This week's round-up of products hitting Europe gets festive with the launch of a non-traditional Easter gifting options. We saw further momentum behind the plant-based trend and yet more evidence that products touting their natural and organic products are in ascendance.
This week's round-up of products hitting Europe gets festive with the launch of a non-traditional Easter gifting options. We saw further momentum behind the plant-based trend and yet more evidence that products touting their natural and organic products are in ascendance.
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses are launching two cheese-based Easter eggs this year.
The Blacksticks Blue egg is described as “creamy and tangy”. The company hopes the spreadable blue cheese will appeal to “all savoury-toothed cheese lovers”. Blacksticks also comes with oatcakes and a sachet of caramelised red onion.
The company is also launching Butlers’ Cheesalicious, a “light” cheddar cheese in the shape of an Easter egg.
Made with 100% natural ingredients at the group’s family-run farm in Lancashire, the milk that goes into Blacksticks is sourced from within a ten-mile radius of the dairy. The egg is available in-store and online for £5.
French confectioner Carambar & Co is launching Krema Mini Cub Bio in response to a “real desire” from French families to buy natural products that do not compromise on pleasure.
In what Carambar says is a “first for a big brand” the Krema Bio variety replaces animal gelatin with pectin, a gelling ingredient found naturally in fruits.
The company is also switching to natural colours, using “different proportions” of apple, safflower, radish and black current concentrates to achieve the desired colour.
The company revealed it is also able to achieve an “extra mellow” texture by aerating the fruit pectin and other ingredients during the production process.
Family owned Spanish business Osborne and delicatessen Theodor Kattus are teaming up to bring “authentic” Spanish tapas to Germany.
The groups are launching the Toro de Osborne brand in the market.
The range includes olive specialties in glass jars, classic tapas such as artichokes, roasted peppers and fine caper apples, as well as the Spanish sauce specialties Mojo and Allioli. The Allioli Negro is an authentic Spanish garlic cream with fermented black garlic.
Products will be available nationwide at hypermarkets and supermarkets with an RRP of €3.49.
Launched three years ago, French natural and organic food maker Pronatura Vegetal Gourmand is expanding its offering with the addition of high-protein vegan SKUs.
The group is rolling out a beet, bean and mint spread that can also be used as a dip for aperitifs. Pronatura Vegetal Gourmand said it decided to use beet and lupine because of their “superfood” status. Beet is high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals while lumine is a legume rich in minerals, protein, vitamins and fibre.
The product will be available from 1 April, with an RRP of €3.45.
The dip will join Pronatura Vegetal Gourmand’s existing range including, read bean and paprika, lemon basil and pea and ginger lentil. The entire line is organic, vegan, soy-free, palm oil-free and gluten-free. It is stocked at specialist retailers throughout France, including Biomonde, Natures, Eau vive and Naturalia.
Costa D’oro is launching its range of unfiltered and organic olive oils in France next month.
Costa D’oro is the number one organic unfiltered olive oil brand in Italy – but is not currently available in France.
“From April 2019 [French shoppers] will be able to discover new flavours through unfiltered oils, organic or conventional, [and] 100% Italian,” managing director Marie Saglio said.
Qwrkee, a new plant-based food & drink brand, is launching a new Pea M’lk to the UK market.
The range will include sweetened and unsweetened variants and will be available in speciality retailer Whole Foods. The company is also launching a direct-to-consumer platform, Qwrkee.com.
According to the start-up, unlike many existing plant-based milk alternatives on the market, its Pea M’lk can compete with dairy on nutrition. The company claims the SKUs are high in protein, allergen free and a source of fibre, Omega 3, calcium, iron, iodine and vitamins B2, B12, D and A. They also boast a low environmental impact.
“We founded Qwrkee with a clear mission; to help protect the planet by fuelling the plant-based movement, creating foods for the future. We’ve taken a lot of time to develop products that deliver on taste, nutritional quality and sustainability, whilst bringing something completely new to the market,” founder Vishal Madhu said.
Popp Feinkost is targeting shoppers seeking convenience with the launch of its baked potato brand in a single “practical” carry box in Germany.
The pre-cooked 200 g potato from controlled cultivation is simply heated in the microwave for three minutes. Cut the top of the potato, add the separately packed potato cream (125 g) and serve.
The Baked Potato is packed in a cardboard box made of FSC-certified cardboard with a carrying handle.
The line extension will be available nationwide in cash and carry, hypermarket and supermarket channels. It has a recommended price of €1.59.
