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Business is king! France’s Trente Glorieuses (The Glorious Thirty, 1945-1975), when simply producing was enough, seems a long time ago; products were sure to sell, since there was a scarcity at the time. It was a period of a production economy. Today, consumers find everything they want. Competition has full hold: this is the market economy.

The commercial aspects of a product can be evaluated for each sector in all the countries where it is sold. A biopolymer like xanthan gum fits into several businesses: food, cosmetics, paints, or even drilling fluid, where it is used for its texture, thickening and gelling properties.

Business issues are numerous:

1 – market aspects:– is the product in the markets in sufficient quantities (penetration rate), does it cover the demand, are there other markets?– should it be taken to other countries?

2 – technical aspects:– does the product have the expected functionalities?– is it pure enough or too pure?– is it well formulated, well-conditioned, well packaged? What about its logistics?– does its cost price bring acceptable margins or can it not be sold because it is too expensive when it comes out of the factory?