Creating a uniquely sustainable and healthy tortilla.

Upcycling grains from the brewing process creates a nutritious new ingredient for a customer favourite

The Opportunity

When you look at a tasty tortilla, innovation isn’t likely the first thing to pop into your mind. But Casa Bonita saw it differently. As a Canadian tortilla producer serving both Canada and the US, they knew that taking their share of the billion-dollar tortilla market would require innovation. And they saw the health, cost and environmental benefits of spent brewer’s grain as a key part of the process. 

The Challenge

Casa Bonita developed a tortilla with flour from spent brewer’s grain, making it a more nutritious – higher in protein and lower in carbs – option for today’s health-conscious consumer. They had fine-tuned the flavour to address the off notes of the grain, but needed to ensure that both regulators and customers would understand and accept the added benefits of nutrition and sustainability found in this upcycled wrap for burritos, sandwiches and more. 

NPC’s Solution

Casa Bonita knew they needed to research and validate a few key issues to finalize the commercialization plan for their upcycled tortillas. They worked with a qualified consultant and NPC to develop a solid regulatory and customer research plan, which NPC helped to facilitate with over $14,000. The result was in-depth information on the regulatory and advertising approach, guiding the development of their go-to-market approach. Most importantly, the product launch was a huge hit, generating impressive sales in its first year, and projected to double in its second year on the market.