Best new products of 2003.

A memo from Doug Hall, founder, chief executive officer and idea guru at Eureka! Ranch, reports to Stagnito's New Products Magazine that based on entries for the Best New Products of 2003 that were put through Merwyn, "innovation appears to be thriving."

I'm not so sure we agree. But

then Merwyn, which was invented by the Eureka! Ranch R & D team, uses data to benchmark the meaningfulness of new products, as well as marketing, advertising and services. Merwyn simulated test marketing technology provides hard data on the strength and weaknesses of products relative to databases of thousands of initiatives.

For Best Products of 2003, as in years past, Merwyn evaluated package copy, concepts describing the product and additional materials that would be obvious to a consumer at the point of purchase. Submissions included background information pertaining to market share, projected marketplace uniqueness and pricing. In addition, Merwyn was fed digital images of the products that were included in the evaluation process.

From Merwyn data, Eureka! Ranch analysts had at the products, determining attributes of success--or lack thereof. Analysts' responses were then compared to Merwyn's database of more than 10,000 products and services, and benchmarked them against current marketplace offerings.

Providing the sensorial take on new products, SNPM's editorial staff, including Joan Holleran, Lori Dahm and Nick Roskelly, prepared and consumed the products. Together, we commented on price/quality, packaging, appearance, convenience, taste and innovation.

In this, our third year running new products through both Merwyn and editors full of anticipation, we are surprised--but not as much as we have been in the past--by the disconnect between what Merwyn says will fly versus what the human senses bring to the table.

Hall was right, in a way. There does seem to be more innovation in the marketplace, but that doesn't always mean good-tasting products. What Merwyn zeroed in on was the "communication of overt benefit," or "what's in it for the customers." That, says Hall, is the best it's been in the three years of the contest. That's a big up-note in an industry fraught with failure. Marketers are doing a better job of communicating why their product is on target with their consumers. What's more, Hall says that Dramatic Difference is way up in 2003. "Dramatic Difference is critical for success and these concepts show it," he says.

"Despite the difficult situation of the past 24 months, innovation appears to be thriving. The truly courageous are standing strong.

"These results match with surveys of Eureka! Ranch clients that find a greater focus on resources on bigger and bolder concepts."

To our thinking, it's a step in the right direction, but read on for why we don't think the follow-through is always there.

EZ MARINADER

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Company: Heinz North America, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.99

Varieties: Mr. Yoshida's Teriyaki, Jack Daniel's Mesquite, Classico Garlic & Herb

Ingredients: Mr. Yoshida's Teriyaki variety: High fructose corn syrup, soy sauce (water, salt, hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup, caramel color), sugar, water, garlic powder, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger puree, modified corn starch, lactic acid, xanthan gum, dehydrated onion, citric acid, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate as preservatives, sesame oil, onion powder, spice, calcium disodium edta added to protect flavor.

Doug Hall's analysis: Once again, packaging as a means to deliver meaningful convenience is a winner. It's great to see a large company like Heinz do a new brand focused on sparking category growth--true growth as opposed to simply seeking to steal market share.

Nick: This is the best package of the year. On the spot you can see how much thought went into developing the package and the entire product concept. In terms of application, I found it to be a little cumbersome--not necessarily getting the meat into the package, but getting it out. It got a little messy. Maybe because I don't have good tongs.

Joan: Tongs: Great gift idea.

Nick: In terms of taste, I think a lot of consumers who are hesitant to make their own marinades will find this an answer to their culinary shortcomings.

Joan: I liked it a lot. Again, the cleanliness and convenience of having it in the cabinet rather than my condiment-overloaded refrigerated, was great. I have a fear, though, that the product could burn easily on an open grill, because the marinade is so syrupy. We didn't have that problem, but we also wiped off the meat before throwing it on the grill. The flavor wasn't at all over-salty or over-marinated. Some marinades can really break down the meat, ruining the texture, and that didn't happen with this product. It was a good eating experience.

Lori: I was also impressed with the packaging, especially its strength. It seemed like you could put a lot of meat or vegetables in the package and it would hold. I tasted it before I marinated and thought it had a reasonable teriyaki flavor. I marinated the meat for an hour and didn't think it permeated the meat thoroughly.

I tasted mostly the saltiness from the soy. But for the average consumer, the product is very beneficial. It's so easy to use and imparts some flavor. I see it fitting into busy lifestyles easily.

MERWYN SCALE  65
OUR RATING    86.3

Note: Table made from bar graph.

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STEAZ GREEN TEA SODA

Company: The Healthy Beverage Co., Newtown, Pa.

Suggested Retail Price: $1.59

Varieties: Cola, Root Beer, Orange, Raspberry, Lemon Dew and Key Lime

Ingredients: Lemon Dew variety: Sparkling filtered water, organic evaporated cane juice, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural lemon flavors, organic Ceylon green tea, ascorbic acid

Doug Hall's analysis: It's Snapple with real health goodness. The momentum of the marketplace is 100 percent in Steaz's direction. The size of the mega giants makes it possible for a little guy to make a healthy living by focusing on true quality.

Lori: I really liked these sodas. I had a lot of people try them and everyone really enjoyed them. The biggest complaint was that the green tea taste wasn't very strong, but as a soda, I enjoyed them and my friends enjoyed them.

Nick: I think it's a product that could be placed in the same realm as Stewart's or IBC. Steaz is an awfully good product taste wise, but I think Izze does what Steaz tries to do even better.

Joan: Which is what?

Nick: Take fruit juice and turn it into a carbonated beverage that is positioned as slightly more healthy than the average soda.

Joan: But these focus on green tea.

Lori: I hadn't thought of Steaz as competing with Izze, but I guess they are. These green tea sodas are organic, though.

Joan: Question: Are people who consume organic products the same people who consume carbonated beverages?

Lori: I think so. I don't really consume carbonated beverages because they make me feel funny. But many of my organic-eating friends were delighted by this soda and its organic label.

Nick: I think so, too. Just because a product is carbonated doesn't mean an organic consumer is going to avoid it. It's positioned for organic consumers, too. It's for the crossroads between evil CSDs and organic products.

Lori: I think these products could have been distinguished more by an amped-up green tea taste.

Nick: Without a press release and careful look at the label, I didn't know they were supposed to be tea products. Forgive me for not seeing the three letters between the S and the Z.

Joan: I saw them. I knew they were organic, but I didn't put much emphasis on the fruit. We're kind of all over the board on this product. To me that says the company will have its work cut out for the it in communicating the Steaz concept to consumers.

MERWYN SCALE  61
OUR RATING    56

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ALSOSALT

Company: AlsoSalt, Maple Valley, Wash.

Suggested Retail Price: $3.89 to $4.29

Varieties: Original, Garlic flavored, Butter flavored

Ingredients: Originel variety: Potassium chloride, L-lysine, mono-hydrochloride, calcium stearate

Doug Hall's analysis: A true scientific breakthrough. It shows the value of committing to true R & D. Once again, it's great to see that old fashioned ingenuity has not died in America.

Lori: I don't have a problem with sodium intake, so I don't need this product. I thought the granule size wasn't very desirable. I like a bigger piece of salt, like sea salt, gray salt or kosher style salt. I also thought it had a chemical aftertaste when I salted something heavily. But if you have to avoid salt, this product would be revolutionary

Joan: To my surprise, I liked AlsoSalt. I used it in cooking and used it where normally I would use salt and where I wouldn't use salt because we don't use much salt at home. No one in my family noticed any difference and even after I told them I used a salt substitute no one reacted negatively to the food. Of course, they want me to keep cooking, so what are they going to say about it? I agree with Lori, it's a good product for people who need it.

Nick: I think you have to look at this product from the perspective of someone who's not able to consume salt on a regular basis. This is a topnotch product. It mimics salt in a way that doesn't leave the consumer feeling like they are missing out. It's not just a substitute, it's salt as well ... or AlsoSalt.

MERWYN SCALE  56
OUR RATING    84

Note: Table made from bar graph.

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FRESCHETTA BRICK OVEN PIZZA, ROASTED PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS & SPINACH VARIETY

Company: Schwan's Consumer Brands North America Inc., Marshall, Minn.

Suggested Retail Price: $5.99

Varieties: Roasted Portabella Mushrooms & Spinach, Italian Style Pepperoni, Classic Supreme, 3 Cheese & Bacon, Southwest Style Chicken, 5 Cheese Italian

Ingredients: Roasted Portabella Mushrooms and Spinach variety: Skim milk, low moisture mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt and enzymes), spinach, fontina cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt and enzymes), roasted mushrooms (mushrooms, garlic, chives, oil, salt, pepper), roasted portabellini mushrooms (portabellini mushrooms, oil (canola oil, olive oil), balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper), seasoning (whey, modified food starch, low lactose whey, salt, dried cream extract, cheddar cheese (cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes), onion powder, sugar, spice, natural flavors, citric acid), roasted garlic (garlic, oil (canola, olive), natural flavor), olive oil, tomato paste; Crust: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour, ascorbic acid), water, yeast, contains two percent or less of soybean oil, dough conditioner (vegetable gum, sodium stearoyl lactylate, soy flour, mono- and diglycerides, dextrose, enzymes, I-cysteine), salt, nonfat dry milk powder, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicar-bonate, monocalcium phosphate), sugar

Lori: I thought this product benefited from its appearance and presentation as a gourmet type pizza. I loved the crust. With the restaurant-style topping it proved to be a gourmet experience.

Nick: It was a gourmet experience, and it was easy to prepare. Almost too easy; I burned it a little because the crust was so thin. But it was excellent, made with good quality ingredients.

Joan: I liked it a lot, but I asked for my husband's opinion and that took a lot of the enjoyment of simply eating pizza out of the mix. While the Freschetta crust was better than other frozen pizza crusts, he believes it could be greatly improved by putting a piece of parchment paper between the crust and the cardboard to alleviate the cardboard taste.

This was an adult pizza. It was refreshing to get away from red sauce on a pizza and I thought the pizza I cooked looked just like the box.

Nick: A lot of times the image on the package is not representative of what's inside. Freschetta did a good job with the photography and matching it with the product.

Lori: Even the words "brick oven pizza" on the package were an apt description of the taste. The only thing that was missing was Etta, the Freschetta lady. She used to exist, but I haven't heard of her in a long time.

MERWYN SCALE  22
OUR RATING    89

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ROSA'S HORCHATA

Company: Rosa's Original Inc., Glenview, Ill.

Suggested Retail Price: $1.49

Ingredients: Water, milk, skim milk, sugar, maltodextrin, rice flour, natural and artificial flavors, titanium dioxide, cellulose gel, dipotassium phosphate, ascorbic acid, cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides, soybean oil and carrageenan

Joan: I was so excited about the product, because I love horchata and no one has marketed it to the mass market. I was a little disappointed in the taste, though. There was a little something chemically tasting to it.

Nick: I like the concept of spreading horchata into the mass marketplace. It's not real horchata, though. It's too sweet. I love the idea, but it misses the mark.

Lori: I have a big sweet tooth and I loved this horchata. Single-serve, ready-to-drink horchata is a smart idea. A friend of mine didn't like the sediment in the bottle, but I didn't mind it so much. Overall, I loved the sweetness and enjoyed the beverage experience.

Nick: The shrink wrap label is always a fancy look, too.

Lori: Yes, very attractive and smart, because you can't see the sediment in the bottle. Common sense had me shake the bottle pretty vigorously, so mine was blended and I didn't have a sediment problem anyway.

Joan: It is a good looking package. It looks upscale, and refreshing.

MERWYN SCALE  36
OUR RATING    67

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

GOURMET GARDEN HERBS AND SPICES

Company: Gourmet Garden, Queensland, Australia

Suggested Retail Price: $3.99

Varieties: Lemon Grass, Garlic, Ginger, Chili, Basil, Cilantro

Ingredients: Basil variety; Basil, dextrose, whey, sodium lactate, sunflower oil, fructose, glycerine, lactose, salt, sodium ascorbate (to protect flavor), ascorbic acid (to promote color retention), citric acid, xanthan gum

Joan: These are my favorite. We already did an "Our Take" on them in Stagnito's New Products Magazine, so the company knew we loved them.

Lori: Genius idea. Nothing like them on the market. They deliver impactful flavor.

Joan: I have neighbors now buying Gourmet Garden herbs. One was so excited when the grocery store in our neighborhood started carrying it. My 7-year-old daughter puts the chili paste on plain rice. So tasty, so clever.

Nick: It's so user friendly. It prompts people to experiment with new flavors because all they have to do is squeeze. Consumers can control the amount much easier than looking at the raw ingredient and chopping it to get the proper amount.

Lori: I love their varieties as well. I thought they picked interesting, usable and trendy herbs, like lemongrass.

Nick: Garlic and ginger are useful in a lot of Asian dishes, but it seems more of a departure from mainstream with lemongrass and cilantro.

Joan: I appreciate that there's no waste, because we keep ginger in the freezer at our house--but now that this is readily available, maybe we won't.

Nick: They're stable in the refrigerator for three months and in the freezer for six months.

Lori: They're easy to use--no culinary knowledge required.

Joan: But it makes you think you have culinary knowledge.

Nick: Perceived culinary knowledge in every tube.

Joan: I give it high marks, but I also want a tomato paste variety.

Lori: Sun dried tomato would be nice.

Joan: Sure, or just plain tomato paste.

MERWYN SCALE  52
OUR RATING    98.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ANNIE'S CHEDDAR BUNNIES

Company: Annie's Homegrown Inc., Wakefield, Mass.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.49

Ingredients: Certified organic wheat flour, expeller pressed safflower oil, aged cheddar cheese (milk, salt, enzymes, cheese culture), salt, yeast extract paprika, annatto extract (for color), ground celery seed, onion powder, yeast

Joan: I appreciate that these are a healthier version of popular snack crackers, but I believe more traditional crackers, such as Cheez It or Goldfish taste cheesier and a little fresher.

Nick: I thought the taste was slightly stale. They weren't horrible, and I had more than the ample 50-cracker serving size. But they were a little thin and hard. As someone who does indulge in cheese snack crackers on a regular basis, I welcome a healthier product in that category.

Joan: And I would buy these for small children, thinking I was serving something a little healthier.

Lori: I wonder if it's the absence of trans fatty acids that gives them the slightly different texture and flavor. I loved the information on the box that communicated how the product was healthy, and even told kids how to recycle the box. It seemed like a good education resource for kids to read while they are snacking--kind of like the cereal box landscape.

Joan: Maybe with low linolenic oils coming out these could be improved. Those bunnies are awfully cute.

Lori: I fed them to a 7-year-old who didn't notice any texture issues.

Joan: I admit they went fast at my house, and I did say I'd buy them for small children, which I think is Annie's point.

Lori: Overall, I think these are great products for parents who want to give their kids products similar to traditional or conventional snacks, but want an option that is organic and healthy.

Nick: This product only lost points when compared to less healthy versions. On its own, it's a good product. So if you're a kid without an experience--nod to Lori's test--say with Cheez It or Goldfish, you won't be disappointed. There's no inherent distaste.

MERWYN SCALE  39
OUR RATING    77.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

JENNIE-O SO EASY STUFFED TURKEY BREASTS

Company: Jennie-O Turkey Store Inc., Wilmar, Minn.

Suggested Retail Price: $6.99

Varieties: Pepper Cheese and Rice, Cheddar Cheese and Broccoli, Swiss Cheese and Ham

Ingredients: Pepper, Cheese and Rice variety: Turkey breast meat, water, sodium lactate, modified food starch, salt, dextrose, sodium phosphate, natural flavoring, pasteurized process cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese with hot peppers (cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt enzymes), water, milkfat, sodium phosphate, serrano peppers, jalapeno peppers, salt, sarbic acid, smoke flavor, vinegar), rice, rubbed with: maltodextrin, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oils, salt, spices, autolyzed yeast extract, dehydrated parsley, dehydrated onion, onion powder

Joan: I could feel my eyes swell shut there was so much salt in these stuffed turkey breasts. I'm just kidding, but they were really salty.

Lori: I agree. There was so much salt I couldn't taste much else. The texture was surprisingly moist, however, and they were "so easy."

Nick: They certainly live up to their name, and with a few side dishes, potatoes and a green vegetable, it's a nice meal.

Lori: I was put off by the shrink-wrapped chicken appearance.

Joan: I liked the packaging. I liked seeing what I was getting.

Lori: Well, the texture was superior and I attribute that to the packaging. I just didn't like the look of it.

Nick: I think it's easy to prepare with little clean up. A lot of people who rarely spend time the kitchen are put off by having to handle meat. There's no mess.

Joan: I get the demand behind So Easy, but I can't get away from not liking the taste.

MERWYN SCALE  43
OUR RATING    41.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MOTION POTION

Company: BioEssentials Inc., Reno, Nev.

Suggested Retail Price: $1.49

Varieties: Twisted Berry, Twisted Lemon, Twisted Orange-Apricot

Ingredients: Twisted Berry variety: Carbonated water, natural berry and citrus flavors, sucrose, sucralose, citric acid, potassium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), glucosamine sulfate, vitamin C, vitamin [B.sub.12], vitamin [B.sub.5], taurine

Joan: I want to believe. I want to believe. My knees sound like Rice Krispies and I want to believe in Motion Potion. It's definitely a product with an audience. Not a mass audience, but an audience trying to cope with ailing joints.

Lori: I tried Motion Potion and liked it okay. But I wouldn't be a regular consumer. However, a friend of mine who consumes glucoasamine regularly said it tasted like chemicals.

Joan: There was a diet aftertaste, but I think it's a good delivery system, because I don't like to swallow big pills, and glucosamine can be a big pill to swallow.

Nick: I'm in line with you, Joan. I want something to save my joints. I don't think this product is going to do it because I just don't think it follows through on the taste. You've got to dangle the taste carrot out in front of people regardless of the benefits of glucosamine.

Lori: I thought it was a convenient way for people to get glucosamine in their diets if they're in need. I thought the taste was fine. Not great, but definitely palatable.

Joan: I agree. I wish it tasted a little better, but it's easier than downing a pill. I guess I wish the serving size were smaller, because it's a lot to drink for one dose of glucosamine.

Lori: The name is effective.

Nick: I like the name, too.

Joan: Yeah, I get it.

Nick: Although to me, the name Motion Potion doesn't sound like a healthy lifestyle drink, more of a hard core fitness drink.

Joan: Or an aphrodisiac nightclub drink.

Lori: For the geriatric set.

MERWYN SCALE  54
OUR RATING    76.3

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

FRENCH'S GOUR-MAYO

Company: Reckitt Benckiser Inc., Wayne, N.J.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.28

Varieties: Wasabi Horseradish, Sun Dried Tomato, Chipotle Chili

Ingredients: Sun Dried Tomato variety: Water, soybean oil, egg yolks, modified corn starch, distilled vinegar and cider vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, sun dried tomatoes, salt, sugar, lemon juice, spice, natural flavors, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative). DL alpha tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), betacarotene (color)

Joan: I like it a lot, and I think it adds something to same-old mayonnaise, but I don't think it's as versatile as regular mayonnaise. I ate it with beef tenderloin on a sandwich and it was perfect, but I wouldn't use it to make egg salad.

Nick: I mostly use mayonnaise to make tuna salad, and there's no way I'd use Gour-Mayo for that. But mayonnaise is a sort of blank canvas and it's been waiting for someone to add to it. It's a good idea and it's up to the consumer to figure out personally how they're going to use it. The name, the funny-play on words, is too silly. The people I ran it by made fun of the name.

Lori: I'm not a big fan of flavored mayonnaise, however, I would probably pick this product up off the shelf based on the label. It effectively communicates there is flavor in the mayonnaise. My issue with this product is that I don't think the flavor was strong enough.

Joan: Neither did my husband.

Lori: It tasted mostly like mayonnaise to me, with just a little bit of flavor.

Joan: I guess a question would be: Are people willing to have three or four varieties of mayonnaise in their refrigerator? I've known people who have that many varieties of mustards.

Nick: Brown, yellow, honey, horseradish, consumers have many mustards choices. Same with hot sauce. Look at Tabasco varieties--habanero, traditional, chipotle, green pepper. People have different varieties for different reasons.

Joan: There was a recipe idea on the package, that's a way to expand the use of the mayo.

Lori: The size is a good idea because it's smaller. If consumers are going to have a selection of mayonnaise in their refrigerator, they probably wouldn't want the large 30-plus ounce jars.

Nick: They could probably even stand to go smaller, like the Inglehoffer small jars for mustard. Those are tiny.

Lori: Also, I would have preferred full fat instead of half fat.

Joan: I disagree. I'm a full-fat mayo person, but the added flavor replaces some of the taste you'd get with full-fat. It's a good way to add flavor to a low-fat product.

MERWYN SCALE  39
OUR RATING    73

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

SPARKLING COW

Company: Sparkling Cow Beverage Co., Morton Grove, Ill.

Suggested Retail Price: $3.99 per 6-pack

Varieties: Luscious Lemon, Sweet Strawberry, Outrageous Orange

Ingredients: Luscious Lemon variety: Triple filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, skimmed milk powder, natural flavors, citric acid, phosphoric acid, vitamin A, vitamin D

Nick: This was last year's White Soda. It's now positioned more directly at kids, not just the skateboarding, adolescent crowd. The company is going for a younger audience, which is smart. The flavor profile is sweeter and features bright pink and yellow graphics and a silly cow. It's much more on target. White Soda was a confusing launch.

Lori: I gave it to a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old; they loved it. I'm not sure if the size of the can was directed toward them, though.

Joan: I loved that it was smaller than a 12-ounce soft drink can. That's too much.

Lori: I thought only teens and older kids were attracted to a smaller can size.

Nick: Because it's the same as Red Bull? It's an energy drink can, it has the more slender body, so ergonomically it's better for a smaller hand.

Joan: I agree. But I don't see it as any more of a milk-based beverage than White Soda.

Nick: Everyone has gone away from the term "milk-based." Some research has shown it makes people's stomach's turn. Now it's "dairy-based." In the category there are so many dairy-based beverages--some carbonated, some not--that the general public is more aware that these products exist. When White Soda first appeared, people balked because it was a brand new concept. Coca-Cola's Swerve and Cadbury's Schweppes' Ragin' Cow are both dairy-based, although not carbonated. In carbonated there's e-Moo and RPM. If nothing else, Sparkling Cow has helped open up a new category.

MERWYN SCALE  54
OUR RATING    78.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

LAND O'LAKES BUTTER WITH CANOLA OIL

Company: Land O'Lakes Inc., Arden Hills, Minn.

Suggested Retail Price: $1.79

Ingredients: Cream, canola oil, salt, vitamin A palmitate

Joan: I liked it to cook with, but not as a spread. Frequently, I put both oil and butter in a saute pan and begin cooking with that as a starter, so this was very convenient. But I'm a butter eater, and the taste wasn't the same as regular butter.

Lori: I didn't try cooking with it. I'm also a butter eater and I noticed the taste difference and I like butter a lot better. I almost ruined a good piece of cinnamon bread with this stuff, thinking it would taste more like butter. This product is slightly more spreadable than stick butter, but there was no compelling reason for me to switch to this product.

Nick: I like it as an alternative. It used to be that people would swap butter and margarine out every other week and this is nice for a change of pace. But I don't think this will take the place of butter in most households. I think the oval-ish package stands out. That's a positive attribute.

Joan: I like the container, but it would be better if it was just butter--then again, if it was, I likely wouldn't be able to afford it. Butter is so expensive right now.

Lori: Especially organic butter.

MERWYN SCALE  53
OUR RATING    68.3

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ORVILLE REDENBACHER'S CINNABON CINNAMON BUTTER GOURMET POPPING CORN

Company: ConAgra Foods, Omaha, Neb.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.29 to $2.69 for 2-pack, $3.99 to $4.29 for 4-pack

Ingredients: Popcorn Bag: Popping corn, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, less than 2% of: cinnamon, salt, natural and artificial flavor, butter, color added, sucralose. Pouch ingredients: Partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sugar, less than 2% of: natural and artificial flavor, caramel color, TBHQ and citric acid to preserve freshness

Lori: Not to say I didn't enjoy eating it, but this product should be illegal considering the obesity crisis in our nation. The combination of cinnamon and butter flavor topped by cinnamon roll icing was sinful. I could imagine myself eating a whole bowl and the calorie count would be about 800 calories. I was torn between my nutrition conscience and my hedonistic impulses.

Joan: I tried this out on school-aged kids and they loved it and they scarfed the bowl in no time. But I noticed when they made it again a few days later, they didn't put on the topping. They ate it the second time, right out of the bag. The icing was a different experience for them, and they weren't ready to take the leap. They made the leap to kettle corn and cinnamon flavored kettle corn, but the icing was a novelty and not something they look for when regularly snacking on popcorn. It's definitely more of a special treat.

Nick: You stole my thunder, Joan. I put this popcorn in the same ballpark as kettle corn and cinnamon toast-flavored popcorn and I thought this was leagues better. I think Orville Redenbacher is superior popcorn compared against other brands in the category. Some people I shared this with were a little conflicted because they connect Cinnabon with coffee and a morning experience. They can understand the idea of cinnamon on popcorn, but didn't understand why the Cinnabon name was thrown in there too.

Joan: That's funny, because a second grader who ate this with me, said, "Cool, popcorn for breakfast."

Lori: I also want to comment on the packaging. I thought the bowl that the popcorn bag became was very clever. It was a good idea because it saved on clean up.

Nick: In hindsight, that is a better approach.

Joan: Now that you mention it, I stirred the icing into the popcorn in a bowl, and that was a little messy. But tasty, so it was worth the effort.

MERWYN SCALE  43
OUR RATING    84.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CRUM CREEK SOY BITES

Company: Crum Creek Mills, Springfield, Penn.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.69

Varieties: Onion, Sesame, Rosemary and Garlic

Ingredients: Rosemary and Garlic variety: Unbleached wheat flour, soy protein, expeller-pressed soy oil, yeast, malt syrup, baking powder, wheat gluten, salt, rosemary and garlic

Joan: I really like the idea, but not the actual product. We tried the rosemary variety and it was just too strong on the rosemary. I would have liked to have tried the sesame, because it's a more neutral flavor. Great crunch, great size, but too much flavor for a product of this nature.

Nick: I think that's something that many soy snacks struggle with. They want to cover up the beany, blank taste of soy and sometimes they go overboard. In this case, I think rosemary is an interesting flavor choice. Maybe a more educated, sophisticated consumer would flock to it. It stands out as a snack alternative.

Joan: Are you saying that I'm not an educated, sophisticated consumer?

Nick: Precisely. I also think that these don't necessarily have to be eaten by themselves. They are good for dipping, which could help out their dry quality and maybe tone down some of the strong rosemary flavor.

Lori: I thought they would be good for dipping also. Personally, I enjoyed the strong rosemary flavor a lot. I guess that means I'm the educated, sophisticated consumer among the three of us. I'm not a big snacker, but I think Nick is right that these would be a good snack alternative.

MERWYN SCALE  18
OUR RATING    63.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MOREY'S MARINATED SALMON

Company: Morey's Seafood, Motley, Minn.

Suggested Retail Price: $7.99 per 12-ounce package

Varieties: Lemon Dill, Seasoned Grill, Garlic Cracked Pepper, Teriyaki, Hickory, Twelve Pepper Medley

Ingredients: Seasoned Grill variety: Atlantic salmon, marinade (canola oil, olive oil, water, salt, spices, dehydrated gerlic, paprika, dehydrated onion, dehydrated red bell pepper, autolyzed yeast extract, natural grill flavor, natural smoke flavor, citric acid and natural flavor), color added

Lori: I thought these products were a great idea and I was very excited to try them, but I thought they were salty. The texture of the fish was good.

Nick: The primary characteristic of this product is its ease of use, and I think it satisfied that objective with flying colors. It was a snap to use. But the pre-flavored idea I don't think is as necessary with fish. It would have been better to let the natural fish flavor come through more.

Joan: I disagree. I think consumers are as much at a loss as how to prepare fish as any other protein--maybe even more. There's a generation of consumers out there who, if they had fish at all growing up, likely got it out of a can. This is incredibly easy to use and clean up after, and it takes all the guesswork out of fish. It's perfect for busy families, and the taste is great. Even the sodium I don't have a problem with. The Seasoned Grill variety contained 170 mg. of sodium, which is 7 percent of the RDI. The package is attractive and communicates the ease of the product, and the portion was a good size. I was totally impressed.

Nick: I'm with you on the portion size. That's going to continue to be an important aspect for food companies to follow and this is ahead of the curve in terms of portion control.

MERWYN SCALE  49
OUR RATING    83.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CANDYRIFIC COOL POPS

Company: CandyRific LLC, St. Louis, Mo.

Suggested Retail Price $1.99

Ingredients: Sugar, glucose syrup, citric acid, trisodium citrate, flavoring. Colors: FD & C yellow 5, yellow, 6 red 40, blue 1

Joan: Not as "cool" as I thought originally. My daughter got her hair caught in the fan, and you can't fan yourself and lick at the same time--trust me, we tried. She also wasn't crazy about the taste. I thought this would have been a shoe-in, but I am not 7-years old.

Nick: I gave it to my younger cousin and he didn't even know it was something edible. I had to tell him to take the bottom cap off and have a sweet treat. As a toy, it was a great product. As a candy, it was run of the mill.

Lori: I really enjoyed playing with the fan. But once I tried the candy I wasn't that impressed--I didn't think it was remarkable in any way. I wondered if kids would be as enchanted by the fan as I was. The product is an attempt to be dramatically different, but the candy itself was lacking.

Joan: It is challenging to come up with unique candy/toy combos.

MERWYN SCALE   1
OUR RATING    60.6

Note: Table made from bar graph.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

REVOLUTION TEA

Company: Revolution Tea, Tempe, Ariz.

Suggested Retail Price: $25.99 (for 10)

Varieties: Sweet Ginger Peach, Tropical Green, Earl Gray Lavender, Golden Flowers Herbal, English Breakfast, Bombay Chai, Southern Mint Decaf, Royal Plum Decaf, Honeybush Caramel Dessert, White Tangerine

Ingredients: Tropical Green Tea variety: Dragonwell green tea, pineapple flavor

Lori: This product embodied tea as a gift or present, which is a trend I've noticed over the past few years. It was a delight to open the packaging: Every tea bag has it's own little container and each bag is made from a fine mesh. It really built my anticipation before I tasted the tea. The tea blends are fairly good, not as striking as my favorite, Numi teas. But in particular I liked the Honeybush Caramel Dessert Tea, which was right up my alley with all the sweetness.

Nick: I agree in that what stands out is the package. It's a runner up to EZ Marinader for best package of the year. I like the nesting doll quality as well. The tea blends were subtle, which I appreciate. Revolution can be differentiated from other tea companies, such as Celestial Seasonings, which has big flavor teas. I think the concept of Revolution, the stark package and subtle flavors, makes it a sort of humble product and I think the attitude is evident in the package and flavor.

Joan: The tea market is so crowded, Revolution will have a hard time carving out space. You don't know looking at the package that each variety has its own box, so there is some consumer education required with the brand--above just getting the name out.

MERWYN SCALE  38
OUR RATING    85.3

Note: Table made from bar graph.

                                2001  2002  2003

OVERALL PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS  30%   37%   43%
DIAGNOSTICS
  OVERT BENEFIT                 32%   26%   41%
  REAL REASON TO BELIEVE        37%   43%   46%
  DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE           38%   44%   57%

Source: Eureka! Ranch. Overall ratings for new products submitted for
review.

MERWYN CONCEPT RESEARCH                                      BLUE CHIP
STRENGTH = TOP 40 PERCENT VERSUS DATA BASE                   GREEN LIGHT
BLANK = AVERAGE, MIDDLE 20 PERCENT                           CAUTION
WEAKNESS = BOTTOM 40 PERCENT VERSUS DATA BASE                RED ALERT

CONCEPT NAME              PROBABILITY    OVERT      REASON     DRAMATIC
                         100 = AVERAGE  BENEFIT   TO BELIEVE  DIFFERENCE

MOREY'S MARINATED
  SALMON                      161          --      STRENGTH        --
ORVILLE REDENBACHER'S
  CINNABON POPCORN            142          --      STRENGTH       --
STEAZ SODA                    200       STRENGTH   STRENGTH    STRENGTH
GOURMET GARDEN HERBS
  AND SPICES                  170          --         --       STRENGTH
ANNIE'S CHEDDAR BUNNIES       130       WEAKNESS      --          --
CANDYRIFIC COOL POP            30       WEAKNESS   WEAKNESS    WEAKNESS
CRUM CREEK MILLS SOY
  BITES                        61       WEAKNESS   WEAKNESS    WEAKNESS
SPARKLING COW                 179          --         --       STRENGTH
FRESCHETTA BRICK OVEN
  PIZZA                        73       WEAKNESS   WEAKNESS    WEAKNESS
EZ MARINADER                  215       STRENGTH   STRENGTH    STRENGTH
FRENCH'S GOUR-MAYO            130       WEAKNESS      --       STRENGTH
CARBSMART ICE CREAM BAR        94       WEAKNESS   WEAKNESS       --
LAND O'LAKES BUTTER
  WITH CANOLA OIL             176       STRENGTH      --       STRENGTH
ALSOSALT                      185       STRENGTH   STRENGTH    STRENGTH
MOTION POTION                 179          --      STRENGTH    STRENGTH
JENNIE-O SO EASY
  STUFFED BREASTS             142          --         --          --
REVOLUTION TEA                127       WEAKNESS      --       STRENGTH
ROSA'S HORCHATA               118       WEAKNESS   WEAKNESS       --