Product ideation, naming and commercialization

 Move fast and build resilient ideas to make an impact in the marketplace

“That was the best meeting we’ve ever had at Walmart,” said the SVP of Sales.

Walmart wanted new rice pudding brands, and they wanted them fast. Working in tandem with product formulation, packaging engineering and sales at Land O’Lakes, I helped curate a team of pudding experts (chefs, social influencers, parents) and designers to first pitch a range of names/ideas, then focus on developing three brands. Two of them: Naughty & Rice, and Indulge Your Feelings, launched on Walmart shelves less than nine months from the initial request. Naughty & Rice was also sold into Cub Foods, Marc’s and Hy-Vee.

Is there an opportunity in digital to shake up backyard chicken feed?

Even before the pandemic the number of backyard chicken coops was growing. But now there was a key difference: these first-time chicken owners wanted feed with ingredients they could spell, available via smartphone. I built a team then led ideation and naming which resulted in Hen Up Organics, a non-GMO line of chicken feed for coop owners embracing the digital age. We went from initial briefing to products on Amazon and Chewy inside 12 months.