Greenyard Frozen: Developing Cauliflower Rice as an Open Innovation Project for Sustainability

Wim Vanhaverbeke

On March 14, 2019, the convenience business unit manager of Greenyard Frozen was in his Roeselare, Belgium office preparing for a management meeting that would discuss current challenges facing the company. Greenyard Frozen had to decide on the market positioning of its cauliflower rice and how to promote the new product. The project, which was a great example of co-operation in the value chain and of open innovation for sustainability, had resulted from the unique collaboration of several key contributors: Greenyard Frozen, two cauliflower growers, a machine builder, the agricultural research group Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek, and the Flanders' Food platform. Greenyard Frozen had to decide whether to emphasize the product's sustainability benefits or simply position the cauliflower rice as a healthy, low-carbohydrate alternative to rice or other food products. What steps could the company take to remain ahead of its competitors, who were innovating at a relentless pace?

Learning Objective

This case study can be taught in undergraduate- and graduate-level courses on innovation management, collaborative innovation, strategy, entrepreneurship, or marketing. Students will learn about the management challenges of using open innovation in the development of sustainable products or services. The case also details the specific problems a private-label manufacturer encounters in capturing value from an initiative to produce products in a more sustainable way. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following: Explain how to define an open innovation idea for sustainability and how to translate it into a specific product that can be commercialized. Assess the need to organize and manage a network of partners. Develop a strategy to capture value from open innovation for sustainability.

Details

Pub Date: Apr 6, 2020

Discipline: Strategy

Subjects: Open innovation, Sustainability, Value chains

Source: Ivey Publishing

Product #: W20250-PDF-ENG

Teaching note: Available

Industry: Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting

Geography: Belgium

Length: 8 page(s)