The seeds of success
Companies shouldn’t be afraid of failure because it can, in some cases, be the springboard for a successful product, says West.
Ahlgrens was a Swedish confectionery company whose factory manager, Gustav Belinky, was tasked with developing a Swedish version of the American marshmallow in the 1950s.
“The marshmallows were too tough and chewy, and he thought that they had failed. But someone discovered that the failed batter tasted good. Ahlgren’s ‘failed’ marshmallows became a success, today selling 17 million bags every year in Sweden.”
Current manufacturer Cloetta actually promotes the failed marshmallows as the world's most sold car. But it prefers to see its cars on supermarket shelves rather than in West's museum.
“[We] contacted Cloetta but they do not want to be associated with us. Therefore, there are no samples of Belinky’s tasty mistakes in the Museum of Failure.”
© Cloetta
