This week's launches features itsu's expansion plans in Europe and moves to shake up the 'untapped' 3+ range by Kiddylicious.
This week's launches features itsu's expansion plans in Europe and moves to shake up the 'untapped' 3+ range by Kiddylicious.
Image: Getty/Rakusen
Freaks of Nature, one of the UK’s longest-established dairy free dessert brands, is to rebrand from the beginning of July 2021 to Over The Spoon.
The rebrand has been created to appeal to any consumer craving a tempting, tasty dessert. The new brand, Over The Spoon, will make the experience of choosing and eating a dairy free dessert exciting and fun, whether the consumer is vegan, veggie or flexi, the company said.
Tim Wild, UK Managing Director, said: “Appealing to dairy consumers is critical to growing the category. We are changing our brand to broaden our appeal beyond dairy free and vegan audiences… Although milk alternatives are growing rapidly, it can be a big leap for many consumers to have almond milk in their tea. Desserts, however, are one of the easiest and tastiest ways to cut down. We can help consumers make the swap by offering a delicious range of ‘permissible treats’ for everyone to enjoy whilst realising the benefits of a next generation plant-based lifestyle.”
Launching into Tesco on 5th July 2021, the new Over The Spoon range is comprised of many of the nation’s favourites, including Creamy Strawberry Trifle (the world’s first ever dairy and gluten free trifle) RRP £1.50; Zingy Lemon Cheesecake, RRP £2.00 for a 2 pack; Belgian Chocolate Mousse, RRP £1.75 for a 2 pack; and Chocolate Fudge Pudding, RRP £2.00 for a 2 pack. The range is vegan friendly, gluten free, dairy free and made in the UK.
Image supplied by Over The Spoon
Volvic Touch of Fruit has announced a brand relaunch following significant recent growth in the flavoured water category (IRI, Market Place L4W growing at 64%). The brand development, which encompasses a new packaging design and launch of Touch of Fruit Pineapple & Orange Vitality with added vitamin B6, is part of Volvic’s sustained commitment to shaping the future of the flavoured water category. The contemporary new packaging design, due to be rolled out this month, champions the great taste of Touch of Fruit, while clearly communicating the brand’s low sugar or sugar-free claims.
Elen Gyulnazaryan, Senior Brand Manager at Danone Waters UK & Ireland said: “We're so excited to be relaunching Volvic Touch of Fruit, bringing our refreshing and tasty flavours to consumers with a new bolder and more contemporary look., reflective of the brand’s vibrant personality. As consumer's needs continue to broaden when it comes to their drink choices, we're seeing a real opportunity for retailers in the flavoured water category as it caters to consumer's changing tastes.”
The new packaging will be rolling out nationwide across all Volvic Touch of Fruit formats between now and August. This summer will also see the launch of a bold and impactful consumer campaign aimed at changing perceptions consumers have around Volvic Touch of Fruit.
Image supplied by Volvic
Launching on the 5th July, the new marketing push hopes to tap into the quality and versatility of the Birds Eye products. To showcase the broad appeal of the range, the campaign will celebrate two parts of the range – Birds Eye’s Chicken Grills, which currently holds 56.7% of the sector, and Chicken Dippers, the 5th biggest SKU within savoury frozen. To help all channels benefit from driving consumer trial, this campaign is set to embrace and build upon the growing popularity Birds Eye is experiencing with its chicken range.
Sarah Koppens, Marketing Director at Birds Eye, said: “We saw so many buying into the frozen chicken category during the pandemic and using Birds Eye chicken products in different ways across lunch time and in creating higher quality at-home dining experiences. As a family brand, we wanted to showcase how versatile our chicken products are for children and adults alike, and to encourage shoppers to experiment with our Chicken range, by taking some inspiration from The Chicken Witch of the West.
“We developed the character’s personality to be original and funny, imaginative and relatable, so it would appeal to both families and couples. We hope her dry sense of humour and culinary comments will tempt even more people to explore the chicken range and, as a result, make mealtimes more fun for everyone.”
Image supplied by Bird’s Eye
Asian restaurant brand itsu has unveiled its range of instant noodles in 200 Franprix stores.
itsu is well known in the UK for its Asian-inspired dishes served in its restaurants. The brand also operates in mass distribution through its subsidiary, which it plans to expand in Europe.
itsu claims it is the number 1 premium instant noodle brand in the UK and says it has developed tasty recipes based on reals broths miso in the form of a paste (and not a powder). Rice'noodles itsu contain less than 230 calories, are gluten-free, the satay flavour is suitable for vegans and both references are rated 72/100 on the YUKA app.
Starting in September, itsu will work with its distribution partner in France, Mediascore Food, to increase distribution beyond the current 200 Franprix stores.
Image supplied by itsu
Earth & Wheat is actively looking to partner with UK independent bakeries in order to turn their food waste into profit and help save the planet.
The green-tech brand, launched by university student James Eid, has so far ‘rescued’ more than 40 tonnes of surplus bread which would have otherwise been binned due to size, appearance or overproduction.
Eid, 20, a fourth-generation baker at family-owned business Signature Flatbreads, set up Earth & Wheat as the world’s first ‘wonky bread’ subscription service back in March.
The Earth & Wheat boxes are currently packed with a mixed selection of deliciously-crafted ultra-fresh ‘wonky’ crumpets, pancakes, tortillas, pittas, focaccias, flatbreads and naan breads.
By redistributing surplus bread from his own family’s bakeries through Earth & Wheat, the young entrepreneur has built up a strong customer base of subscribers – or ‘wonky warriors’ as they are known - with over 10,000 orders processed in 12 weeks.
Eid said: “It had always been the plan that once Earth & Wheat had an established customer base we would push on and onboard other bakeries around the UK and, I’m happy to say we’re now at this exciting stage.
“We’re looking to partner with environmentally-conscious bakeries who are interested in reducing their food waste and turning that loss into profit. We’ve invested in software with integrated logistics which provides a streamlined and efficient way to rescue bread from bakeries all over the UK, delivering to our Earth & Wheat loyal community.
“The initiative battles food waste in the first stages of the supply chain, before it even reaches the shops and the home. The Earth & Wheat community is growing from strength to strength, rescuing several tonnes of perfectly wonky ultra-fresh bread from going into landfill every day because we believe no good food should go to waste!”
Image supplied by Earth & Wheat
Baby snacks brand Kiddylicious has introduced a range of foods specially made for 3+ years, to sustain category growth. The range includes tot-friendlier alternatives to mainstream adult snacks, including Veggie Buttons, Popped Hoops and Fruity Drops to appeal to the untapped 3+ years pre-school segment.
Grazing is particularly important for the 3+ years segment in managing mood, yet Kiddylicious research highlights snack confusion and a perceived lack of options in the baby aisle. Twan Thorn, Managing Director, Kiddylicious UK, said: “Our commitment to improving on choices available to parents, has fuelled growth. By enticing parents to stay in the category for longer, this first-to-market innovation is another example of us supporting parents when they need it most”.
Image supplied by Kiddylicious
Healthy snack bar brand KIND will introduce its first DTC exclusive flavour - Dark Chocolate Ginger Almond. Available from July, the latest limited-edition launch will be available to buy online.
Drizzled in dark chocolate, with a hint of ginger spice, the new bar uses almonds as the main ingredient. As with the rest of the range, it is made using whole and natural ingredients and is gluten-free, high fibre and contains 52% nuts.
John McManus, UK Marketing Director said: “We recognise the importance of having a strong DTC offering more than ever and are really excited to be able to launch our first exclusive flavour to our online customers. Since we launched our DTC website at the end of 2019 we’ve seen phenomenal growth of more than 1000%. The website stocks the full KIND range as well as work from home bundles and subscriptions and now exciting limited editions. We can’t wait to see what people think of the Ginger flavour.”
Available in packs of six: £10 including P&P
Image supplied by KIND
Valeo Snack Foods is launching a new range of SKUs under its Fox’s Glaciers brand, including a permanent range, Fox’s Glacier Moments, and a Limited Edition Summer Punch variety.
The new launches come as Valeo invests a seven-figure sum into a rebrand and through the line marketing campaign for Fox’s.
Designed for ‘grown-ups who want a premium treat to indulge in and to help them escape’, Fox’s Glacier Moments (170g, MRRSP £1) deliver a satisfyingly long lasting flavour, to enhance special moments.
Fox’s Glacier Moments Little Lifts feature Strawberry and Hibiscus; Peach and Passionfruit; Apple, Pear and Spearmint; and Lemon, Mint and Elderflower.
Fox’s Glacier Moments After Darks is an evening occasion sweet for a long lasting, indulgent treat which can be savoured after a special moment or dinner. The hanging bag includes two classic dessert flavours: Decadent Banoffee and Cherry Bakewell Tart alongside two delicious drink flavours: Smooth Irish Cream and Dark Fruits. After Darks will also be available in a 120g £1 PMP, to support retailers in communicating good value and EDLP to their customers.
Fox’s Glacier Limited Edition Summer Punch (170g, MRRSP £1) is an on trend, seasonal variant on Fox’s Glaciers inspired by summer cocktails and created to meet increasing demand for cocktail inspired and botanical flavours.
The fun and fruity limited edition contains four flavour varieties: Strawberry, Orange, Elderflower Spritz (Cucumber, Elderflower, Tonic and Mint) and Summer Punch (inspired by fruit cup cocktails).
Russell Tanner, marketing and category director at Valeo Confectionery said: “Fox’s Glaciers has stood the test of time but we want to ensure the brand remains relevant for a younger and more modern audience.
“Fox’s boasts 91% brand recognition, so bringing new SKUs to the range is a brilliant way to encourage consumer trial and broaden our appeal. Our new variants encourage consumers to explore new occasions to enjoy a Fox’s sweet, and bring a more sophisticated flavour offering to appeal to a new shopper audience as well as satisfying brand fans. These sweets are an indulgent escape which is certainly needed in the current climate and beyond.”
Fox’s Glacier Moments are available in Sainsburys.
Image supplied by Fox’s
K’s Wors has unveiled its latest sausage offering: a pork-themed boerewors that it says provides the perfect coupling of traditional Southern African fayre with Britain’s finest sausage traditions
Hailing from South Africa, boerewors can be made with beef, lamb, goat, game or pork (or a blend of the aforementioned) on the strict proviso that the finished product contains a minimum of 90% coarsely-cut meat (less than 30% fat) a splash of water and an authentic, coriander-themed seasoning (a sumptuous blend of coriander, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice and cloves).
With an extensive collection of Boerewors that already includes Chilli, Chilli & Garlic, Chakalaka & Countystyle, Dee and her K’s Wors team wanted to create an all-pork boerewors that doffed its cap to our island’s finest sausage traditions.
According to K’s Wors founder "the growing influences of gastronomic thinking and World Cuisine means that our boerewors have built an incredible following in recent months (Ocado, Costco, Online PLUS an enviable nationwide network of independent delis, convenience stores, garden centres, Afro-Caribbean stores and wholesalers) that has tapped in this nation’s appreciation for a first-rate banger that marries authentic African spice blends with best-in-class British meats. The creation of a pork-based boerewors seemed like a perfectly sensible ‘next step’ bridging exercise merging best British sausage thinking with sound Boerewors principles."
RSP £3.99 (400g pack)