Design the Future of Food
Scroll down for design case studies and insights made for you, leaders of innovation in the food production ecosystem. (Check back often as we address emerging conversations.)
Over the past several decades, the world’s population has been steadily growing at a rate even outpacing the world’s ability to produce. This raises questions about how to better manage our global resources, services, and especially food.
But with those challenges comes the opportunity for industrial design and innovation strategy to play a role, to engage producers, communities and individuals in shaping and re-designing their interactions with food in an ideal way, and to provide valuable experiences that will make life better not only for them, but for the world at large.
Sundberg-Ferar has been strategizing & designing food experiences for nearly 90 years. Reach out to discuss how you can leverage innovation strategy and industrial design for your Future of Food roadmap!
Case Studies
Project: SproutsIO: Cultivating Sustainable Countertop Agriculture
SproutsIO, Inc is a startup company with a vision for changing the way the world integrates food into their lives. SproutsIO trusted Sundberg-Ferar to bring their proof-of-concept across the finish line to a beta prototype for production. The vision is rooted in the need to localize produce to provide healthy, flavorful and sustainable food into households in spite of growing urbanization trends. The SproutsIO appliance provides nutrients, water and UV light to a set of specialized pods that house the plant and its root system. This portable system is based on an aeroponic growing strategy that is uniquely clean and effective; a revolution in home and restaurant growing equipment. Read more.
Project: Empowering Dining through Design
Eating is one of the most fundamental human experiences. The act of feeding oneself in the presence of others ties together families and is a fundamental means of participating in culture and community. For those who can’t participate, it’s a constant reminder that they are dependent on others for a basic source of their wellbeing. The Obi robot allows users with physical limitations to feed themselves and join in on this most basic human experience. Sundberg-Ferar’s job was to arm the client with consumer validation of the concept and bring development home on the first production model. Development work focused on two primary directions: packaging the mechanisms of the robot in an attractive non-threatening body, and creating a friendly, easy-to-use UX. The program also required attention to many details of form and behavior that would allow the robot to reliably pick up food and deliver it cleanly to the user. Read more.
Project: Breaking down Food Waste Silently and Efficiently
InSinkErator and Sundberg-Ferar have a long-standing business relationship of setting trends for food waste disposers. InSinkErator approached SF to redesign their latest “Evolution” series disposers. This time around, the disposer designs were based around NVH requirements to make the new units operate as seamlessly as possible and convey the durability of the mechanical parts with the aesthetic parts. Read more.
Project: Gardening Innovation: Ames True Temper Pruning Shears
Over several years, Ames True Temper has partnered with Sundberg-Ferar on a variety of projects involving not only design & innovation of non-power cutting tools, but also new product opportunities to accommodate the unique needs in the growing segment of urban gardeners. Here is one of such project… Read more.
“The process of preparing a space for growing, planning out what will be planted, doing the planting, and seeing what sprouts up as the plant is cared for provides a connection to food that many of us haven’t traditionally had a line of sight to [in urban centers]. “
Excerpt from our article “The Future of Food: Why Urban Farming is Taking Root”
Thought Corner
Article: Future of Food: Trends in How We’ll Grow, Transport, Buy, and Consume Food
At Sundberg-Ferar, we’re constantly investigating and tracking trends, building a comprehensive library that’s relevant across different industries, with focuses on social, technological, environmental, economic, and governmental shifts. In this article, we look at the future of the food industry and investigate “meaty” topics that will likely disrupt the way we grow, transport, purchase, and consume food for years to come. Read more.
Article: The Future of Food: Why Urban Farming is Taking Root (10 mins)
What should you consider as you lead your company in designing and developing the future of urban farming? Read more.
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