The whole process of creating a new STEADY Limited Edition flavour.

March 11th 2021

Ever since the very beginning of Queal, back in 2014, we’ve had our Limited Editions. Not like we have them now, as back in the time they came in single serve packagings, but still, it were some temporary available special flavours that you could order in our webshop.

The current Limited Edition process is one we have from around the beginning of 2016 when we shifted from our previous production location to the current one. In this blog post, we’d like to talk you through the journey a Limited Edition makes, from the idea for a flavour to the end product.


Step 1: Ideation.

So this is where it all starts, both when we create a Limited Edition on our own but also with the current design contest. We think, search for inspiration on the internet, adapt flavour inspirations from “real food” meals, take note of our awesome Quealer’s ideas and just make sure we write down every possible flavour idea.

Every once in a while we send a list to our food scientist, who works at the production location.

Step 2: On the flavourings quest.

Our food scientist starts looking for which possible natural flavourings we can use, in order to create the flavour ideas. Therefore, it’s important that 1) it’s a powdered natural flavouring and 2) it’s free of nuts as our production location is nut-free.

Step 3: The first test round.

If this quest is done and the samples of natural flavouring arrived, our food scientist starts creating samples using different compositions. Therefore, a special STEADY base product is used. Practically, this is STEADY without the flavouring.

Step 4: The first taste round.

A.k.a. the lab day! Here all of us, at Queal HQ, hit the road and visit our production location. On this day, we taste every sample that has been created. Every. Single. Sample. Yes. Like if we’re wine tasters, every sample gets discussed and we take notes.

As every flavour idea has at least two different samples you can image that we all return home quite satiated.

Step 5: The (optional) tweaking.

If one of the samples already hit the spot, this step isn't necessary. But for some of the flavour ideas, the lab day did not deliver. Along with the notes, our food scientist either looks for other natural flavourings to try or starts creating a different composition with the ones we’ve already used.

Step 6: The (optional) second round of testing.

If necessary, new samples are sent to our office when they’re ready. Here we taste them again. If they’re still not what we were hoping for, the process of creating this specific flavour idea usually stops. Or we save the idea for a later time. Most of the times though, the tweaking turned out well and we’re all happy with what the sample tastes like.

Step 7: Save the recipe.

At the point of which we all agree with the flavour of the samples, our food scientist makes sure to put the recipe in a database. There’re only one or two Limited Editions available at the same time, but at every given moment there are a few different flavours ready to be produced.

Step 8: The production.

The final step! Whenever we want to introduce a new - already approved - Limited Edition, we order a fixed number of pouches from the recipe that’s locked in the database. If needed, we order the flavourings we need in a bigger quantity and then it all can start. Usually, the whole process of production until the Limited Edition is available for you takes about a week.

Step 9: New Limited Edition available!

Hooray! The new Limited Edition entered our webshop. Since we sell (and thus send) internationally it can take a little while for all of the Quealers to taste it, but we usually start a feedback topic on the forum at around 2 weeks after introduction.

That was it, hope you found it interesting to read! With our current design contest, YOU will be able to go through these steps with us and create your OWN Limited Edition. That’s exciting, right? Here you can read how to enter!

P.s. want to know what the process of developing a whole new product looks like? We wrote another blog post about that!

Check out the current Limited Edition.

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