Ciao Bella case study: expanding a niche artisanal product into mainstream retail

Published by: Datamonitor

Published: Jul. 7, 2008 - 10 Pages

Table of Contents

DATAMONITOR VIEW

CATALYST

SUMMARY

ANALYSIS

Ice cream is a lucrative market in the US, with potential for growth within artisanal sectors

Ciao Bella has focused on enhancing its retail business to build its brand share

Ciao Bella remained primarily a supplier to foodservice companies until quite recently

Since 2005, the company has made a concerted effort to enhance its retail sales

More than half the company's sales now come from retail

Positive industry response has helped the brand evolve from a B2B supplier and into the consumer arena

A multi-million equity investment in the company has been set aside to further build the retail business

Developing branded, rather than generic, products for foodservice is also a key development strategy for Ciao Bella

TV exposure and celebrity advocacy has helped build the Ciao Bella brand

An appearance on 2004's The Apprentice generated phenomenal brand exposure

Following the show, Ciao Bella's website, which was used to low volume usage, crashed

After being named one of Oprah's favorite things in 2007, the company's website received a million hits

Consumer appeal took priority over food industry buyers, in the development of a new website

Ciao Bella is projecting further growth through channel and geographic expansion

The company's products can now be bought on Amazon, enhancing its online offering

Japan has been targeted for Ciao Bella's first venture into sophisticated foreign markets

Ciao Bella also remains dedicated to stimulating US sales with new marketing efforts focusing on grass roots branding

APPENDIX

Case study series

Methodology

Secondary sources

Further reading

Ask the analyst

Datamonitor consulting

Disclaimer

List of Tables

Table 1: The brand has won numerous awards over the past two years

List of Figures

Figure 1: The Ciao Bella brand encompasses a range of ice cream and sorbet flavors

Figure 2: Appearances on The Apprentice and Oprah have enhanced the brand's sales

Figure 3: The Ciao Bella website has been redesigned to be more consumer friendly

Abstract

• Gain insight into the methods used by important industry players to give them a competitive edge
• Identify specific areas for operational improvements
• Capitalize on the knowledge of experienced companies when entering a new niche or market

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