Publications

January 1994 (Revised February 2001)
Case

PepsiCo's Restaurants

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery

In 1992 PepsiCo is considering two opportunities to expand its restaurant business, Carts of Colorado, a $7 million manufacturer and merchandiser of mobile food carts, and California Pizza Kitchen, a $60 million chain in the casual dining segment. The discussion... View Details

Keywords: Management Systems; Organizational Structure; Opportunities; Business Strategy; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry

February 2016 (Revised May 2016)
Case

Dinr: My First Start-up (A)

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Kristina Maslauskaite

In May 2012, a young employee at Google's London office, Markus Berger, was thinking whether he should quit his job and go after his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Berger's idea was to create Dinr, a company that would offer an upscale food ingredient delivery... View Details

Keywords: Exit Strategy; Startup; Start-up; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Food

November 1997
Case

Case Corporation

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Tom Clay

A successful turnaround global farm machinery company is attempting to redefine its role in the global food system and develop a strategic plan for the company. View Details

Keywords: Change; Machinery and Machining; Global Strategy; Growth and Development; Strategic Planning; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

December 2007 (Revised July 2008)
Case

General Mills (A)

By: Raymond V. Gilmartin, Marco Iansiti and Bianca Buccitelli

General Mills is an 80-year-old company that specializes in consumer foods such as cereal, snacks, baking, and dinner products. Although General Mills is, on the whole, a very successful company, they have, in the recent past, had to face challenges as a result the... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Change Management; Cost Management; Problems and Challenges; Inflation and Deflation; Price; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry

05 Jun 2019
News

When Customers Want to See the Human Behind the Product

March 2011
Case

Calveta Dining Services, Inc.: A Recipe for Growth?

By: James L. Heskett and Patricia Girardi

Calveta Dining Services contracts with senior living facilities (SLFs) for the management of food service to residents. Created by Antonio Calveta and built on his passion for food and traditional family values, the firm had enjoyed three decades of strong growth when... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Vision; Employee Empowerment; Service Management; Family Businesses; Growth Strategy; Family Business; Expansion; Communication; Employee Relationship Management; Service Operations; Organizational Structure; Growth and Development Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Video

Hani Berzi

Hani Berzi, founder and CEO of Egypt-based Edita Food Industries, talks about the CSR initiatives of his company. View Details

November 1993 (Revised January 2006)
Supplement

Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine

Officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must decide whether to refer the Beech-Nut apple juice case to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution, and if so, whether to recommend prosecution of individual executives or of the company only. View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Decisions; Cases; Law; Management; Food and Beverage Industry

December 2007 (Revised February 2017)
Case

Vegpro Group: Growing in Harmony

By: David E. Bell, Brian Milder and Mary Shelman

Vegpro, a horticulture company, is Kenya's largest exporter of fresh vegetables and flowers to top supermarkets in the U.K. and Europe. In 2007, Vegpro's business is threatened by growing consumer concern about the environmental impact of food production and transport,... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Developing Countries and Economies; Ethics; Food; Growth and Development Strategy; Operations; Environmental Sustainability; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Kenya; Europe; United Kingdom

Find at Harvard

February 2015 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Delhaize Group: Developing Leaders

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

Delhaize Group, the Belgian-based global food retailer, was focused on competing in the food retailing industry by developing leading positions in key markets via localized retailing strategies. Delhaize was committed to offering its customers superior value while... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Organizational Alignment; Talent Management; Leadership Development; Globalized Firms and Management; Human Capital; Talent and Talent Management; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Culture; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Belgium

January 2020
Case

Celata Bioinnovations

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In December 2019, Jon Hu (HBS ‘19) and Dr. Samantha Dale Strasser, co-founders of Celata Bioinnovations, were raising $1 million to launch their company. They had founded Celata less than six months earlier with the aim of redefining the drug discovery process.... View Details

January 2025
Case

The Vision of Wonder

By: Michael S. Kaufman and Daniella Bertolotti

Serial entrepreneur Marc Lore successfully disrupted three marketplaces—trading cards, diapers (founded Diapers.com and eventually sold to Amazon for more than $500 million) and ecommerce (founded Jet.com competing directly with Amazon and eventually sold to Walmart... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Entrepreneurship; Disruptive Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

15 Dec 2015
News

The Year in Ideas 2015

Americans Are Ready for GMO Produce J.R. Simplot’s White Russet is unique among potatoes: The flesh doesn’t brown when exposed to air and it resists bruising. For consumers, that means increased convenience—potatoes can be prepped in... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna, Christine Lejeune, Dan Morrell, and April White

27 Oct 2016
News

Public Programs Encourage Entrepreneurship

November 1997
Case

Royal Ahold NV: Shopkeeper to the Global Village

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Tom Clay

Royal Ahold has become one of the top U.S. food retailers in the United States and Europe, with a family firm that began in the Netherlands and grew to a listing on the U.S. Stock Exchange. It wants to be a global player and is trying to develop a global strategy. View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Leadership Style; Public Ownership; Food and Beverage Industry