Bonzur LLC, a Washington-based company, was founded in 2014. It focuses on developing, manufacturing, and distributing zur, an original food product. The company is owned and run by Larissa Stanberry, a sole proprietor of this business. It is located in Puget Sound, Lynwood, WA, within a metro area that boasts of high-consumers of natural food products. Bonžur intends to start manufacturing a quality plant-based product to provide an alternative option to traditional dairy products. It hopes to create a nationally recognized brand, which it will call Žur Oat Pudding. The product will be available on the grocery shelves and served in hospitals, college cafeterias, and schools.

1.2 Financial – Period Covered by the Operational Plan

The operational plan covers the period from September 2020 to October 2022.

1.3 Mission & Vision

Mission: Bonžur produces the highest quality plant-based foods using organic, natural, and non-GMO ingredients and pure water. It leads the industry by creating procedures and practices that surpass regulatory requirements.

Vision: Bonžur aspires to transform the food industry into a transparent, healthy, and sustainable socially-responsible venture.

1.4 Differentiation

It is particularly a daunting task to choose flavors for an entirely new product. Having competing products in mind, the team will carefully select flavors that it believes has a wider consumer appeal. FONA International, a global food flavor development company, lists the top three yogurt flavors like plain, strawberry, and vanilla, in that order (FONA International Inc. 2015). The product will be launched with four flavors. Three of these flavors will be those that can be appropriately be used as breakfast alternatives and as a snack, and the fourth one which will serve as a dessert alternative. These flavors will include Žur Lemon Oat Pudding, Žur Banana Oat Pudding, Žur Cinnamon Oat Pudding, and Žur Chocolate Oat Pudding.

1.5 Major Project strategies

Pricing Strategy

Zur Oat Puddings a new type of product that is new to the market. It has a formulation that does not fit into the conventional segment descriptions. The product will most certainly receive competition from established brands that can offer hundreds of product varieties at the same time. This product is unique at it will support price premium because Zur is a:

A nutrient-dense alternative to the dairy-based foods free from eggs, milk, and gluten
“better-for-you” product made from natural ingredients and natural flavors
A nutritious, grain-based product that is high in protein and fiber.

Distribution Strategy

Bonžur will partner with R&K Foods, Inc. to bring Zur Oat Puddings to food service locations, retail, and restaurants. The local distributor or natural food products specialize in short-shelf-life refrigerated food-based products. The location of R&K makes it easy to access through the interstate highway system. Currently, the company delivers products to more than 550 accounts within Western Washington, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Portland Metropolitan Area.

1.6 Risk Management Plan

Some of the keys risks to the projects and their possible contingency arrangements are:

Failure of the formulation to fit the conventional segment descriptions: It is anticipated that a new category of grain-based puddings is cropping up, as shown by other similar products like Chia Pod.
The limited product mix in comparison to the existing competitive products: A variety of flavors will be produced to give options to the various categories of consumers
Inability to source for the organic ingredients: Bonzur purchases fresh-squeezed lemon juice from a supplier based in Hood River, OR. It plans to source for purees and juices from a British Columbia company to enhance its source of ingredients.
Risk of failure: The company will carefully choose its manufacturing and distribution partners, suppliers, and even the retail partners to enhance the opportunity for success.

Section Two – Resources

2.1 Leadership Structure Chart

Figure 1: The Leadership Structure Chart

2.2 Key Roles & Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Larissa Stanberry currently occupies this position, and her responsibilities are:

Sourcing of the ingredients, packaging, and labeling
Formulation and development of product
Maintenance of inventory and business financial records.

Ms. Stanberry will hold this position throughout the early stages of the project, and she will be supported by an accountant attorney when needed.

Chief Visionary Officer (CVO): Immediately after this product is launched, consistent revenue streams put in place, and a general manager hired, Ms. Stanberry’s role will change to being a CVO. She will be tasked with:

Investor outreach and communication
Development and implementation of sales and marketing strategy
Product line extension
Developing a healthy and inspiring place of work

General Manager (TBD): The position to be filled after revenue streams have been put in place. The holder to report directly to the CEO/CVO. Key responsibilities include:

Overseeing the manufacturing operations at Island Springs Organics
Recruiting, training, and mentoring direct reports to enhance career development and growth
Overseeing a team of functional managers and contractors
Creating, communicating, and enforcing organizational standards and policies through effective planning, training, and development.

Sales: The sale of the new product will initially be the role of R&K Foods Inc., which is Bonzur’s regional distributor. A regional sales manager will be hired as the company scales the production. Key responsibilities will include:

Offering support to key customers’ personnel
Maintaining customer documentation
Interpreting sales data and preparing weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports.

Marketing: Bonžur LLC formed a business and marketing partnership with GoodFood World’s Gail Nickel-Kailing. The partnership will continue with the job responsibilities for Gail Nickel-Kailing being:

Working with the executive team to grow revenue and profit
Tracking market trends
Marketing communication
Marketing promotion

Purchasing Manager (TBD): The holder of this position will be responsible for purchasing ingredients, packaging and labeling, and regular inventories of products and supplies.

2.3 Anticipated Change training requirements

Training will be required to implement the pricing strategy of the project. The training will focus on generating discounts, credits, and promotional allowances to maximize sales and profits. The regional sales manager will receive this training on an annual basis to keep up with the current trends.

2.4 External Relationships Communications and Consultation

In her capacity as the CVO, Ms. Stanberry will largely be responsible for investor outreach and communication. In this role, she will maintain external relationships, communications, and consultations.

Section Three – Monitor and Review

3.1 Strategy for monitoring progress

The public will be engaged to determine whether the product pricing is right for the customers. The engagement will also be aimed at determining the distribution efficiency. The customers will be engaged on a 24/7 basis through Facebook and Twitter accounts since they are the most effective social media sites for reaching customers (Komodromos 2017). A negative response from the customers will indicate that something is wrong and that the strategies in place should be changed immediately.

3.2 Evaluation against Core Competencies

The new product will be competing against established brands, some of which have more competitive prices. To achieve success, this product will have to be sold in large volumes at such prices that meet the production cost and leave room for profits. At the same time, the product quality will have to be maintained to transform the food industry into a transparent, healthy, and sustainable socially responsible venture, as stated in the company’s vision. The key gap to achieving these core competencies is the difficulty in sourcing for natural organic products while at the same time pricing the product competitively.

3.3 Training Plan

The regional sales manager will be trained on key aspects to consider when formulating the discounts, credits, and promotional allowances. This will entail on-the-job training, seminars, and mentorship from people who have a wide experience in this field. The focus will be on balancing the high cost of organic products and the need to ensure the competitive pricing of Žur Oat Pudding. The training will be conducted on an annual basis, and it is expected that the gap will be narrowed.

Executive Summary

This report focuses on Bonzur LLC, a Washington-based company founded in 2014, which plans to develop, manufacture, and distribute zur, an original food product. The new product will be launched with four flavors including Žur Lemon Oat Pudding, Žur Banana Oat Pudding, Žur Cinnamon Oat Pudding, and Žur Chocolate Oat Pudding. BonŽur LLC currently outsources the majority of the corporate activities and functions to specialist contractors and service providers. It plans to evaluate against core competencies by engaging its customers through Facebook and Twitter. Training will be provided to the regional sales manager to equip him with the necessary knowledge and skills to balance the gap that exists between the cost of natural and organic ingredients required to manufacture the product and competitive pricing for this product.

References

FONA International Inc., 2015. Category insight: Yogurt. Accessed on August 20, 2020. Available at https://www.fona.com/category-insight-yogurt/

Komodromos, M., 2017. Social networking: how small organisations are using Facebook and Twitter in engaging customers. International Journal of Technology Marketing, 12(2), pp.142-150.