Interview with Austin Allan, creator of Tio Gazpacho.
In case you missed it, Tio Gazpacho was chosen as a Pick of the Week for Phil's Food Reviews. We reached out to Austin Allan from the company to find out more about how this great product was developed. Find out how living in Spain inspired this product!
What inspired you to create your new product? Is there a particular niche or segment of the market you were focusing on?
The inspiration for Tio Gazpacho came from my time living in Spain, where I lived from 2001 to 2005. While I was there I fell in love with local brands like Don Simon and Alvalle that can be found in any supermarket in the country. I saw a tremendous opportunity for gazpacho in the United States, particularly with health minded consumers that are looking for unprocessed healthy foods on the go.
What makes your product different and able to stand out against similar ones? How important has differentiation been in developing this product?
There is not much like us on the market, so we stand out be being different. Consumer tastes are shifting towards savory and low sugar products, which is exactly what we are.
What was the process like of designing your package, and how do you feel the final result has impacted perceptions of your product?
This was one of the most fun processes in the product development. We worked closely with a very talented packaging designer in Colorado who really understood the product and what we were trying to achieve. In the end we went with a design that had a similar feel to a cold-pressed juice – simple, clean and elegant – but included a spoon graphic to set Tio Gazpacho apart.
Does your product have relevant health attributes? What are they?
We don’t make any specific health claims, however gazpacho is a part of the Mediterranean diet with all of the health benefits that it brings.
What sustainability efforts have you made with your product/packaging?
Tio Gazpacho is certified organic and vegan, which means that we are not contributing to the contamination of the earth with toxic pesticides, and not contributing to animal harm or the pollution caused by factory farming of animals.
Our packaging is BPA-free and recyclable.
We also give money per bottle sold to an incredible organization called Development in Gardening reaplifedig.org.
Through creating a new product, what would you say were the most difficult parts of the process and what came the easiest?
Easiest – developing the recipes
Most difficult – finding a manufacturer
Anything you would change if you were starting from scratch again?
No, we are delighted with our progress and consumers’ reception to the product.
Besides your product, what's one out on the market that you admire?
Kite Hill that makes cultured almond milk cheese. They make a delicious, unprocessed, entirely plant based cheese.