Open Innovation Leads to Swift Launch of Snack Chips
General Mills continues to go great guns with open innovation, primarily through its General Mills Worldwide Innovation Network (G-WIN). It’s leaping over its four walls to embrace working with numerous external knowledge sources.
As open innovation moves from the margins to the mainstream, companies such as General Mills realize they do not have the monopoly on great ideas and world beating solutions.
A current open innovation success story from G-WIN is the extension of the Green Giant canned and frozen foods brand into potato chips.
Big Wins with G-WIN
Through G-WIN, General Mills invited snack manufacturer Shearer’s Foods to showcase its “ready-to-launch” ideas at an innovation show at General Mills. Among the concepts that stood out were vegetable snack chips.
Following the show, General Mills’ scientists worked alongside those of Shearer’s Foods, and the fruits of their labors were Green Giant Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips and Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips. One of these flavors was further refined following audience feedback, and both snack types are now on sale in stores.
Rapid Time Frame
According to General Mills it took about 12 months to go from the initial concept to finished product and this wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for open innovation.
“One of the great things about open innovation is that it allows us to experiment with new products in ways that wouldn’t be possible within our own walls,” said Jenny Mcaab, innovation entrepreneur for General Mills’ Snacks division. “In a relationship like this one, each party brings unique capabilities.”
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