Taste Tests

FROM THE CLIENT

THE RESEARCH BRIEF 

A food manufacturer was looking to understand recipe preference based on flavour and eating experience appeal of a variety of soups. 7 different soups would be presented to participants with a variety of quantities and types ingredients with the aim of identifying the most appealing recipe, benchmarked against the market leader.

THE METHODOLOGY

HALL TESTS 

NORTH & SOUTH CITY LOCATIONS – 4 days, 200+ participants, up to 10 participants per time slot 

TESTING:

Served at same temperature, served with consistent vessels, cutlery, palette cleanser between soups and for the same time period 
45-minutes test. Each group started testing at the same time
Self-completion of a CAPI survey (one mini survey for each product) on a tablet device was conducted in conjunction with the taste testing 
Clean down between session

SAMPLE:
No allergies 
Regular purchasers and eaters of soup 
In charge of household food shopping 
50/50 gender split 
Mix of life stage, income brackets, ethnicities aligned with national representation
Aged 18-65+ aligned with national representation 

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BEAM had thought of everything. We were particularly impressed with the lengths they went to achieve consistent and highest quality testing. 

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DELIVERED BY BEAM  

THE CHALLENGES 

Accurate and effective taste testing has to be treated as a science. Consistency was not only key but the cornerstone of this project. Any variety in the tasting experience could create unintentional bias in the outcome. As a result, BEAM worked very hard to develop a highly structured approach to developing the research methodology. 

BEAM DELIVERED

National Rep – Quotas provided by the client were broad, so BEAM worked the sample to reflect national representation across gender, age, life stage, ethnicity and income. Product specific quotas included product spend, usage and consumption occasion and which were overlayed to make up the target sample for the project.

In-house recruit – 100% of the recruit came from BEAM’s in house panel, and all screening was completed internally, including overage, to ensure consistency in the quality of recruitment 

Singular voice – All comms to participants, pre-, during and post-event came directly BEAM ensuring consistency and a singular voice 

Consent – A pre-consent link was shared prior to participation to capture all GDPR requirements and for written confirmation of an absence of allergies and intolerances 

Consistency – Providing a consistent experience for all stakeholders was essential for measured data and a valuable outcome. BEAM handled product storage, cooking equipment and sampling kit purchases, and 2 staff members carried out food hygiene courses to comply with requirements 

Briefing – BEAM took full ownership of team and participant briefing in both locations, both internal and external, ensuring each participant’s experience was identical 

Accuracy – Tight control of timings was critical for food and serve quality control and to remove potential bias in the taste testing process. Each sample measured exactly 60ml and was served at 70 degrees. 

Palette cleansing – Between each product sample was ensured with water and a consistent cracker provided between each sample 

Randomisation – Each participant received a randomised rotation of product samples, preventing cross contamination of taste and experience  

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THE CONCLUSION

A laser focus on the highest quality and most consistent experience possible was a recipe for success when it came to this taste testing project.  

This complex project could have become chaotic and hard to manage, but with a rigorous plan, precise management of recruitment and the taste testing process, BEAM was able to deliver valuable and detailed insights for this brand. The ability to reflect on the recipe changes in comparison to the market-leading product gave an additional level of insight that proved to be incredibly valuable for the client.  

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