Does IKEA have more in common with livestock than Swedish meatballs?

Prime Future 304: Strategy, capital, and innovation in animal protein

“It is not all that difficult to reach set targets if you do not have to count the cost.

Any designer can design a desk that costs $5k, but only the most skilled can design a good, functional desk that will cost $100.

Expensive solutions to any kind of problem are usually the work of mediocrity. We have no respect for the solution until we know what it costs. An Ikea product without a price tag is always wrong. It is just as wrong when a government does not tell taxpayers what a free school lunch costs per portion.

Before choosing a solution, set it in relation to the cost; only then can you fully determine its worth.”

Let’s talk about this circa-1960 quote from Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, and what it might tell us about innovation for livestock producers circa-2026 and beyond.