What’s hitting shelves this week? In plant-based, THIS is launching a new meat free chicken & stuffing alternative for the festive season, and Meatless Farm is returning to Tesco after a brief hiatus off-shelf. In dairy, a new chef-led butter brand All Things Butter is preparing to launch. And in packaging, Xampla is rolling out a new consumer brand, while Rude Health is revamping with ‘brighter, bolder’ graphics. Scroll through the photo gallery for more.
GettyImages/Henrik Sorenson
What’s hitting shelves this week? In plant-based, THIS is launching a new meat free chicken & stuffing alternative for the festive season, and Meatless Farm is returning to Tesco after a brief hiatus off-shelf. In dairy, a new chef-led butter brand All Things Butter is preparing to launch. And in packaging, Xampla is rolling out a new consumer brand, while Rude Health is revamping with ‘brighter, bolder’ graphics. Scroll through the photo gallery for more.
GettyImages/Henrik Sorenson
Cambridge-based Xampla is launching a consumer brand called Morro for its biodegradable alt plastic technology, made by reorganising plant proteins to mimic spider silk.
“In silk, you have a mixture of crystalline and amorphous peptide chains and that’s what gives you materials that are really flexible and robust with high mechanical strength,” co-founder Mar Rodriguez Garcia previously told us. “And that’s essentially what we are trying to replicate.”
Having entered the market in a B2B capacity, selling to companies including recipe box pioneer Gousto and soft drink manufacturer Britvic, Xampla says its new ‘Morro marque’ will help consumers identify when ‘high-performing, sustainable, plant-based ingredients’ have been used instead of plastic.
“With the public ever more acutely aware of the dangers of plastic pollution and carbon cost of producing it, consumers are ready for an innovative and plastic alternative,” said Pete Hutton, executive chair at Xampla.
“Morro will enable brands to make an easy switch away from single-use plastics, and our breakthrough material can do things plastic never could.”
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A British butter brand co-founded by chef Thomas Straker and Toby Hopkinson is preparing to launch next month. The aim? To disrupt the traditional, heritage-led dairy industry with a ‘chef-led approach’.
Coined All Things Butter, the flavour range includes Garlic & Herb, Chilli, Salted, and Unsalted.
Straker and Hopkinson have teamed up with Bruce Valley Farm in Somerset which still uses traditional butter making methods – twice churning the butter for the ‘perfect texture’ and ‘extra creaminess’.
“We are thrilled to introduce All Things Butter later this year and highlight the incredible versatility of our butter,” said co-founder Hopkinson.
“With retail listings confirmed for November and some fantastic investors onboard, All Things Butter has an exciting time ahead.”
The brand has secured a pre-seed funding of more than £530,000 ahead of its launch. One percent of all revenue will go to supporting the British agricultural industry.
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Having hired administrators and been bought by VFC Foods, Meatless Farm is officially returning to shelves in Tesco.
The comeback includes plant-based meat products such as Plant-Based Mince, but it also comprises Meatless Farm Pasta – including a new Chicken and Bacon Tortellini SKU. Meatless Farm’s ChickenLess Roast is also coming back to stores today.
“Our customers and consumers are our number one priority, and we are delighted to deliver on our commitment of getting the range back on shelf for them, as well as launching NPD that continues to stretch the brand into different consumption occasions,” said CEO of Meatless Farm and VFC, Dave Sparrow.
The line also includes a Beef, Red Wine & Porcini Mushroom Girasole and a No-Duja Ravioli.
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London-based breakfast brand Rude Health is revealing a new look for its dairy-free drink range.
The new design uses brighter, bolder graphics to help current consumers navigate the alt milk fixture, as well as attract new customers to the category. Shoppers should expect to see the packaging revamp in-store from next month.
“We have listened to our current consumers as well as potential new shoppers, and are confident that the new design evolution will hep people to better navigate the sub ranges, flavours and nutritional benefits,” said head of marketing Sam Maguire.
“The aim was not to reinvent Rude Health, we wanted it to remain recognisable, keeping the essence of the original design whilst making sure we’re doing the best job of recruiting new shoppers.”
At the same time, Rude Health’s chilled portfolio is moving to an Elopak format made with 100% renewable materials. The new packaging is 100% recyclable.
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After a year in product development, THIS is launching a plant-based Roast Chicken & Stuffing offering. The plant-based chicken alternative is made from a blend of soya and pea protein, which is wrapped around stuffing, and topped with garlic and sage.
Launching today (25 September), the This Isn’t Roast Chicken & Stuffing is available for a limited time and has an RRP of £5.95 for a three-portion serving.
“Up until now, going plant-based on a Sunday or in a festive period has been where hopes and dreams go to die. Nut roasts? More like not roasts,” said THIS co-founder and co-CEO Andy Shovel. “We genuinely feel like we’ve fixed it with our new Roast Chicken & Stuffing.”
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Maker of fruit and herb vinegars, Womersley Foods, is entering a ‘new chapter’ having been acquired by Labaika Ashiru. The brand has also secured a listing at Whole Foods Market.
Ashiru is committing ‘significant’ investment in the brand, encompassing PR, marketing, and an intensive Whole Foods sampling programme running throughout September and beyond.
According to the company, the sampling programme has already made an impact – with Whole Foods quickly selling out of their Raspberry Fruit Vinegar during sampling sessions.
“My vision is to bring our award-winning products to the masses, meanwhile our commitment to crafting unparalleled flavours remains integral to the brand,” said Ashiru. “This journey is about preserving our heritage while embracing innovation, and I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead.”
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