SHELF TALK Zero-waste rapeseed oil supplier branches out into crisps and snacks By Tom Dale
Dominika Kubalova and The Clean Kilo
Just Crisps and Just Oil are now providing a range of snacks and rapeseed oils for zero-waste retailers. Both the oil and crisps are packaged into reusable buckets and drums which can be returned to the producer after use. The oil and potatoes that go into the lines are grown on the brand’s Staffordshire farm and it says that it is the only British crisp producer that
does not use imported oil. The producer has been awarded the Happerly Transparent Gold Standard, a marque denoting food and drink businesses with sustainable provenance throughout their supply chains. The brand’s plastic-free journey began after Tom Pell, owner of zero-waste shop The Clean Kilo in Birmingham, got in touch while looking for an oil supplier. The two companies began working together and, soon after, the retailer enquired about stocking the crisps. “I was initially hesitant, concerned about product quality, labelling, how they would be sold – ultimately protecting our brand, no one likes a soggy crisp,” said David Wedgwood, commercial director. “However, we launched our 1.5kg bucket of sea salt crisps with Tom as a trial. That was two years ago, we now supply shops up and down the UK and before Christmas launched our Sea Salt & Black Pepper Parsnip crisps which were an overnight hit.” The zero-waste range includes Sea Salt Crisps, Parsnip Crisps, Roasted Wasabi Peas, Roasted Fava Beans, Cold-Pressed Rapeseed Oil, and a variety of infused oils. The sea salt crisps cost £6.91/kg with an RRP of £16.67/kg while the cold-pressed rapeseed oil has a trade price of £3 per litre and RRP of £6 per litre. justoil.co.uk justcrisps.co.uk
After a year of being plasticfree, Isle of Wight distillery Mermaid has become a Net Zero brand. Certified as Net Zero by sustainability firm Good Business, Mermaid is now offsetting its emissions through its support of two carbonpositive projects. This includes one that actively promotes the concept of ‘blue carbon’ – oceanbased initiatives that preserve carbon-capturing ecosystems. Mermaid gins and Mermaid Salt Vodka are presented in plasticfree bottles which are 100% recyclable – the seal is plant-based and biodegradable, while the stopper is made from sustainably sourced cork and wood, while the brand encourages consumers to return the bottles to its distillery. isleofwightdistillery.com
ZERO-WASTE SPECIAL
WHAT’S NEW Made For Drink – which has recently moved into the potato crisp market (see Category Focus) has this year shifted its range of charcuterie-based snacks and crisps – made to be paired with a pint – into biodegradable, home-compostable packaging. All plastic has been removed and replaced with two innovative layers made from biomass and wood pulp. madefordrink.com Dorset Tea has launched new, fully sustainable packaging by removing the gold lettering on the outer packaging so that it is 100% recyclable. As part of the move, the brand has introduced bio-degradable teabags using plant-based, heat-sealable paper that can be industrially composted. dorsettea.co.uk Rollagranola offers four lines of its premium granola to retailers in zero-waste formats: Awesome Almond, Cool Raspberry, Organic & Nutty and Nuts for Chocolate which is an exclusive zerowaste line. The range has RRPs from £1.30 - £1.80/100g and wholesale of £0.70 £1/100g. rollagranola.com
Frozen food specialist undergoes major rebrand One of the first zero-waste brands to be widely adopted in farm shops in the UK has undergone a major rebrand. Fieldfare’s new look is intended to reflect the brand’s new strategy to challenge the way consumers shop and encourage more sustainable habits. The family-run frozen food brands managing director, Matt Whelan said: ”Fieldfare’s high-quality, loose frozen food has never been more relevant as consumers are looking for new ways in which to shop more sustainably. “We believe that this exciting rebrand will drive substantial brand awareness and with a hefty investment also being put behind marketing, we aim to encourage consumers to seek out Fieldfare as a destination brand for sustainable, convenient and quality food shopping.” The new look includes attentiongrabbing freezer livery, in-store signposting and, in some cases when the lines need extra protection, new packaging.
Fieldfare will be replacing the livery of all current stockists at the brand’s cost, and are keen to hear from any retailers who currently don’t have its branding in-store. In addition to the rebrand, the company will be launching a range of new products in March, including Portuguese tarts, rainbow fries and maple & bacon sausage rolls.
field-fare.com
Vol.22 Issue 2 | March 2021
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