Last week, Bidfood hosted two virtual customer development sessions, showcasing the best of Christmas products and pizza concepts to an audience of over 250 people.
After months of few face to face customer and supplier meetings, with less focus on innovation and more so on Covid-related products and solutions, Bidfood launched their ‘Bidfood Kitchen’ webinars to inject some creativity and ‘foodiness’ into the industry, in preparation for the Christmas period and the rise in takeaway.
Comprising two 45 minute sessions, Bidfood’s Food Innovation Manager, Martin Eshelby talked through a variety of products, showcasing how best to prepare, cook and serve them, innovative ideas for menu development and ways to deal with the challenges that lie ahead for operators.
Presenting alongside Martin was Gemma Benford, Head of Customer Marketing and Georgina Triniman, Customer Marketing Executive, who added an extra dimension to the webinars by weaving in a range of consumer insight.
Speaking about the sessions, Gemma Benford, Head of Customer Marketing said: “We’re so pleased to have launched Bidfood Kitchen. We’ve missed presenting to our customers and this exciting platform enables us to hold interactive sessions at a time when we can’t always see customers face to face.
“These are really challenging times but we felt it was so important to not lose the importance of showcasing our passion for food and trend-led ingredients in an engaging and fun way.
When exploring what Christmas 2020 could look like, the team discussed the uncertainty surrounding this years’ festivities and consumers’ cautious approach. So it was unsurprising to learn that 60% of consumers had not started planning their Christmas celebrations yet[1].
Analysing this research and looking for ways to best support customers, the team at Bidfood identified a number of ways to ensure that safety, social distancing and hygiene were front of mind whilst not compromising quality of food and drink. Ideas discussed on the webinar included a Christmas BBQ to make use of outdoor space, Christmas product hampers as an alternative to a Christmas takeaway option and a variety of vegan and vegetarian products.
The second webinar moved away from festivities and focused on a growing trend, particularly in takeaway – pizza!
Showcasing Bidfood’s pizza concept, The Crafty Pizza Co., Martin showcased the simplicity and effectiveness of including a takeaway pizza option on menus. With trend-led, delicious recipes and step by step guides, this is yet another way to navigate the challenges this year has presented hospitality with, with a simple yet effective takeaway solution.
[1] Bidfood consumer research 2020