Case Study: General Mills accelerates open innovation with Consumer Goods Technology

General Mills - Customer Case Study

General Mills, a major food company, sought to accelerate its innovation by tapping into external creativity and technology. To formalize this "open innovation" approach, it partnered with Consumer Goods Technology and launched the General Mills Worldwide Innovation Network (G-WIN) program in 2007.

Through the G-WIN program implemented by Consumer Goods Technology, General Mills created processes to source ideas from external partners like inventors and universities. The results were significant, yielding a 300% increase in innovation proposals and successful product launches such as Progresso Light soup and Go-Gurt Fizzix yogurt, which drove substantial sales growth and market share.

General Mills

Peter Erickson

Senior Vice President, Innovation, Technology and Quality