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Taste Test/Sensory Research Firms
It’s a matter of taste – and that’s why it’s important to choose the right partner when conducting taste tests and sensory research. Whether you’re introducing a new product or improving an existing one, this research provides an opportunity to better understand both your product and consumers and ensure a successful launch.
These companies specialize in a range of taste and sensory solutions for both in-person and virtual needs, from fully stocked test kitchens to remote moderation and observation tools. Whether your research needs require home-use tests, inmarket environments or extensive in-facility work, the following companies are equipped to meet the specifications of your next project.
AOC Marketing Research
Founded 1980s | 25 employees
Cathleen Christopher, Director of Operations
You need more than a fully equipped kitchen; you need an experienced and professional staff who know how to execute your test. With 30+ years of experience recruiting and implementing taste tests, AOC will take the worry out of your project so you can focus on the results. Our fully equipped test kitchen has ample dedicated circuits, product-prep tables, large and small appliances, cookware and utensils. Our testing rooms feature hardwood floors and seating for 32 with laptops and dividers. Visit our website to find out what researchers are saying about AOC and why our clients consider us their preferred research partner.
Phone 1-704-341-0232
www.aocresearch.com
Area Wide Market Research Inc.
Founded 1988
Ann Weinstein, CEO
Area Wide’s seasoned staff pours three decades of experience into every project. Our professional, in-house recruiting team – the most skilled in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia – can fill any group, from an intimate few to many hundreds. Recruiting low-incidence? That’s when we do our most creative sourcing! For central-location tests, we staff and manage the entire process seamlessly. Onsite, enjoy classroom-style or individual booth configurations, ample free parking directly outside our door to ensure on-time starts and a stocked kitchen with two fridges, two freezers, four microwaves, four ovens and its own viewing room. Plus, our building is privately owned. No product, from cigarettes to alcohol, is off-limits!
Phone 1-301-590-1160
www.AreaWideMarketResearch.com
Blending Views
Founded 2018 | 32 employees
Brian Styx, CEO
Here’s the truth…we just do it better. Decades of research experience conducted with several Fortune 500 companies powered the formation of Blending Views. We are a small business with massive capabilities in the Chicago market. We create a seamless testing experience for our clients and respondents, yet always strive to be better. Our commercial kitchen is upgraded regularly, has an open layout and is so clean that it shines! Blending Views’ facility is eco-friendly and full of smiles.
Phone 1-708-826-3200
www.blendingviews.com
Civicom CCam® focus
Founded 2000 | 500+ employees
Irene Bocca, Business Director, CCam® focus
Conduct your taste-testing research with CCam® focus 360° HD videostreaming and recording and forgo expensive travel and complicated logistics. Enjoy the flexibility of remote moderation and observation while capturing genuine reactions from respondents as they experience your products in person. Get multiple camera perspectives that can be zoomed in to help you gather rich audio and video feedback. Our portable plug-and-play solution can be used anywhere such as homes, facilities or office locations, and can be set up to your specifications. CCam includes video curation tools to help you get the most out of your recorded sessions. Benefit from our global network of partner facilities and the end-to-end support Civicom is known for.
contact@ccamfocus.com
Phone 1-203-413-2421
www.ccamfocus.com
CSS/datatelligence
Founded 1987 | 200+ employees
Carolyn Corbett, Vice President
CSS/datatelligence is a global consultancy for sensory and consumer research. We articulate the product and packaging experience through the touchpoints of the five senses. We offer sensory and consumer insights to optimize the consumer experience through innovation to empower our clients with recommendations to drive growth. Our research expertise focuses on food and beverage taste tests, personal care, fragrances, cosmetics and home care with CLTs, HUTs, consumption and satiety methods. Partner with our sensory scientists or our behavior psychologist to design and execute your next project! Test Studios offer sensory booths, fragrance chambers, laundry, residential and a commercial kitchen, CLT/FG space and client viewing rooms.
E-mail carolyncorbett@cssdatatelligence.com
Phone 1-386-677-5644 x225
www.cssdatatelligence.com
Curion
Founded 2017 | 300 employees
Sean Bisceglia, CEO
Curion provides world-class insights. From quantitative to qualitative research, we apply proven, industry-leading, innovative methods to service over 65% of Global 100 companies. A full-service product and sensory insights firm, we work with clients to determine not what products consumers prefer, but why they are liked and how to make optimizations. Clients mitigate risk of marketplace failure by ensuring only quality products are introduced, providing repeatable delight for consumers. We accomplish this with our expert employees, sensory processes, fully equipped facilities and data insights. In 2019 alone, we tested 105,000 consumers across San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas and New York. The result of a merger between Q Research Solutions and Tragon Corp., Curion pioneered many sensory methodologies considered industry standards today, including Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA)® and Partnership Solutions™.
Phone 1-224-632-1919
www.curioninsights.com
Decision Analyst Inc.
Founded 1978 | 150 employees
Jerry W. Thomas, President and CEO
Decision Analyst offers an array of research and analytical services to help our clients improve products and create new products. Decision Analyst is a global leader in iHUTs (in-home usage tests), central-location taste tests and product optimization techniques. We have conducted over 2,000 product tests over the past four decades. We operate our own consumer panels and have labeling, packaging and shipping capabilities to support in-home usage testing. We conduct central-location taste testing (or onsite taste testing) on a global scale. Optima®, our product testing system, predicts consumer acceptance, determines the optimal set of ingredients or features and optimizes pricing.
Phone 1-817-640-6166
www.decisionanalyst.com
Directions
Founded 1988 | 200 employees
Carley Metsker, SVP, Group Director
Directions is a Top 50 U.S. insights and analytics company and authority in taste testing and sensory research. We support some of the world’s most recognized brands in packaged food and beverage; tobacco and alcohol; and fast-casual and quick-service restaurants. As a full-service partner, we manage all aspects of product testing research, tapping into our wide network of facility partners to meet unique requirements. Our experience spans small ad hoc projects to large ongoing programs, using custom quantitative, qualitative or hybrid approaches across in-home (HUT), controlled facility (CLT) and in-market testing environments. Our extensive menu item testing experience allows us to provide proprietary industry norms for competitive context. The bottom line: You won’t find Directions’ combination of aptitude, attitude and agility anywhere else.
Phone 1-513-651-2990
www.directionsresearch.com
Fieldwork
Founded 1980 | 250+ employees
Steve Raebel, President
Fieldwork has been a qualitative research partner for over 40 years. We are experts in sensory research, recruiting respondents according to client specifications and hosting in-person, remote and hybrid research sessions where clients uncover insights for brand and business impact. Our experienced recruiting professionals take pride in providing the highest-quality respondents. Over the years we have developed special techniques to reach audiences beyond our database. We do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to recruitment. Whether in our 15 state-of-the-art facilities or online, we match the desired experience to the study requirements. Focus on the research. We’ll do the rest.
Phone 1-800-863-4353
www.fieldwork.com/market-research-services
Focus & Testing – An Insights Center Facility
Founded 1995 | 35 employees
Spence Bilkiss, CEO
Focus & Testing – An Insights Center Facility has skillfully executed food and beverage research through CLTs and focus groups for over 26 years. Since our inception, sensory testing has been our focus, allowing us to emerge as the prominent sensory center in Los Angeles. The 12,500-sq.-ft. facility features the ultimate commercial-grade kitchen for everything from CPG to restaurant menu testing and anything in between. The facility also includes a residential kitchen, an observable CLT suite with 44 respondent stations and three focus group suites. Our tenured and ServSafe-certified team sets us apart, enabling Focus & Testing to execute projects like a well-oiled machine.
Phone 1-818-577-4022
www.focusandtesting.com
FoodView Inc.
Founded 1971 | 50 employees
Rich Tucker, President
FoodView Inc. is your best choice in the Chicago metro for your taste test needs. FoodView features a fully equipped commercial kitchen and CLT room that seats 30. Clients can view into the focus room and commercial kitchen. The kitchen has over 600 amps of dedicated electrical and 18 feet of commercial hood space. It is adaptable for ready-to-serve products all the way to restaurant prepared menu items. Commercial equipment includes coolers, freezers, gas fryers, flat top grills and more. Conveniently located in Oak Brook, Ill. We can create the ultimate taste-testing experience.
Phone 1-708-906-1875
www.FoodView.net
Herron Associates Inc.
Founded 1958 | 45 employees
Sue McAdams, CEO
Leading sensory clients choose Herron for our years of experience, large state-of-the-art facility in Indianapolis and seamless deliverables on projects anywhere. We partnered with leading culinary teams to bring you kitchens designed by experts for the best culinary experience. Our spacious Indianapolis facility offers a 960-sq.-ft. commercial kitchen with large research suites accommodating up to 50 respondents. Partner with Herron on your next project for a fresh perspective on your sensory study and see why clients always make Herron their first call.
E-mail Info@herron-research.com
Phone 1-800-392-3828
www.herron-research.com
Krämer Marktforschung GmbH
Founded 1986 | 51 employees
Michael Krämer, Markus Albrecht,
Christoph Rogl, Managing Directors
Krämer Marktforschung GmbH, ISO 20252-certified, is one of the leading German data collection institutes in quantitative as well as in qualitative market research since 1986. With our professional recruiting staff we manage to reach your respondents for your requested screening criteria to provide you with the most meaningful insights for your online projects or taste tests. Our teams of experienced moderators and interviewers ensure a smooth project flow for group discussions or one-to-one interviews either in one of our five fully equipped studios throughout Germany or online. Krämer – The most trusted partner in MR data collection.
Phone +49-251-962898-10
www.kraemer-germany.com
Murray Hill National
Founded 2013 | 35 employees
Susan Owens, COO
Clients trust Murray Hill National with thousands of studies per year as their research partner. In return, we deliver valuable solutions and high-quality recruitment for their consumer, health care, business-to-business and technology projects. Specializing in taste tests, we have the ability to host and deliver your results across the U.S. For the last 10 years Murray Hill National LLP, rebranded under new ownership, has advanced to one of the leading data collection and recruitment companies in the U.S. Our teams are committed to meeting your research needs. We provide high-quality health care recruitment with access to 465,000 physicians, nurses and more, and we organize 100+ patient panels. Our qualitative services extend far beyond the traditional focus group. Our call center has 45 CATI stations where we conduct all of our telephone interviewing including qualitative, quantitative, phone-to-web or old-fashioned CATI. Call us today for your next project, your national recruiting experts!
Phone 1-972-707-7645
www.murrayhillnational.com
National Field & Focus Inc.
Founded 1990
Vinny Stolo, Director of Operations
Taste test and CLT recruitment and execution are particular specialties at National Field & Focus. With over 30 years of serving the data collection and focus group facility needs of the Greater Boston area, we have recruited thousands of panelists for CLTs, taste tests and product placements in addition to having a full-sized professional test kitchen with plenty of counter space, dedicated electrical and ample freezer/refrigeration. Certified as a woman-owned business, National Field & Focus also offers the ability to conduct in-facility product tests using our specialized sink and mirror rooms, allowing client observation of activities typically performed at a bathroom vanity such as grooming, makeup routines, fragrance tests, face washes and hair care. For Boston CLT recruiting, make NFF your first choice!
Phone 1-508-370-7788
www.nff-inc.com
Precision Research Inc.
Founded 1959 | 25-49 employees
Scott Adleman, President
Convenient, cost-effective and experienced. Centrally located next to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport sits Precision’s 12,000-sq.-ft. research center. Our commercial kitchen provides ample refrigeration, an array of cooking equipment, natural gas and 400 amps of electric service. Need special cooking equipment? We can generally rent it or bring your own. The adjacent test room seats 15 with COVID spacing and our double room is large enough to seat 30 socially distanced. Our a la carte services includes respondent recruitment, cooking and serving staffing, survey programming and reporting. Let us show you what over 30 years of experience can do.
Phone 1-847-257-0827
www.preres.com
Reckner Facilities
Founded 1991 | 225 employees
David Reckner, President
Celebrating 30 years of market research excellence, Reckner provides state-of-the-art taste test and product testing facilities, located in the Milwaukee, New York City and Philadelphia MSAs. Spacious, fully equipped test kitchens offer ample refrigeration and freezer space, microwaves, ovens, abundant counter space and more. Highly tenured staff are fully trained in food service and well-versed on the detailed protocols of product preparation and testing. We have experience in all food and beverage categories including alcohol, confectionery, dairy, frozen foods and more. Focus group rooms, multipurpose space, product testing rooms and sink booths are also available. Project management staff are highly experienced with CLTs, home-use-tests, large quotas and complex designs, all with quick turnarounds and competitive pricing.
Phone 1-215-822-6220
www.reckner.com/facilities
TasteMakers Research Group
Founded 2010 | 10 employees
Andrea Poe, CEO
TasteMakers Research Group is a next-generation market research company founded in 2010 with the purpose of providing agile, authentic and data-driven consumer intelligence to clients. Our high-performance consumer product testing solutions are built for CPG innovators, strategic marketers and venture capitalists who demand fast, flexible and affordable results. Our proprietary PopUp CLT™ (Consumer Location Testing) methodology achieves real-time quantitative results, with qualitative insights, at typically twice the speed and half the cost of current taste-test and sensory field methods. TasteMakers Research is a member of ASTM’s Standard Guide for Sensory Claim Substantiation committee. When it comes to the “new normal,” be assured that the PopUp CLT™ (Consumer Location Test) has been safeguarded to meet the challenges of this remarkable time. TasteMakers Research has invested in and implemented the highest industry standards for the safety, health and wellness of our clients, participants and staff.
Phone 1-323-533-5954
www.tastemakersresearch.com