Food Safaris.....definitely time well spent...

When your inbox is bursting with urgent problems to solve, you are rushing from meeting to meeting without even so much as a coffee refill, and your team are weighed down with a long list of EPD, a food safari can feel like a distant prospect that is just "not for now".

It can feel like a dispensable indulgence, not likely to deliver value in the short-term.

But as many of us know, when we neglect these activities, we can regret it in the long-term...

- That moment when we suddenly need to reach for creative concepts at speed?

Tricky

- That conversation with a customer trying to convey credibility and authority in food? Stunted

- When you see your competitor posting about the new venue that you have "been meaning" to get to, but just haven't made it yet?

Awkward

- The seasonal brief that requires a reflection and inspiration from this year's offering out in market, which is all already off the shelf now?

Frustrating

We've all been there, in that moment when we wish we had prioritised the longer-term view, wanted to ask our former selves to just get out there and go and see it! It's not easy.

When we work in creative fields such as product development and innovation, inspiration is like fuel for our engines, we simply can't function most effectively without it.

This inspiration can take many forms, from the little things we notice in the press or social media, a menu item in a restaurant, an opportunity we discover whilst cooking or eating at home or, or a product on shelf at the supermarket.

One thing is for sure, it can be incredibly time consuming finding constant supply of such stimuli for our enquiring, curious foodie minds.

Social media is a brilliant tool for this, I can certainly admit that a large proportion of my screen time goes to scrolling Instagram for food imagery or videos.

In addition, Tik Tok is already a significant platform for food inspiration, particularly for younger demographics. Tik Tok is becoming an influencer in itself. The hashtag #food currently has 486 Billion views on Tik Tok.

However easy it is to access this engaging content via the virtual world, it is not a replacement for seeing these things in real life. We all know that many of the most hyped foods on social media are often just that, and in reality, a disappointment on the plate.

Food is a sensorial experience, we need to see, smell, touch, taste food for it to really inspire us.

We need to know how it was displayed....how long the queue was.... how long it took to serve......how easy it was to eat on the go......what kind of packaging it came in..... what was the POS material around it...and so on. But most of all, we need to know, what did it taste like? Would we write home about it? Would we remember it in a week? a month? 2 years?

This information, this experience teaches us so much, and not just in terms of brand new ideas, it gives us valuable information we can take back in our tool kit for our EPD too.

And coupled with all of the information and ideas we gather on a day like this comes an array of other benefits:

- Team bonding/customer relationship building

- De-stress, get a change of scenery away from your desk

- Returning to your day-to-day refreshed, with a new perspective

- Feeling inspired and re-igniting your passion for food

A day on food safari is a day of the unexpected, a day of serendipitous findings, even though you may have planned it down to every small detail, you never really know what you might find.

It might just be your next big thing...

So let's talk about planning, how do you execute a great food safari?

After many years of curating and running food safaris both in my permanent roles and on behalf of my freelance food clients, I have some top tips for you to bear in mind:

1. Have a clear objective

It can be tempting to try to pack in everything you've been longing to see for months, but Rome wasn't built in a day, you need to make sure your expectations are realistic.

A clear objective will help you to focus. Is there a trend you need to build your itinerary around? Is it a seasonal safari for a specific product category?

2. Preparation is everything

The best way to get the maximum value from your day is to plan. Research is time well-spent, check the outlets you want to visit are open on the safari date, check what time would be best to visit somewhere, in order to see what you need to see, (if you are looking at breakfast offerings, you might be best with x2 half days rather than 1 day for example).

Research your route, google maps is brilliant for this, you can build your own map, save all the destinations and share with your colleagues.

3. Always leave a little freedom to explore

There is a balance to be struck with planning vs freedom. It's most efficient to plan at least 75% of your route and destinations ahead of time, but always allow a little free time.

You might just walk past a brand new shop or café that you want to pop in and explore, or you might feel really inspired by something at a planned stop and want to explore further.

4. Small groups are best

A cast of thousands never makes for a great food safari. Many of the most interesting new venues might be small and large groups can find it difficult to access. Large groups can slow down travel between destinations and can sometimes stunt creative thought and speech en-route.

It can also make vendors uncomfortable, particularly if you spend lots of time but not money in their venue. If you need to host a larger party, why not have them split into smaller groups and cover more ground?

5. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes

For those who are able, walking is absolutely the best way to get around a city on a food safari, using public transport where necessary to cover a greater distance where needed. Your trainers are your friend! Make sure all attendees are briefed up front about your dress code so everyone feels comfortable. Obviously also check the dress-codes of your venues, where you think relevant. If you intend to visit a super high-end restaurant, you might need the option to smarten up a little. If you are conducting a safari with people you have not met before, check in advance for any accessibility and dietary requirements from your guests and plan accordingly, so your safari can be fully inclusive.

6. Be a chatterbox

The store assistant or server at a venue can often share really interesting information with you about their products, so be respectful to the environment (don't keep them talking when super busy or seem overly nosey about recipes etc), but ask questions! "What is the best seller?" is often a good start. You would be surprised what you can find out from chatting.

7. Think like Mary Poppins

Okay, so there is no need for a standard lamp in your bag, but certainly a few essentials can help you to share and taste products on the go with a group in a mess-free, hygienic way, helping to keep an eye on cost and make sure everyone gets to experience the product. Disposable cutlery (recyclable) hand-wipes or gel and spare napkins are very useful, I've even known a colleague take their own mini chopping board and swiss army knife!

8. Get snap-happy & share

As we have already established, this is precious time that not everyone can make space for, so as well as capturing a record of your findings for your own benefit, make sure you take photos and videos so you can share your inspiration with your wider team. One tip to keep track of where you have photographed items is to take a photo of the brand or front of store before you enter, then you will know all the images after and up to a point are from that venue. Another is to take post-it notes and a pen, you can write a note, title and price and put it into your photo if you are taking imagery of unwrapped or cut product.

9. The So-What?

One way to ensure maximum value from your time (and the ability to repeat safari's more regularly) is to return to your original objectives at the end. Make sure you pull your findings into a coherent, engaging report that will discuss next steps from your findings, this insight needs to be actionable. This is then easily shared with colleagues or customers to take them on your innovation journey or referred back to at a later date with ease.

10. Phone a friend!

If you really want to go ahead with your food safari don't have time to plan and organise it, The Freelance Foodie can help you! I have extensive experience curating food safaris in the UK and abroad and I can assist you in the following ways:

- Curate custom self-guided itineraries for you to follow at your leisure, aligning to your objectives and budget.

- Attend and coordinate the day/s, taking all of the stress away leaving you free to focus on inspiration and relationship building.

- Bolt on innovation workshops or brainstorms to help you get to the actionable insights and strategic concept creation after your day.

-Take care of documenting your findings for you, providing an engaging and inspirational report.

- Upgrade your safari day into a fully immersive study tour, with the addition of creative challenges, time with industry experts, specially curated tasting sessions etc.

Why not get in touch with me to discuss the benefits a food safari can offer you and your team and see if I can help?

rachel@thefreelancefoodie.co.uk