TasteBench is an objective, cost-effective consumer feedback platform for food and beverage innovators. Gain reliable insights from real consumers through our sensory sessions so you can make confident, evidence-based product decisions.
About Tastebench
TasteBench provides affordable access to general consumer insight, helping companies:
- reduce risk
- refine products
- provide objective data to back market decisions
- present objective data to retailers and B2B customers.
Bringing a food and beverage (F&B) product to market requires more than technical excellence 鈥 you need to understand how consumers truly respond to your product to convince retailers and B2B customers.
Traditional consumer testing can be expensive, whilst relying on internal colleagues, friends or family can lead to biased feedback that does not reflect real consumer perceptions and behaviour. TasteBench offers a practical and cost effective alternative.
Book your products into an existing consumer session and receive independent, objective insights without commissioning a standalone study.
Each month, TasteBench runs 2 days of professionally managed sensory sessions where untargeted general consumers evaluate the products booked for that session.
Companies can submit 1 to 5 products, depending on the product type and session availability.
You will receive a short, clear report within 5 working days of the session. The report summarises results, highlights consumer insights and provides practical recommendations for product refinement.
Sample TasteBench report
Sample TasteBench report
Sample TasteBench Classic Report
Participants
65 consumers evaluated your product.
Demographics
35% male, 65% female, aged 22 鈥 54.
Purchase frequency
High 31%, medium 58%, low 11%.
Liking
Average liking: 5.5 out of 9 (range: 2 to 7).
Willingness to Pay
- 65% would not purchase
- Others indicated $3.99 鈥 $6.50
- Average: $4.50
Comments
25% of participants who rated the product above 'neither like nor dislike' were still not willing to purchase 鈥 indicating gaps between liking and purchase intent.
Strengths Identified
- Carbonation level was about right
- Appearance: colour was too artificial.
Areas for Improvement
- Sweetness levels were polarising
- Flavour perceived as artificial by some
- Confusion between orange and tropical flavour
- Lingering drying sensation and bitter/liquorice aftertaste.
TasteBench Interpretation
The colour, flavour profile and sweetener system require refinement before considering launch.
With polarised sweetness responses, the company may need to choose which consumer segment to target or 2 variants.
Clearer flavour description on the label may reduce flavour confusion.
TasteBench Classic
50 to 70 general consumers evaluate your product and provide feedback on:
- Level of liking
- Likelihood of purchase
- Reasons behind their responses
- Specific areas for sensory improvement
Cost from: $3300 + GST per product
TasteBench Discriminate
Discriminate sessions provide objective insights into whether changes in formulation, ingredients, processing or branding affect:
- Overall sensory perception
- Specific sensory attributes
- Consumer preference.
Particularly suitable for:
- Me too products
- Ingredient swaps
- 'New improved' claims
- Attribute-based claims, for example, 'creamier', 'richer', 'crispier'.
Cost from: $2000 + GST per product pairing
Our Sensory Space
TasteBench sessions take place in Feast鈥檚 purpose built sensory facility at Te Kunenga ki P奴rehuroa 暴风资源 in Palmerston North.
Feast provides:
- Professional sensory booths for controlled evaluation
- An immersive sensory environment 鈥 New Zealand鈥檚 only wall to wall projected space, enabling testing in realistic contexts such as a caf茅, supermarket aisle or home setting if required
- Access to general consumers who represent broad market behaviour.
This environment ensures reliable, unbiased insights grounded in real consumer experience.
Sensory booths
Our 12 sensory booths have been designed to ISO-standard. The booths have a communication system for researchers and panellists to speak easily, are temperature controlled and can also accommodate any colour of lighting. This helps to mask appearance differences if required by the study.
One booth is wheelchair accessible.
Mixed Reality - Immersive Space
We have the only immersive room in a consumer testing lab in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Where you eat and how it feels changes how you feel about what you eat.
Our immersive room can mimic different eating places such as a caf茅, hospital ward, a home or a supermarket 鈥 all scientifically controlled. You could even test food in space or in the mountains!
Food Experience and Sensory Testing laboratory (Feast)
Feast is a hub for sensory and consumer research, training and consultancy. With New Zealand's only mixed-reality immersive room in a consumer testing lab, we can mimic different eating places such as a caf茅, hospital ward or home, etc., while scientifically controlled. Users can also experience food in non-lab environments through mixed reality glasses (HoloLens).
Location: Manawat奴
Contact us
Contact us to make a booking or enquire about Tastebench.
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