Circular business models in wild berry-based food business
Murto, Jonne; Ghimire, Ashish (2020)
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020120526320
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020120526320
Tiivistelmä
This research is a case study, which aims to explore and analyze circular business models that exist in wild berry-based food business and the different ways of how to utilize the food waste that is being left from the production of wild berry-based products, for it to be made into new products, to decrease the amount of waste production and to bring more value.
The commissioner of this thesis is The Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OUAS) and the research is being done to a Wax project, which is an international project between different organizations from different countries, focused on berry wax.
Initially, to understand the topic, the pre-found circular business models and the wild berry-based food business, a theoretical background has been established from a variety of different sources. Then, through a qualitative research, two different wild berry-based food companies were chosen as case companies for this case study, to be analyzed on what circular business models these companies have, based on semi-structured interviews by using a business model canvas.
A company aiming to transition to a circular business will require a set of circular thinking and circular supply chain partners, to be able to operate the circular business models and to create economic, social and environmental values. The results of this research show that both of the case companies have circular business models, such as a circular supply business model, a product life extension business model and a resource recovery business model, and they reutilize the food waste from the side streams of their productions, for it to be made into new products.
However, circular business models, such as a product as a service business model and a digital sharing platforms business model, seem to be missing from these case companies, from which the latter could be taken into consideration by these case companies, to avoid their products from getting expired, by sharing them with potential buyers before they reach their expiration dates, for them to not become waste.
Furthermore, to increase the visibility and knowledge of the new wild berry-based products manufactured from the side streams of their productions, the case companies could initiate new educational and marketing strategies.
For future research it is recommended to study more about the growing potential of the digital sharing platforms and the redistribution of the wild berry-based products before they get expired.
The commissioner of this thesis is The Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OUAS) and the research is being done to a Wax project, which is an international project between different organizations from different countries, focused on berry wax.
Initially, to understand the topic, the pre-found circular business models and the wild berry-based food business, a theoretical background has been established from a variety of different sources. Then, through a qualitative research, two different wild berry-based food companies were chosen as case companies for this case study, to be analyzed on what circular business models these companies have, based on semi-structured interviews by using a business model canvas.
A company aiming to transition to a circular business will require a set of circular thinking and circular supply chain partners, to be able to operate the circular business models and to create economic, social and environmental values. The results of this research show that both of the case companies have circular business models, such as a circular supply business model, a product life extension business model and a resource recovery business model, and they reutilize the food waste from the side streams of their productions, for it to be made into new products.
However, circular business models, such as a product as a service business model and a digital sharing platforms business model, seem to be missing from these case companies, from which the latter could be taken into consideration by these case companies, to avoid their products from getting expired, by sharing them with potential buyers before they reach their expiration dates, for them to not become waste.
Furthermore, to increase the visibility and knowledge of the new wild berry-based products manufactured from the side streams of their productions, the case companies could initiate new educational and marketing strategies.
For future research it is recommended to study more about the growing potential of the digital sharing platforms and the redistribution of the wild berry-based products before they get expired.