What new food and beverage products are hitting shelves? In our latest NPD round-up, we look at Nestlé’s vegan foie gras product (Voie Gras) being rolled out in Switzerland and Spain, low carb pizza from SRLY who is rebranding from next month, and a new Cornish seaberry-infused energy drink from challenger brand TENZING. Scroll through the photo gallery for more…
GettyImages/Henrik Sorensen
What new food and beverage products are hitting shelves? In our latest NPD round-up, we look at Nestlé’s vegan foie gras product (Voie Gras) being rolled out in Switzerland and Spain, low carb pizza from SRLY who is rebranding from next month, and a new Cornish seaberry-infused energy drink from challenger brand TENZING. Scroll through the photo gallery for more…
GettyImages/Henrik Sorensen
Low carb bread
In the UK, SRSLY is preparing to rebrand its portfolio with new packaging. The revamp will hit shelves from next month.
The brand was original called Seriously Low Carb. At the same time as shortening its name to SRSLY, it is also expanding its range of low carb products made up of bread, rolls, and wraps, to include pizza, jams and condiments.
Founder Andy Welch suggested the new identify better fit with the brand’s mission: “We felt we needed a new dynamic identity that marked [a] step-change in ambition and scale, an informative identity with ambitious swagger that projected our ‘everyday accessible’ credentials, while reinforcing our headline message that great taste, common sense carb intake and nutritionally well-rounded aren’t mutually exclusive ambitions.”
Image source: SRSLY
English food brand Branston is getting creative with the launch of two pickle-and-mayonnaise-hybrid spreads: ‘Branstonnaise’ comes in either Smooth or Small Chunk varieties.
The launch commemorates 100 years since the brand’s original Branston Pickle was first made, in 1922. According to the company, the ‘tangy’ and ‘creamy’ spread is suitable for dipping, spreading, dolloping and drizzling.
“From pickles and relishes to chutneys and sauces, we know people just can’t get enough of that iconic Branston Pickle taste, so we wanted to create something that’s never been seen before on supermarket shelves,” said Angharad Wilson Dyer-Gough, Branston senior brand manager.
It’s not the first time Branston has strayed from its traditional pickle format. Earlier this year, the brand launched a limit run of ‘Braviar’ tins, containing mini Branston pickle-flavoured balls resembling caviar.
A 260g jar of Branstonnaise has an RRP of £1.99 and is available in Asda and Sainsbury’s.
Image source: Branston
UK fresh and preserved fruit focused Fresh Del Monte has announced the introduction of a range of energy drinks containing at least 20% real fruit juice and no added sugar.
The line is the result of a collaboration with Scotland-based beverage maker the Old Tom Gin’s Company (OTG) and has been coined Del Monte’s ‘A Kick of Fruit’ range. Flavours include pineapple, mango, passionfruit and lime; blood orange spritz; pineapple, lime and mint; pineapple, grapefruit and lime; lemon ginger and pomegranate raspberry.
The energy drinks contain added caffeine and four B group vitamins. Each can contains 12-15 kcals and will retail at £1.99 in selected clubs, hotels and bars across the UK.
Image source: Del Monte
A new hot chocolate range has been launched by Hames Chocolates for foodservice and catering channels in the UK. Packaged into pouches, the drinks contain chocolate shavings, to which customers need only add milk.
The new line includes Original Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate flavoured with Hazelnut, Butterscotch, Milk Chocolate Orange, and Irish Cream. The wholesale range includes Sea Salt & Caramel, plain Dark Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate with Peppermint.
At the same time, Hames is rolling out ‘Just Add Milk Hot Chocolate Bombes’ and ‘Just Add Milk Hot Chocolate Spoons’.
The company is ‘confident’ its range will appeal to a wide audience, both those who ‘love hot chocolate’ and those seeking out a ‘sumptuous alternative’ in and out of the home.
“The hot milky drinks category continues to demonstrate growth as hot chocolate and related products such as chocolate bombes and stirrers are becoming popular choices…We saw an increase in sales during lockdown, which led to a growth in existing and new consumption occasions, including home baking and gifting too,” said Carol Oldbury, Director of Hames Chocolates.
The company’s hot chocolate range uses Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa and its pouches and bombes packaging components are recyclable. The hot chocolate spoons are packed in compostable bags and the non-chocolate elements with are reusable or recyclable.
Image source: Hames Chocolates
Energy drink competitor TENZING is rolling out a new flavour: Apple & Seaberry.
The start-up, which is ‘passionate’ about ‘sourcing local’, is incorporating Cornish seaberries, Cornish Sea Salt, and British applies into the mix. Bright orange in colour, seaberries are ‘full of flavour’ – TENZING likens the taste to mango, passion fruit, and lemon in one – and rich in antioxidants and vitamin C.
At the same time, the challenger brand is partnering with conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage. One percent off sales from TENZING’s Apple & Seaberry SKU will be donated to the charity, which aims to protect oceans, waves, beaches and wildlife.
“We only source nature’s most powerful ingredients, and we don’t have to look very far when we’ve got ingredients like Cornish seaberries on our doorstep,” said TENZING founder Huib van Bockel.
“And what’s better, every can sold will have a direct, positive impact on our Cornish partners with proceeds going to Surfers Against Sewage.”
TENZING’s new SKU is available from this month in Co-op stores across the UK for an RRP of £2 per 330ml can.
Image source: TENZING
Nestlé-owned Garden Gourmet is launching its Voie Gras product – a vegan alternative to foie gras – into 140 Coop stores in Switzerland and certain points of sale in Spain in ‘very limited’ quantities.
In Switzerland, a 180g block will retail for CHF 7.95 (€8.09) in the chilled section of the supermarket. It can be consumed directly from the jar, pairing with bread, brioche, or canapé crackers, and its can be used in hot or cold, sweet or savoury recipes.
It took just six months for the team at Nestlé’s Research and Development Center in Singen, on the Swiss border, to go from inception to product launch.
Voie Gras is a soy-based product, which when combined with other ingredients including miso paste, truffle oil, and sea salt, helps it achieve an ‘authentic texture, flavour, and appearance’.
According to Garden Gourmet, the product is part of its ‘strategic expansion’ within plant-based and follows on from recent product launches such as vegan shrimp (Vrimp) and egg (vEGGie) alternatives.
Image source: Nestlé
