RASPADITAS | MVP
Raspaditas is the coolest thing you have seen at the beach in a long time. We are redefining the experience people can have at the beach while laying back and having a really fun and tasty shaved ice drink from the nicest cart of the beach.
THE BEACH HAS NO LANDLORDS
In our field observations, between May and August 2016, we noted that the commerce at the beach doesn't seem to have changed in the last 20 years. The corn, lunch carts and ice cream carts, for example, still have the same design and approach, and they still sell the same products from when we were kids, back in the 80's.
In the last 20 years we haven't seen substantial changes in the scenario, and we also haven't seen brands and corporations exploring it either.
We then defined an important premise for our project: the beaches in the São Paulo coast are still places with no landlords.
Our main hypothesis was settled, and we prepared ourselves to explore this scenario with a truly professional approach. Starting by a treat that I was particularly crazy about, and by a cart that is definitely stuck in the past, like you can see on the picture below: the shaved ice.
METHODOLOGY
Inspired by the Lean Startup method, we worked on a business model and a value proposition canvas in order to guide our customers development and our hypothesis test phase. We had to plan > design > implement > test > evaluate > iterate, really fast in order to have a chance of succeeding in a market we barely had any experience at. And that was our focus for the rest of the year.
In only 6 months we were able to interview potential customers, plot out defined hypothesis, develop 10 products and an awesome cart, build the cart and run the MVP throughout the 2016-17 summer.
OUR MVP
Of course we also had a financial model for the business, but we were focused on trying out our hypothesis and build a business model based on quick testing and iterations.
There was no way of doing it besides getting ourselves a nice tan while pushing the cart at the beach. We then defined some of our KPIs and spent the weekends on the 2016-2017 summer running this phase (and learning a lot).
ROLES
I shared with my former partner the leadership of the MVP modeling. We conducted together a series of potential customers interviews.
Besides that, he dedicated some time on the financial modeling while I worked on the visual and product concepts.
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The main activities I was responsible for:
– Brand design and identity
– Cart design (and technical drawings)
– Product development (recipes, flavors etc)
– Photoshoots
– Business website (Wix platform)
– Business social media
– Business legal licencing
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Activities we shared:
– Conducting potential customers interviews– Naming
– Business concept modeling
– Value proposition design
– Providers development (sirups, straws, cups, cart)
– KPIs definition
BUILDING THE CART
I led the whole construction process with the technical team at the contractor´s site, providing the technical blueprints and dialoguing with the head of manufacturing.
WHAT WERE WE TESTING?
First of all, our MVP/prototype was an opportunity to interact with a lot of customers and understand if the idea made sense for them, but we also tested: the drinks production proccess at the beach; product/market fit; sales volume in different beaches (in order to determine market size).
AND WHAT HAPPENED?
We first run the MVP in Jan 7th, 2017. In 31 weekend days of operation, we sold 3500 drinks.
When we tested our imported syrups flavours against syrups made from ice cream mixes we had a big surprise: people liked better the latter. We were then able to reduce our goods costs in 73%.
We were also able to learn and define our operational model for the next summer.
Absolutely organically, our single cart that was working ad a small beach in Guarujá, reached around 1000 really engaged instagram and facebook followers asking for a cart at their hometowns, because they just loved us :)
And last, we discovered a new market we could attack: throughout 2017 we were hired for 11 on demand bar service events, such as corporative events, birthday parties and weddings.
