please comment on my product

[mikeunwired]

hi there

thanks for all the advice

[cashurwheels]

Hi Mike,

I wouldn't know about the market...but it is fantastic idea. Oyster Sauna kool.

[Slade]

Hey Mike, what an cool product!

I think it has a lot of visual impact and the only way you are really going to be able to test your market is to start visiting restaurants.

I think once restaurants see the product in action, taste the results and chat to you about it, then you can take their feedback and see whether its worth moving forward on.

Given the industry and in particular asian / seafood restaurants the quality and taste of food is the number one priority.. then the only way you are going to test the market is to get people to test the product.

Best of luck.

[PalmOilHQ]

Mate that's just an awesome product...

What is the cost per unit for the restaurant?

How much does this push up the cost of a dozen oysters?

I would go about approaching food distributors, or whoever sells seafood / oysters to restaurants to get this product out there...

Whoever sells the most oysters to restaurants would have access to an instant market for your product.

[abd]

I like it a lot. I would get your product information out to restaurants with a flyer and information about the product.

[wordmistress]

That's pretty impressive! I love clever new ideas!

I too think that pounding the pavement would be the logical way to get your foot in the door, so to speak. Chef and restaurateurs need to see this baby in action. Can you loan 4 or 5 to a restaurant for a free trial so they can gauge the response?

Wow, it adds another whole dimension to a food that doesn't really sell based on its aroma. It's very sensory and very interactive; just the kind of useful gimmick that would go down well with Asian diners in particular.

Oysters being known as aphrodisiacs lend themselves well to this concept. Love it! Congratulations!

[kimono]

Interesting idea!

Now tell me how does it taste like? Does it give you an explosion of flavours inside the mouth??

[The Start Up Sage]

Great concept. Have you secured a patent?

I suggest getting a reasonably well-known chef to endorse the product (gives it street cred) and in this way you will be able to influence those who run kitchens and make the decisions regarding food and service (ie. other chefs) to give it a go.

Also, try restaurant trade mags (online and offline) with editorial.

One small risk is that it is something that could become trendy and popular for a period of time then fall out of fashion. So make sure you build decent margins in the product from the start.

Good luck with it.

[aande61]

If you are trying to sell to asian restaurants 2 good distributers you should contact are JFC ( Japan Food Corp) and Jun Pacific. JFC is a branch of Japanese food giant Kikoman but are stoll approachable. They supply all types of food and products mainly at the asian market but do supply other customers too. Make sure you do have a patent though as if they do sell well these companies are not adverse to stealing ideas (as we well know). But that is business. Also problem with selling such a product is that is a one off sale and is finite. If you are also selling the fuel then you will have constant repeat orders.

You can also sell your product at food expos like Fine Food Expo , Hospitality Expo but only having one product is limited. We generally do 2 or 3 shows a year but not cheap usually costing about $4000 for small stand. Better to team up with another stand if you only have 1 product * hence I keep talking about " sharing"

[allanuber]

For new ideas, and new products - potential buyers love to see the inventor is invested in the idea, and hands on in showing their belief in it.

I'm not sure where you're located - there's good advice above about approaching restaurants and distributors ... but there's also an opportunity to go to the source. If in Sydney get down to the fishmarkets (Pyrmont and Chinatown) with your kit in tow and beg them to set up a little desk, with your product, their oysters and you attract customers to them with the product. Get up early enough and get keen enough and many restaurant owners and buyers will be at the markets. It'll be smelly, dirty and rather sh|tty work to start with, but you'll be in the middle of your target market, and might well be able to sell these to the kind of market that thinks a home 'oyster party' is good fun (... no different to the home 'chocolate fountains' that seem to sell like hotcakes periodically...)