fruit and vegetable

distribution company KB, made this idea a could-be reality (Appendix 6). With over 300

restaurants as clients in and around Montreal, Mr. Kalantzis was generous enough to

provide some very useful information. Although Mr. Kalantzis’ clients vary from Les

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Trois Brasseurs to Vargas Restaurant, he does not have a huge amount of high-end

clients. However, this is an incentive for him to take on this new product in hopes of

attracting more high-end restaurants. The main factor that interested Mr. Kalantzis was

that he could be one of the only suppliers of this product, which he would distribute to his

high-end clients and potentially attract other clients to his business. This strategy

provides a win-win situation. Mr. Kalantzis would acquire new high-end clients by being

one of the few that are supplying the biscotti and The Heavenly Taste Biscotti will

become affiliated with a reputable and known restaurant supplier to distribute their

product among only the best high-end restaurants in Montreal.

Although incorporating the biscotti into high-end restaurants appears ideal there

are some disadvantages. This solution does not necessarily allow the brand to gain

awareness or increase their customer base. By being on a dessert menu the biscotti are

most likely to be associated with that individual restaurant. However, by selecting the

right restaurants with good reputations Heavenly Taste Biscotti will be able to increase

production and distribution. Another problem Heavenly Taste Biscotti might face is that

they will be competing with other dessert items that are being offered, such as pudding,

lemon tarts and cake (Appendix 7). It is therefore important to select restaurants that their

target market is most likely frequent.

New flavors

Cookies, biscuits and biscotti are a highly diverse industry. Changes in the

marketplace are driven by a continuous shifting consumer demand. A key factor for

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competitive success within the cookie industry is constant product innovation. A clear

understanding of industry changes and customer’s new demands are crucial. According to

research improving existing products and developing new flavours will give a company a

competitive advantage. Taking this into consideration, Heavenly Taste Biscotti Company

must be able to recognize changing consumer wants and needs in order to continue to

have high quality products for the marketplace. Shifting with the changing trends,

understanding consumer needs, and meeting them will not only position Heavenly Taste

Biscotti ahead of its competitors but also allow it to dominate the biscotti market.

The main competitor of Heavenly Taste Biscotti in Canada is ‘Melinda's Biscotti’.

Today she supplies biscotti to more than 180 retail clients a day (Kloster, Darron)ix. She

achieved this by adding six new flavours Gingersnap, Lemon Cranberry, Chocolate,

Cranberry Almond, Almond and Espresso Almond to her biscotti line. Following this

addition of flavours her revenues increased from just under $40,000 in 2009 to $130,000

in 2010, and are projected to be $250,000 this year x. According to research consumers

would be interested in more new flavors (Strategic Management Consulting - Alliance

Consulting Group)xi. These days there are increasingly more varieties in the biscotti

market that appeal to different consumers’ tastes. Also after surveying current Heavenly

Taste biscotti consumer’s research shows that consumers will be interested in new

flavours. When Heavenly Taste is well established in the industry and has a bigger share

of the market it should consider giving more choice to the customers. Therefore in the

long-run in order to stay competitive Heavenly Taste should adjust its product and follow

‘Melinda's Biscotti’ model of adding more different flavours. This will allow Heavenly

Taste to appeal to bigger consumer market. It would also prevent consumers from

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switching to other biscotti manufacturers and attract new customers.

Website

The rapid growth of the World Wide Web has permitted businesses to use the

internet to create and capture value from its customers. E-Commerce is a large reason for

the popularity of the internet (Norrie et al., p.59)xii.. In order to stay relevant, many

businesses are now creating a website in order to promote brand awareness and

ultimately capture sales from clients. A company’s website is a good place to start

learning about the company and what it stands for. Many B2B companies use search

engines to find potential leads and business partners.

In terms of promoting Heavenly Taste, there were many noticeable flaws in their

company website. When entering Heavenly Taste website, surfers are confronted with a

number of negative and confusing elements. Through a marketing point of view, the

website suffers from a general lack of information about the company and its products,

and esthetic appeal. The website is not inviting because it is riddled with grammatical

mistakes and ambiguous information. It seems that this website has not been proof-read

or revised by a communication expert or a marketer. Furthermore, the website is only

available in English despite their service in Quebec. The website itself does not convey

the quality of the product. As a manufacturer dealing with large clients, it is important to

always convey professionalism even with respect to a company’s website. Many B2B

companies do look at their potential client’s websites prior to contacting them. A bad

website can deter big companies from conducting business with Heavenly Taste.

Heavenly Taste Biscotti should consider investing money to update and revamp

their website. The website should be in both official languages, English and French and

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should include the company’s history as well as a much more focused product description

section. The website should also specify information about both the medium and high end

biscotti as well as the different flavors. The researchers recommend two new sections to

be added to the corporate website; company affiliates and various causes that Heavenly

Taste sponsors. Cause marketing can be potentially an effective way to promote goodwill

and brand awareness. Mentioning the locations where the biscotti is sold on the website

would be a good way to increase product awareness and possibly increase sales.

Moreover, having a new section mentioning the price range for different quality products

and price per box (or per jar) including volume discounts would be good to incorporate

on the site. This would convey more transparency in the business model and could

generate more online orders by large clients. All the information should be proof read and

revised by a marketer. Lastly, it would be sound to hire a website designer to re-design

the site to make it more appealing and professional.

The company website is also difficult to find on Google search engine. The

researchers noticed that when typing “Heavenly Taste Biscotti” in the search box in

Google the company website does not appear in the first five Google search pages. It

would be strongly recommended that Heavenly Taste invest in Search Engine

Optimization to increase their ranking in Google search engine. Furthermore, two free

ways of increasing the company ranking in Google search engine without spending

money would be to change the meta tag of the company website and add back links. Meta

tags are used to describe the content of a website and this is what search engines use to

structure searches. Back links are also very useful to increase the importance and

popularity of a particular website. By creating links with companies that Heavenly taste

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works with and sells to, it will increase the website’s popularity and also increase page

ranking on Google. Programmers can do this job quite well. A good Google ranking

ultimately promote worldwide awareness and perhaps generate more business

opportunities.

Limitations

The limitation that most affected the research that was conducted is the minimal

time constraints. This time constraint forced survey participants to be chosen through

convenience. Although this is not the ideal strategy to select people, it was the best

possible option within a limited time frame. If more time was provided, research towards

all areas of the paper would have been able to be observed and collected in more depth.

For example, more case studies could have been used if more resources were available.

Therefore, the individual case of Felix & Norton had to be generalized when being

compared to Heavenly Taste Biscotti.

The sample size used for the survey is also a limitation towards this paper. Mr.

Fabrizio provided samples of his biscottis to be used towards the surveys therefore the

sample size of the survey was dependent on the number of biscotti that were supplied. 45

people were questioned, which is not entirely representative of Heavenly Taste Biscotti’s

target market or current consumers. However, it provided information that was used to

generalize the plan of action and the three opportunities that were addressed.

Another limitation that was faced is the lack of available secondary data. Because

the case of Heavenly Taste Biscotti is unique and specific there are not many articles or

data that are relevant to this particular topic.

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Appendix

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Appendix 1 – Consumer rating

Appendix 2 – Consumer’s classification of the product

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Appendix 3 – Consumer’s willingness to buy

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Appendix 4 – Consumer’s perceived quality and value of the biscotti

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Appendix 5 – Criterias of Restaurants mentioned

Each restaurant mentioned was called to retrieve information about

their dessert menu and was researched through secondary data such as the

restaurant’s website and review/tourist websites to generally assess the

restaurant’s reputation.

- Ferreira Café

o Location: Downtown Montreal (Peel)

o Portuguese

o Dessert Price Range: 9-18$

o Great reviews

o Head chef is affiliated with many charities

o Problem: they normally make their own desserts

“CEOs, politicians, and members of commercial delegations often meet up at the

chic Ferreira Café, located in the heart of the Montreal business centre”

(MontrealPlus.ca)

- Vargas Restaurant

o Location: Downtown Montreal (Rene-Levesque)

o Steakhouse/Sushi Bar

o Desserts Price Range: 8.50-10$

“Vargas has the perfect environment for lunch-time meetings as well as for

catching up with friends and/or for dinning with a special someone before an

evening on the town” (MontrealPlus.ca)

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- Bistro Cocagne

o Location: Plateau Mont-Royal

o French


“This French influenced bistro is warm and inviting, offering a taste of Europe

while placing local produce front and centre” (MontrealPlus.ca)

- Verses Restaurant

o Location: Old Montreal

o French Contemporary Cuisine


o Dessert menu includes a “tasting platter” with chef choices of

pastries

“The Verses mixes with audacity and elegance of the neighborhood, the urban

attitude of the owners and the rustic tendencies of the chef.” (MontrealPlus.ca)

Appendix 6 – Interview with Mr. John Kalantzis

Key information from interview with part owner of fruits and vegetable

distribution company KB, Mr. John Kalantzis.

KB supplies fruits, vegetables, frozen fries, chicken wings, onion rings and other

products to various types of restaurants around Montreal and in the outskirts as

well.

Affiliations:

- Vargas

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- Les Trois Brasseurs

- Baton Rouge

- Rubens

- Etc.

Why did he have a particular interest in Heavenly Taste?

He had never heard of them prior to the introduction of this project

however when it was mentioned that they have done many events for Cirque du

Soleil, BCBG and other high profile organizations, Mr. Kalantzis also saw

potential in this product working in higher end restaurants around town.

He mentioned that KB, in its 37 years of business, has never done any

promotion and through solely word of mouth it has become a valuable business

that has a respectable reputation. However, a dream of Mr. Kalantzis has been to

modernize the business by introducing new products in hopes of attracting more

clients in the high-end restaurant sector. He believes that if this product is in

such great demand by big names, than affiliating with such a company could be

advantageous for both parties.

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Appendix 7 - Example of Dessert Menu from Bistro Cocagne

Fromage

Morceau de 20 grammes4

Dessert

Tarte aux citrons en verrine,crumble et meringue

8

Gâteau à l'huile d'olive, crème sûre à la cardamome,salsa aux agrumes

8

Pouding chômeur pour deux,glace au sirop d’érable

16

Bouchon chaud au chocolat, ananas rôti aux épices,glace aux sésames et coriandre

8

Tarte aux café, ganache et chantilly en étagé,caramel salé, glace vanille

8

Dessert du jour8

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References

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iCurrence, John. "Big Boom for Healthier Groceries." http://eatocracy.cnn.com. Eatocracy. August 13, 2010. Accessed onJune 8, 2011

De Santis, Agata. "Heavenly Taste – For My Darling Valentine…." Italocanadese. Web. 08 June 2011.<http://www.italocanadese.com/2011/02/heavenly-taste-for-my-darling-valentine.html>

ii Manna, Jon. "A Heavenly Taste." Jon Manna | Music | Technology | Ministry | Life. Web. 08 June 2011.<http://www.jonmanna.com/>.

iii "Heavenly Taste Biscotti…tout Droit Au Paradis!" L'Informateur De Rivière-des-Prairies - Montréal . Web. 08 June 2011.<http://www.linformateurrdp.com/>.

iv "Biscotti on Internet." É Café Canada Biscotti. Web. 08 June 2011. <http://www.yabiscotti.com/biscotti.asp>.

v "Dolcetti Desserts." Global Manufacturers. Web. 08 June 2011. <http://www.gmdu.net/corp-286043.html>.

vi MelindaBiscotti. Web. 08 June 2011. <http://www.melindasbiscotti.com/>.

vii Touché Bakery. Web. 08 June 2011. <http://www.touchebakery.com/>.

viii

"Big Boom for Healthier Groceries – Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs." Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs. Web. 09 June 2011.<http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/08/13/big-boom-for-healthier-groceries/>.

ix Kloster, Darron. "Biscotti Endeavour Results in Sweet Taste of Success." Times Colonist | Canada Daily News. Web. 08

June 2011. <http://www.timescolonist.com/>.

x Kloster, Darron. "Biscotti Endeavour Results in Sweet Taste of Success." Times Colonist | Canada Daily News. Web. 08

June 2011. <http://www.timescolonist.com/>.

xi "The Power of Branding." Strategic Management Consulting - Alliance Consulting Group. Web. 08 June 2011.<http://www.alliancecg.com/>.

xii Introduction to Business Information Systems, p 59

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/

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