In preparation for opening a Greek yogurt bar in Toronto, an Ontario food company wanted to develop a Canadian version of a Mediterranean spoon sweet, a fruit preserve served with yogurt.
Colossus is a company that produces authentic Greek dishes for customers around the world. Its products are Greek spreads hand made by expert chefs from traditional recipes with no additives or preservatives. The company approached Niagara College’s Canadian Food & Wine Institute Innovation Centre to help develop a new spread, using Niagara-grown fruit instead of more expensive Greek imports.
Niagara’s research team developed several recipes and tested them using sensory panels. The panels identified the three top recipes for further refinement and commercialization in 2014.
A Niagara College business team conducted market research to understand the competitive landscape and identify market niche opportunities for this product line in food services and retail distribution. Several products were tested through consumer taste tests to determine product preferences, and flavours were refined and sampled by a trained sensory panel to assure quality. Finally, shelf-stability testing, packaging, and labeling were completed for each product, and a co-manufacturer was identified to scale-up production.
The new Spoon Sweets made their debut at the company’s Greek Yogurt Bar and Movenpick Marché in Toronto in the fall of 2014.
