Success Case Study: EPIC Bars; Redefining a staid category with flavor, form, and narrative innovation

Summary
The market for meat snacks has been characterized for a long time by saturation, minimal innovation, and a mass market approach based around heavily processed, cheap and unhealthy products. However, the rising interest in protein-driven and ancient (paleo) diets has created a new lease of life in the category as a premium market for more artisanal, creative, and healthy meat snacks has emerged.

Key Findings
- EPIC Provisions was established in 2013 by Taylor Collins and Katie Forrest. As competitive athletes and former vegans, they were seeking to develop products that offered a convenient way of adding nutritious animal protein to their diets. They sought to market a natural, authentic, premium meat snack that would be original in the marketplace.

- EPIC demonstrated that it was possible to leverage the tired meat snack category and, within it, develop an entirely new natural sub-category. This underlines the possibility of breaking with clichés and low expectations associated with jerky and generating premiumization opportunities.

- EPIC has also demonstrated that such products can be leveraged to become part of, and exemplify, a lifestyle (i.e. the paleo diet approach) that is not only seen as healthy but is also contemporary and aspirational (having educated middle-class appeal). The lesson for others is that protein-strong meat snacks can transcend their low-rent past and be revitalized in the present market.

Synopsis
Success Case Study: EPIC Bars is part of Canadeans Successes and Failures research. It examines the details of and reasons behind the success of EPIC Bars, a range of premium dried meat snack bars from EPIC Provisions, a start-up recently acquired by General Mills. It delivers the critical what?, why?, and so what? analysis to teach you crucial lessons that increase your chances of launching successful products.

Reasons To Buy
- Reduce the risk of failure by learning from brands/products that have under-performed: failed innovation can severely impact profit and reputation.

- Understand the relevant consumer trends and attitudes that drive and support innovation success so you can tap into what is really impacting the industry.

- Gain a broader appreciation of the fast-moving consumer goods industry by gaining insights from both within and outside of your sector.

- Access valuable strategic take-outs to help direct future decision-making and inform new product development.