The Context

A Dallas-based private equity firm was evaluating the acquisition of a national provider of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods for long-term storage. The target company had built a strong product line that was applicable in emergency response situations, emergency preparedness, and even outdoor recreation. A key question for the client was: Who is the customer of this brand and category, and what are their purchase motivators?

The Strop Solution

Beyond lifeless financial statements and balance sheets, the due diligence process lacked richness of information in order necessary to formulate a focused growth strategy for the business upon acquisition. Our team conducted a Brand Health and Benchmarking study, surveying a broad set of current and non-customers of the target company on perceptions and awareness of the target and its competitors. This allowed Strop to build the qualitative and quantitative data the client would need to understand and grow the business. Working with the company to gain key feedback and insights from their most loyal customers, Strop used the company’s customer list in combination with our proprietary research methodology.

Our Impact

Our research provided, for the first time, a comprehensive demographic view of the company’s customer base. Additionally, we helped our client to both confirm expected usage of the product and also identify new niche applications. This information was a key input for developing a go-forward growth strategy for the business.