Shoppers Get a Taste

Bala Cynwyd, PA -- Food and beverage companies and supermarkets no longer will need to set up staffed sampling stations once First Flavor rolls out its Peel 'n Taste strips later this year.Packaged individually in heat-sealed foil laminate, the strips can replicate virtually any flavor, says Jay Minkoff, president and CEO. The company signed a deal with Alliance, Winston-Salem, NC, to manufacture the strip dispensers.Minkoff says First Flavor can create any flavor, even complicated, savory ones. "We can deliver a variety of taste experiences," adds Barry Gesserman, vice president of sales and marketing and chief operating officer. "We can deliver a quick burst of flavor, or we can deliver a slower-release, creamier flavor with multiple waves."The dispensers, which come with built-in trash receptacles, can be placed on the shelf, built into endcaps or other P-O-P displays, or be placed in-aisle as part of an unmanned table, Minkoff says. He estimates they cost 10 to 15% of a typical staffed sampling station and can be operational much longer."It could be part of the ongoing campaign for a product, versus just the launch," he says. "They usually do [sampling] at a supermarket to get buzz for a day or two, and that's it.""We see the P-O-P applications not just at shelf, but freestanding, and as a method to help consumers stop, try and then purchase by using taste," says Dean Metter, vice president of new business development at Alliance. "The typical suburban mom has about 30 minutes, shops three times a week, and is looking for what's for dinner." He adds the strips could be placed at non-traditional but strategic places -- like freezer doors.The strips could be particularly helpful with products with newly invented flavor names, Minkoff says. "I'm not sure what 'Gatorade Rain' tastes like," he says. "Before I spend 3-1/2 dollars on it, I want to know."

Shoppers Get a Taste

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