Durham-based healthier snack and drinks distributor Epicurium has revealed that it began 2020 with the addition of 16 new brands.
Continuing with the company’s mission to offer the latest innovative brands which tap into the core food trends such protein, low sugar, healthier indulgence and vegan, the new lines are said to have already proved with independent retailers.
Epicurium’s co-founder, Tom McKechnie, commented: “Over the past few years we have seen the healthier snacking category move from a category that only a few upmarket retailers gave any real shelf space to a must have category that every retailer needs create space for in their stores”.
He added: “Millennials are now coming of age and are holding a very large part of the UK’s spending power & don’t mind spending that little bit extra in store to get a product which they know is good/better for them. Many would also be willing to walk out of a store if they couldn’t find the healthy and on trend snacks which they want, rather than opting for a traditional crisp or chocolate bar. This means for many retailers who don’t have something new instore, they’re missing out on incremental sales”.
Brands now available include an extension to the low and no alcohol category Sipling to meet the rise in consumers wanting alcohol free alternatives, Leaf Life which taps into the rapidly expanding CBD market, and Vive plant-based protein snacks.
Together with these ranges, the new line-up also includes a wide range of well-being brands including Pukka, Willys and Fitbakes, whilst sustainable brands Pulsitos and Flawsome have also joined the wholesaler’s ranks.
Epicurium Trading Manager, James Christie, said: “We’ve just launched new brands with the aim of building on and/or tapping into new trends; Sipling and Dalston’s non-alcoholic G&T provide a wonderful base for our new no and low alcohol category, Vive and Pulstios offer extensions to our Vegan category as well as Vive offering a viable and tasty solution to plant-based protein consumers.
“Pukka Herbs and Beanies coffee both offer new options for ourselves and the retailer in this channel, whilst fitting nicely into the low and no sugar category. We’ll be continuing to launch new brands every quarter”.
The UK snack market is worth £18bn pounds and recent growth has in part been driven from consumer demand for new flavours and formats.
Managing Director and Company Founder Ben McKechnie commented: “Our purpose is to give our customers the opportunity to satisfy the demands of the many different consumers they serve. What these consumers want, however, is constantly changing and evolving as trends develop, grow and fade.
“We want customers to be able to rely on us to offer them some of the best products to make the most of hot trends they hear their customers talking about and sharing on social media.
“To serve a range of different consumer groups and eating occasions, it’s important to have a strong range of products that engage with the latest trends. New trends are emerging and evolving all the time and in order for our customers to keep up we need to provide them with the products to do it”.
