Consumer Research: Staff Edition

View the October 2011 Specialty Food Magazine

It's hard to find a more curious or discerning group of specialty food consumers than those who work in the trade. So, when presenting our Today's Specialty Food Consumer annual report, we turned to the best representatives we know—the staff of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT). Pictured in this year's report are several staff members who lent their time to help illustrate the habits, demographics and activities of today's specialty food consumers.

• The people who work at NASFT have a direct line to the best and newest specialty foods through talking with the association's 2,900 members every day and through working with the Fancy Foods Shows, sofiTM Awards, this magazine, our Specialty Food News e-newsletter and our trade and consumer websites.
• To take advantage of this expertise, we did an internal survey, comparing staff's shopping habits and preferences with the national report results, which are compiled by Mintel International and Toluna USA. Here's what we discovered:
• Condiments is the specialty food category that staffers most frequently purchase. This is especially true among the 25-34 year-olds on staff and also with consumers nationwide.
• Chocolate, the No. 1 most-purchased category in our formal research, particularly among those ages 55-64, is also popular in the office with staff age 45+.
• Specialty yogurt is a favorite for staff of all ages, reflecting its appeal with the consumers surveyed in the report, where it ranked fourth as the category most purchased.
• Staff tends to shop at natural food stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's as well as specialty stores, supermarkets, mass merchandisers and farmers markets. In the national study, results differed with natural foods stores ranking No. 2 behind supermarkets.
• Staffers report they most often use specialty foods for everyday meals; many also use them as a treat. This held true in the official survey as well, demonstrating how specialty foods have become a part of consumers' lifestyles.

Though informal, we found the results intriguing. They support the overall consumer research, but add insight by giving us a glimpse into what types of products specialty food insiders choose to buy for themselves.

Do this year's results match the opinions of your own staff? We're eager to hear how or how not. In the meantime, turn to page 33 of the October issue to dive into the comprehensive research on today's specialty food consumers.

Special thanks to the following staff participants: Anthony Bavaro, manager, financial planning & analysis; Marimi Brutus-Toussaint, marketing manager; Jennifer Carney, program & events manager; Cynthia Eisemann, sales coordinator; Roger Grant, operations associate; Martha Herrera, web/data services coordinator; Mary Jacobsen, executive administrator; Tressa Kennedy, membership manager; Dennis Marrero, managing editor, online content; Phyllis Mintz, sales manager, core accounts; Heather Paul, customer relations associate; Samara Plastini, former program & events manager; Edwin Rivera, sales manager, core accounts; Sara Rutkowski, office administrator; Erika Sipos, education and industry relations manager; Jim Spencer, director, operations; and Maria San Andres, Specialty Food Media's art director, for managing the photo shoot. |SFM|

By Denise Purcell
Editor, Specialty Food Magazine
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