This is the story of how Paulig partnered with Augur to shape the foodservice products of tomorrow by bringing the target audience and their needs to life through ethnographic storytelling, and addressing those needs with structured creative work.

Paulig Pro is a global foodservice brand specializing in comprehensive meal solutions tailored for professionals in the restaurant business.

Some things can’t be understood just by talking about them or sitting behind a desk. They have to be experienced. That’s the nature of the restaurant industry. The pace, the energy, the passion, the culture – you can’t capture it in words or in a report. At least not if the goal is to help an organization truly connect with the needs and challenges, and to feel equipped and inspired to take on the solutions. So, we designed a research and creation process that was a little different.

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Step 1: Ethnographic video storytelling

Using an ethnographic approach, we met with restaurant owners, chefs, and concept developers in their natural environments—capturing our encounters on film.

  • Setup: On-site interviews and filming at restaurants in the Swedish and UK markets.
  • The result: Two video documentaries that capture the very soul of the restaurant world.
Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum – it requires tools, methods, and experience. And creativity isn’t a gift you either have or don’t have; it’s a mindset, supported by structured work.

Step 2: Idea development and concept creation

Fueled by inspirational insights from ethnographic video documentaries, the team dove into an innovation sprint with the goal of developing new foodservice offerings.

  • Two days of ideation sessions. A team made up of a mix of expertise from Paulig, Augur, and the foodservice industry came together over two days to develop concrete product concepts grounded in the real needs of the target audience.
  • The concepts were packaged and refined by Augur with the help of illustrations and concept descriptions, ready for Paulig’s R&D team to finalize.

Project impact: Insights that stick and a fast track to great ideas

What it all boils down to is a knowledge format that is easy to digest, intuitive, and simple to share across the organization. A format that creates a true understanding and feel for the target audience’s needs and challenges. Combined with a structured process for creativity and product development, it becomes an unbeatable tool for Paulig to drive progress in their industry.