If you have a food store and are considering carrying pasta or if you own a restaurant and are wondering whether to add pasta to your menu, you’ll want to know who your ideal customer is and what they look for in their pasta.
While pasta is a broadly loved dish, it isn’t for everyone. And even those who love pasta, do so for different reasons. Some people prefer fresh pasta. Others prefer pasta that you can store for long periods. Yet others prefer pre-prepared pasta foods that they can just heat and eat.
So, how do we begin to understand the target market for pasta?
In this article, we review the different segments of this market and discuss some of the main reasons why people enjoy this Italian delicacy so much.
Who is the Target Market for Pasta?
To best understand the target market for pasta we need to understand what makes someone chooses to either buy pasta in a grocery store, order pasta in a restaurant, or cook pasta at home. So what is their motivation? Why do they choose pasta over another dish like pizza or a sandwich?
Once we understand people’s needs, we can divide the market into different segments and analyze each segment on its own.
Such a needs-based segmentation gives us the following market segments for pasta:
- People who love pasta
- People who love Italian food
- People who love variety in their food
- People who want to feel like they’re on vacation in Italy
- Parents who want to make a quick and easy meal for their children
- Busy people who don’t have a lot of time to cook
- Vegans and vegetarians who want a hearty meal
- Restaurants (yes, they are a market for pasta too!)
Now, let’s look closely at each of these segments.
1. People who love pasta
The most obvious target market for pasta is people who love it. This group of people typically loves all types of pasta and are always looking for new varieties to try.
They are willing to go to the best Italian restaurant in town for their favorite dish even if it costs a little more and at home, they will usually have a few go-to recipes that they love to make.
2. People who love Italian food
When we expand the above segment a bit further, we get the group of people who love Italian food in general. This group of people may not necessarily love all types of pasta, but they enjoy the dishes that they have had from Italy.
And this means that they are always willing to experiment with a pasta dish that they find in a new restaurant or for which they have found a recipe online.
And when they cannot cook a pasta dish at home because it is too complicated or difficult, they will often turn to online food delivery services to have the best pasta dishes delivered to their home.
3. People who love variety in their food
This segment of the target market for pasta looks at it as a versatile food product that they can eat by itself or use as an ingredient in another type of food.
Because they love variety, they may experiment with a pasta recipe and make something outrageous like Pasta Teriyaki. They may also add pasta to a dish that is not typically Italian to give it an interesting twist.
A common example is to use pasta like Farfalle or Fusili in a salad. Or to add some pasta to a soup to make it more filling.
4. People who want to feel like they’re on vacation in Italy
This segment of the target market for pasta tries to recreate the feeling of being on vacation in Italy by cooking a pasta dish at home.
They may not be able to take a real vacation to Italy every year, but they can transport themselves there for a few minutes by preparing and eating a delicious plate of pasta.
They may have picked up a recipe book while in Italy or found a cooking class that taught them how to make authentic Italian pasta dishes.
But no matter where they found the recipe, they want to be able to recreate the feeling of being in Italy every time they eat it.
5. Parents who want to make a quick and easy meal for their children
This target market for pasta is usually made up of busy parents who are looking for a meal that they can prepare quickly so that their children can have a hot meal before going off to play or do homework.
Pasta is easy to make. Boil water, add salt, throw in the pasta, and a few minutes later it is cooked. Add your favorite sauce to it and Pronto! – dinner is ready. Kids usually like pasta. Add some vegetables to it and parents will like it too.
6. Busy people who don’t have a lot of time to cook
Because pasta is a quick, easy and tasty dish to cook it is an easy favorite of busy people. When someone comes back from a long day at work, the last thing they want to do is cook a complicated meal.
But with pasta, all they have to do is boil water and add the pasta. In less than 20 minutes, they have a hot meal that they can enjoy. And because there are so many varieties of pasta, it’s easy to find one that fits their mood.
7. Vegans and vegetarians who want a hearty meal
Pasta can be a great option for vegans and vegetarians who are looking for a hearty meal. While there are meat-based pasta dishes, there are also many that do not contain any meat at all.
And for those who do not eat meat, there are usually plenty of vegetables that can be added to the dish to make it just as filling and satisfying.
While you would put parmesan cheese on most pasta dishes, this is an add-on that vegans can skip. This means even vegan restaurants can carry certain types of pasta dishes on their menu.
8. Restaurants
Interestingly, restaurants exist on both sides of the target market for pasta. For sure, restaurants that have pasta on their menu attract people who want to eat pasta. But restaurants are also themselves a market for uncooked pasta.
Not all restaurants have the time or space to make their own pasta from scratch. So, they buy it in bulk from a supplier. This allows them to have a variety of pasta dishes on their menu without having to make everything themselves.
There are businesses that make fresh pasta the traditional and deliver these to restaurants every single day. This way restaurants are able to serve fresh pasta to their customers without the hassle of making the pasta from scratch by themselves.
Conclusion
The target market for pasta is vast and varied. There are people who simply love to eat pasta because it is comfort food. Then there are others who like to experiment with new recipes and even try fusion food by pairing pasta with other cuisines.
Parents who are busy or have limited time also appreciate the convenience of pasta as it is one of the easiest and fastest ways to give a healthy meal to their kids.
Vegans and vegetarians can also enjoy pasta because of the numerous non-meat and no-cheese recipes that exist.
And finally, restaurants themselves are a target market for pasta as many of them buy it in bulk from suppliers or fresh pasta from small boutique suppliers.