Overview
HummFoods is a venture exploration that I had the opportunity to be a part of during my time at BCG Digital Ventures. Due in large part to Vision 2030, The Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia engaged with BCGDV to be consulted on how to build businesses centered around culture and drive investment within the Kingdom (KSA).
The team spent 12 weeks researching, ideating, diverging & converging, and ultimately selecting the top 5 concepts out of 300 to move into a design phase -- HummFoods was one of those 5.
Role
Senior Product Manager
Company
BCG Digital Ventures
Client
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture
Timeline
Visioning, ideation and concept development over the course of ~3 months (2019)
Constraints
Culture is an expansive term, which made it hard to choose a focus area
Research and explorations were conducted primarily in the US; limited travel to the Kingdom
Concepts had to remain within the confines of what’s legal, acceptable and ethical in KSA
My Role & Responsibilities
I worked alongside a team of senior venture architects, UX designers and engineers, so my role sat at the intersection of design, technology, and business, where I translated research insights into product requirements while balancing cultural constraints, technical feasibility, and venture economics.
Specific tasks included concept definition (strategy), user testing & interviews (design research), MVP definition (product + tech), and feature prioritization (business constraints).
HummFoods was solely a venture exploration, not a launched product.
Cloud Kitchens, or delivery-only kitchens without storefronts, are becoming successful globally. This model will be successful in KSA.
Desirability
Allows chefs to quickly test concepts and make money without upfront costs
Enables economies of scale with shared resources
Allows for more experimentation than a traditional restaurant
Feasibility
Leverages pre-existing delivery partners in KSA to build on delivery infrastructure
Viability
Space and tools for restaurant entrepreneurs without upfront investment is an attractive and tested value prop
Pricing creates a win-win for HummFoods and entrepreneurs
HummFoods operates as an integrated system across physical space (kitchen), digital infrastructure (applications, ops, analytics), and economic incentives (shared risk and upside).
Design: Physical kitchen layout, brand support, UX for chef onboarding and consumer experiences
Technology: Application flow, ops platform, analytics, delivery integrations
Business: Revenue model, partnerships, compliance, scaling logic
Value Prop & Differentiation
HummFoods is a cloud kitchen that provides food entrepreneurs with kitchen space, tools, and services to enable them to come up with creative food concepts in KSA.
For Chefs
A fully-equipped cloud kitchen with state of the art appliances and equipment
Support through partnerships with delivery, inventory, and staffing providers
Deep analytics and insights to help entrepreneurs develop and scale their concepts
For Saudis
Access to new cuisines and brands built by Saudis
Why Now?
The announcement of Vision 2030 created a cultural moment where experimentation in food entrepreneurship became more socially and institutionally supported; this makes the model viable in ways it wouldn’t have been previously.
MVP Product Vision
The HummFoods physical kitchen space provides food entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art tools and supplies to build their food concepts.
State-of-the-Art Kitchens
Allows chefs to develop and run their food businesses with no upfront costs
Kitchen Equipment
Limited Ingredients
Packaging
Kitchen Services
Support services to ensure chefs are successful in their endeavors
Design team to take menu photos, build brands, design packaging, etc.
Partnerships for sourcing ingredients
Partnerships for delivery
What Was Descoped
Consumer-facing app (leveraged existing delivery platforms)
Advanced analytics (manual tracking during MVP)
Multi-location kitchens (focused on operational readiness first)
Tech Implementation
Lightweight application platform for chefs
Admin ops tooling to manage kitchen utilization, compliance and scheduling
Data capture to inform concept performance and iteration
Designed for future integration with delivery partner APIs
What I Got Right
This project reshaped how I approach integrative work; it taught me the importance of placing cultural context and systems design on equal footing with product and business execution.
It was my first time being a part of a pure concepting project at BCGDV, so seeing the early stage process unfold in real time was very interesting. Working alongside designers who employed design thinking was an eye-opening experience.
Assumptions That Didn’t Hold
“Saudi is culturally monolithic.”
Saudi Arabia is actually highly regionalized. Food preferences, openness to experimentation, and branding tone vary dramatically by region; a concept that thrives in Jeddah may flop in Riyadh.
“Religion is a barrier to innovation.”
Religion in Saudi Arabia functions more as a framework of ethics, trust and legitimacy. Ethical framing (fairness, transparency, community benefit) resonates strongly.
“Vision 2030 means everything is easy now.”
Vision 2030 has opened doors but also raised expectations; it’s increased scrutiny, not reduced it. Compliance is taken seriously, and operational excellence is expected, even early.
If I Had To do It Over Again
I would fight harder to get my feet on the ground in the Kingdom, especially earlier on during exploratory interviews. I believe getting a direct line of sight into Saudi lives would’ve been an eye-opening experience.
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