Launches

Mello, the UK’s first and only range of raw, fresh melon juice, has secured a listing with organic farm shop Daylesford.

This new listing is further evidence of the growing appetite amongst British consumers for premium fruit juice. In 2013, overall sales in the juice and smoothies category grew by 2.1% to £1.5 billion, with purchases of from-concentrate declining whilst chilled juice drinks achieved double digit growth1.

Mello will launch into Daylesford with two unique raw juice varieties - Watermelon and Cantaloupe Melon. Each has its own unique properties and specific health benefits, providing broad appeal to both men and women looking for high quality, fresh juice, bursting with health benefits.

With recent research from Mintel indicating that over 46% of consumers are looking for more adventurous flavours. Mello’s new listing with Daylesford reflects how both niche and major retailers are recognising this trend, looking for new, exciting and healthier products to satisfy consumer demand.

Mello founder Rose Aldean says, “We’re so thrilled to announce our launch at the award winning Daylesford Farm, which has a strong reputation for delicious, high quality and healthy products which is perfectly aligned with Mello. The launch complements our portfolio of existing stockists and will help to strengthen our raw and natural credentials amongst consumers, allowing more people than ever before to experience the goodness of raw fresh melon juice.

“The increase in revenue that we believe this listing will generate in 2015, will allow our business to continue to grow and expand, while educating consumers that not all juice drinks are created in the same way!”

Distinctly different, Mello is produced using cutting edge technology; High Pressure Processing. By using HPP, Mello captures the goodness of a whole melon in every bottle, harnessing this super fruit to create a completely unique drink. Rose says, “Consumers are actively looking for new flavours and with future opportunities predicted to be around exotic and innovative products we are certain that Mello will have huge appeal amongst consumers.”

Since launch in March this year, Birds Eye Fish Chargrills have proven hugely successful achieving £7 million worth thus far.

To celebrate this success we’re introducing a brand new delicious flavour to continue to engage and excite consumers; Sweet Jalapeno, Red Pepper & Honey.

Fish Chargrills was launched earlier this year (March 2014) as part of the premium Inspirations range, crafted to combine the finest and freshest ingredients with exciting flavour combinations.

Providing busy consumers with superior evening meals, the Inspirations range forms part of Birds Eye’s ‘Food of Life’ strategy to develop and introduce innovative foods that can be enjoyed every day by everyone.

Fish Chargrills are the ideal choice for those looking for a light and healthy dinner option. Offering the tastiest chargrilled fish with less than three per cent fat, Chargrills can be baked or barbequed in the tray provided and come in a variety of delicious flavours including: Sun Blushed Tomato, Basil & Oregano, Juicy Lemon, Rosemary & Thyme, Thai Coconut, Lemongrass & Chilli and now the latest addition of Sweet Jalapeno, Red Pepper & Honey.

A range of coated oven snacks from the Dutch manufacturer Royaan is shaking things up in the frozen snack foods market.

Having won Food Personality FoodTopAward in April, Royaan’s Kwekkeboom Oven range has topped things off by being awarded the Golden Wheel of Retail – the biggest prize in the Dutch retail world. Both awards are presented to the most important introductions in the Dutch food trade. Kwekkeboom Oven also received two additional prizes in the Wheel of Retail competition - the Category Wheel for the best introduction within frozen foods and the Innovation Wheel for the most exciting new product during 2014. As well as being important for Royaan, these awards are a great endorsement for Crisp Sensation, the inventor and license holder of the novel coating process used in Kwekkeboom Oven snacks.

It is highly unusual for one brand to win both of these retail awards. The holistic judging criteria make Kwekkeboom’s success particularly meaningful, as they covered actual retail sales as well as assessments by retail buyers and consumers. Of all introductions in the retail trade, food and non-food, Kwekkeboom Oven achieved the second highest turnover, and the highest for food products. Additionally, all awards nominees were rated on category value creation, category business growth and consumer acceptance by a jury of Retail Category Managers and Buyers from the Netherlands’ major retailers. Consumer research, in which consumers assessed the nominees on preference, was also taken into account. Royaan was also praised for its outstanding commercial campaign.

According to Bart Bakker, CEO of Royaan, the company’s success owes much to its partnership with Crisp Sensation, the inventor of the unique coating process used for the Kwekkeboom Oven range. He says, “Having an excellent commercial strategy and plan will only work with an excellent product. Superior product performance lies at the heart of any successful introduction, and that is exactly what Kwekkeboom Oven offers. It is clear that without the Crisp Sensation technology, this would not have been possible.”

Following a two-year development process with the Crisp Sensation specialists, Royaan introduced the Kwekkeboom Oven range to Dutch retail stores in October. The products immediately set a new impulse on the highly competitive but stagnant snack foods market. The range comprises beef croquettes, the Dutch speciality “bitterballen”, cheese dippers and chicken nuggets – the latter in pure chicken or with added Italian, saté or curry sauce fillings. Thanks to the innovative Crisp Sensation coating system, the oven snacks have an excellent crumb comparable to deep fried snacks and a core that remains juicy and tender, even hours after preparation. These superior properties allow for a premium price point and secure above-average margins for retailers.

Manufacturers across the globe who want to make use of the Crisp Sensation technology can do so under license and within a long-term partnership that also comprises expert support in product development and implementation. To give consumers an at-a-glance guarantee that they are purchasing a premium quality snack, Crisp Sensation has developed a co-branding logo for use on-pack.