COP Outcome development and evaluation

Manufacture

Factory trials began on 25 August, using members of the development team and other local staff as they were available. A substantially manual process line had to be converted to a much more automated one. Some particular ingredients presented problems; for example with plum pulp it proved difficulty to maintain the appropriate consistency for a high-class product.

There was extensive testing of the factory product, followed by adjustments to procedures and formulations and ingredients to reach the texture, appearance, and flavours desired for the product. Quality assessment and statistical process control procedures had to be adapted and changed in various ways to accommodate the characteristics of the new products.

Packaging

Major attention continued to be devoted to the packaging. Hot-filling a sauce containing particulates into a glass bottle with an awkward neck was a new experience for the team, as was applying deep plastic wrapping round the screw caps. This meant checking and upgrading of skills and equipment, and careful attention was required to the glass capper and the in-line labeller to accommodate the prodct’s specific needs. Finished product assessment could finally be undertaken by the end of August.

Marketing

Meanwhile there had been major activity on the marketing side. One very significant issue was the generic name of the new sauces. The final choice was suggested by design consultants: “A Bit on the Side”. This was the subject of some controversy. It was a departure from a tradition of straightforward descriptive titles. A new adventurous product, appealing to a younger more adventurous age group needed a title with pep – suitably spicy individual sauce names incorporating minimal description, on mildly funky but clear labels, to maintain interest and distinguish clearly between the six sauces.