INOVAÇÃO NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DE PRODUTO PARA O MERCADO DE SOBREMESAS PRONTAS: O CASO DA LAFFRIOLÉE

The purpose of this study is to identify the role of innovation and practices which are based on the Development and Launch of New Products-DLNP in Small and Medium Enterprises – SMEs. This article examines whether these procedures are guided by some sort of process shown in academic literature. The segment chosen was the dessert ready market-driven food service that has shown solid growth in recent years. For this purpose, we chose Laffriolee Desserts Company whose DLNP practices were investigated through a case study. We found that the company sought to be innovative, developing a product that relates to new lifestyles and social practices, but leveraging the distribution channels already in place, competitive prices and its own sales force. In addition, we gained a competitive advantage through the use of their tools of integrated marketing.