As more food companies start to show off their creativity with new products—launching anything from edible packaging to pre-blended veggies—some businesses are leaving that kind of innovation to the consumer. In a process called mass customization, customers can choose from a variety of ingredients to create their own unique product, bringing new meaning to the adage: "The customer knows best."
Below are five of our favorites in the build-your-own business.
You Bar
Years before the 2006 launch of You Bar, mother-and-son founders Ava Bise and Anthony Flynn had been producing their own tailor-made nutrition bars. After taking this customization public, Bise and Flynn have received orders from around the world through youbars.com, where users choose from over 50 ingredients to make their ideal bar.
Representatives are available by email or phone to answer questions, and if a customer is looking for an ingredient not on the list, You Bar will do its best to source it. Unhappy with your choice? You Bar will ship a new box, free of charge. Bars are sold in boxes of six or 13, ranging in price from $19.99 to $41.50.
Mix My Own
After moving to the United States from Europe, MixMyOwn’s founders launched a website to give customers an alternative to store-bought granola and cereal, which usually contains added sugar and artificial flavors. This concept gives users the choice of nearly 100 ingredients to put into their granola blend, most of them organic, all-natural, and non-GMO.
Available in 12-ounce or one-pound bags, the price of each mix varies depending on the fruits, nuts, and extras added—ranging from cacao nibs to baobab powder.
SlantShack Jerky
When nine college friends started experimenting with dehydrated meats in a New York City apartment, they were embarking on a culinary quest to, as SlantShack Jerky’s website states, “create the jerky of their dreams.” Now, they allow customers to fulfill their own version of this mission statement, with a Build-a-Jerky feature where they can pick different marinades, spice rubs, and glazes to adorn 100% grass-fed beef.
This variety has attracted a range of fans, and press, with features in The Atlantic and Serious Eats. Packs of personalized jerky are available starting at $13.50, with added costs for some glazes and rubs.
eCreamery
Abby Jordan and Becky App have been churning out personalized ice cream from their Omaha-based ice cream parlor since 2007, appearing in the likes of O, The Oprah Magazine and Allure, and on the TV show "Shark Tank."
Customers pick from a range of sorbet, gelato, or ice cream flavors, add up to three mix-ins, name their custom creation, and it’s on its way, shipped using second or next day delivery. Each creation is shipped in four pints (for a half gallon) or eight pints (for a gallon), starting at $59.99, plus shipping.
Chocri
The only import on the list, Chocri was founded in Berlin in 2008 by Franz Duge and Michael Bruck, expanding to the U.S. in 2010. The company exclusively uses organic, fair trade chocolate from Belgium. It also donates 5% of its annual earnings to DIV Kinder, an organization that provides care to homeless and orphaned children in the Ivory Coast.
Choose from a white, milk, or dark chocolate base, and add up to five toppings from Chocri’s choice of different fruits, spices, confections, and nuts. Selections include anything from candied rose petals to cornflakes. Each 3.5-ounce bar starts at $6 to $9, plus toppings, which range from 20 cents to $2.10 each.
The good (and bad) of create-your-own
This trend of mass customization in the food industry not only gives consumers a whole new (and fun) way to shop, but also more control over ingredients listed on food labels. This power is helpful for those with allergy and dietary restrictions, who constantly find themselves checking labels for harmful ingredients.
Mass customization may also find fans in the rising number of health conscience consumers. Many people are realizing that pre-packaged foods originally touted for their health benefits—granola and sport bars, we’re looking at you—are actually anything but, loaded with sugar and other fillers. With Mix My Own and You Bar, consumers can customize their creation’s nutrition label, controlling the levels of sugar, protein, and nutrients with each ingredient used.
The flipside of this create-your-own freedom? The food is expensive. At Mix My Own, with its no-limit policy for add-ins, a one-pound bag of granola can run over $30 (granted, that’s with a lot of extras). But even with a limited mix-in allowance, a full gallon of eCreamery ice cream runs for $115, plus shipping starting at $45. With that money, a shopper can fulfill their craving for the creamy stuff with 37 pints of Ben & Jerry’s, running at an already-pricey $4.29 each.
With that sort of pricing, these businesses don't seem to be offering any stiff competition towards larger, uncustomizable food brands in-store. For many, the purchase of these products may be limited to special occasions. eCreamery and Chocri seem to acknowledge this fact, allowing customers to tailor the packaging with personalized messages—perfect for weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries.
And perhaps that's good. After all, no one needs to be chowing down on a double chocolate, fudge swirled, oreo-filled pint of ice cream every day. Just every other day.
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