SHELF TALK

Granola brand expands production capacity and extends range

By Tom Dale

Popular independent granola producer Rollagranola has expanded its production capacity in response to growth, allowing the brand to o er better value to consumers while retaining its artisan production methods.

The Hertfordshire-based brand has more than doubled its square footage – from 2,500sq to around 5,500sq – by expanding into neighbouring units, restructuring its production space and outsourcing warehouse storage and logistics.

This move has allowed Rollagranola to increase the size of the packs in its oat granola range from 300g to 400g with no increase in the price.

Alongside this, the brand’s zero-waste programme has been growing rapidly. Retailers are increasingly seeking packaging-free options, and this saw the producer’s zero-waste service grow 115% from 2020 to 2021, with it now accounting for 10% of Rollagranola’s business.

The rapid growth in production may be seen as a sign that the brand is destined for supermarket shelves, though the brand’s founders Robin and Sean Longden said it is committed to independents.

“Independent retail is a core sector for us and we love working with the retailers who helped us on day one,” said Robin Longden. “We really do see them as an important part of the business.”

Sustainable growth is key for the founders, and while they could not rule out being found on the shelves of the multiples in future, they remain committed to the independent sector. “We’d always aim to look a er our loyal independent customers and maintain those great relationships that form the foundations of Rollagranola.” The brand has also recently launched two new lines: Keto Warrior (300g) and Almond & Pecan Crunch (400g), RRPs £4.99.

rollagranola.com

WHAT’S NEW

Great Taste award-winning producer,

Ghee Appétit

has launched a UK first: unpasteurised, cultured ghee. Made using raw-milk butter that has been fermented using lactic cultures, the ghee is probiotic and ayurvedic. A 300ml jar retails at £16.90 and 500ml for £26.90.

gheeappetit.co.uk

The Great British Porridge

Co. has launched High Protein & Low Sugar Instant Porridge targeting health-conscious consumers seeking simple breakfast options. Containing no added sugar, the porridge is sweetened naturally with dates and contains 20% protein thanks to its high nut content.

thegreatbritishporridgeco.co.uk

Belvoir Farm has launched three new lowcalorie botanical sodas. Floral Fizz, Bitter Orange Spritz and Spicy Ginger Fizz (each 500ml, £2.25) contain less than 4.5g of sugar and fewer than 20 calories per 100ml.

belvoirfarm.co.uk

Paley Photography

Oat milk chocolate brand HAPPi has launched two new products for Easter – a White Raspberry Easter egg and Oat Mi!k Chocolate Bunny Lollies. The new products join the brand’s full Easter product range, which launched with three Easter eggs - Orange, Plain Mi!k and Salted Caramel in 2021. The bunny lollies come in a shop-ready display case, and all HAPPi products are made with fully recyclable packaging. Easter Eggs have RRPs of £9.99, and the Chocolate Bunny Lollies RRP at £2.00 each. happifreefrom.com

Counter points Pasta

Food writer and former deli owner Glynn Christian offers up some category-specific conversation starters to sharpen your sales technique.

• Pasta is wheat flour and water. Eggs or olive oil might be added.

• Soft flour is used for domestic pasta making; hard or durum flour by factories.

• Traditional pasta is shaped through bronze dies; looks dull and feels sandy to the teeth, but bronze-extruded pasta absorbs more sauce.

• Pasta shapes extruded through plastic are shiny and smooth, sauces slip off.

• Sauces should be a clingy dressing for pasta, not a pool for paddling.

• Cooked pasta should never be rinsed in water, hot or cold.

Pasta should steam-dry for a few minutes before adding sauce

• Pasta should steam-dry for a few minutes before adding sauce. This makes it more absorbent, especially traditional bronze-drawn.

• Italians use 20% of the volume of sauce added in the UK, but it is much more concentrated.

WHAT’S NEW

Single-origin spice brand BoTree has launched its first sweet ofering, Palmyra Flower Sugar. Hand harvested from the blossom nectar of the wild coconut palm in Cambodia’s Kampong Speu region, the product won 2 stars in Great Taste 2021. RRP £8.95.

botreefarm.co.uk

Premium Italian brand Crosta & Mollica has entered the desert market with its Tartufi. The traditional frozen Italian dessert is available in three variants – Caffè Latte, Chocolate & Hazelnut, Pistachio & Almond, and the new SKUs have RRPs of £5 for two Tartufi.

crostamollica.com

LAKRIDS by BÜLOW has launched its new has launched its new LOVE collection for 2022, including LOVE collection for 2022, including two new flavours – Strawberry & Cream and Fruity Caramel – and a selection box including some of the Danish liquorice confection brand’s favourite varieties. 125g packs of the new lines have an RRP of £10.

lakridsbybulow.co.uk

My magic ingredient

Single Variety Co. Fire ame Chilli Jam (mild)

CLARE JACKSON Owner, Slate Cheese

I absolutely love the Single Variety Co.’s chilli jams – they are definitely the items I swipe most from the shelves to take with me to use at home.

I’m not great with intense chilli heat, so I go for the mild, Fireflame Chilli variety. It’s got more of a sweetness and tang than pure heat.

I love it with cheese (obviously), but my guilty pleasure is fried halloumi on a rocket salad with a dollop of this chilli jam on top.

Also, I often stick a spoonful into sauces that I’m cooking like bolognese, chillis or lentil dahls. Its sweetness and acidity give tomato-based sauces more depth and add a subtle heat.

It’s got such great balance, a lovely rich flavour and its beautiful jewel-red colour looks amazing against pale yellow or white cheeses, or slathered on top of a cheese toastie. singlevariety.co.uk

Its beautiful jewelred colour looks amazing against pale yellow or white cheeses

Ethical olive-farming co-operative is seeking UK-based stockists

A Greek olive farming group is looking for stockists in the UK for its range of awardwinning olives and extra virgin olive oils (EVOO).

Green Land Co-Farming is a co-operative comprising six farmers and a food technologist which follows a fair-trade business model, making its entire production process open to everyone.

Operating from the village of Sterna Messinia, near Kalamata, the group sells EVOO and traditionally cured Kalamata olives.

“We looked for a forgotten homemade recipe for the olives and, with the help of our food technologist, implemented large

scale production of this traditional method,” said Julia Xirogianni, a member of the cooperative. Due to the co-operative’s commitment to environmentally friendly practices and good working conditions, the producer became a probationary member of the World Fair Trade Organization in 2021, the rst in Europe to be eligible to apply for the certi cation. The brand’s olive oils are not re ned or treated and its olives are hand picked and and traditionally cured Kalamata olives. naturally processed. All the farms in the conaturally processed. All the farms in the cooperative are either organic or being operative are either organic or being converted to organic methods, converted to organic methods, and employ a ra of eco-friendly and employ a ra of eco-friendly methods to reduce waste and reuse methods to reduce waste and reuse materials. materials. Green Land Co-Farming products are currently available in products are currently available in seven European countries and are seven European countries and are seeking stockists and wholesalers seeking stockists and wholesalers in the UK. in the UK. Its range includes avoured and mixed olives, and olive oils and mixed olives, and olive oils available in 500ml (RRP ~£9.50) available in 500ml (RRP ~£9.50) and 1l bottles (RRP ~£11.50). and 1l bottles (RRP ~£11.50).

greenlandproducts.gr greenlandproducts.gr Preserves producer Tracklements has launched its latest Special Edition: Soured Plum & Black Pepper Chutney.

According to the brand, the new limitededition line is an ode to traditional Japanese chutneys made with umeboshi; soured plums.

Tracklements Special Edition Soured Plum & Black Pepper Chutney is vegan and gluten free and is available in cases of 6 x 250g. RRP £3.50. tradetracklements.co.uk

MEET THE PRODUCER

Dr Tom Martin-Wells launched SLAKE SPIRITS after leaving a career in organic chemistry. The brand combines his love of science, foraging, and flavour, and its principal product, Sussex Dry Gin, has already picked up a Great Taste Golden Fork

What were you doing before you launched Slake Spirits?

I used to work in academia as a research chemist. I spent most of my time in the lab tinkering with exotic and often toxic chemicals, making novel synthetic inorganic compounds.

Why did you decide to start distilling?

I fell out of love with academia, but not chemistry. It was time to move on. I wanted to work in an environment that brought innovation and research closer to the consumer, and to experience that journey from start to finish. I was also a passionate forager and foodie, so making wild-inspired spirits, drawing on my chemistry background to build and explore a library of wild flavours, felt like a natural progression.

How has your career in organic chemistry influenced your distilling?

The ability to break down the complexities of a finely balanced recipe into the constituent stages and ingredients has been invaluable. When combined in just the right way, this creates something much greater than the sum of its parts. That’s always the goal and there are no shortcuts, but the scientific approach helps immensely, particularly when untangling the sometimes raucous and variable nature of wild ingredients.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned?

There is never enough time to do it all. You need to work with people that truly understand your vision and ethos. A brand’s values are like a lens through which you must view the world. Once you start the journey you must not put that lens down or you may not arrive where you expected.

What makes your spirits stand out?

Putting our passion for quality aside, the importance of people and place cannot be overstated. It is our meticulous methodology and wild inspiration that creates spirits of unique character, crafted to reflect where and how they are made. We pursue character through natural connection because we believe there is great value in that relationship.

Why do you forage for regional ingredients?

Natural connection is at the heart of what Slake is about. It’s through our passion for harnessing wild and locally grown ingredients that we hope to foster this connection to land in others. While it’s not yet possible to grow or gather A brand’s values all the ingredients we use in Sussex, by drawing our focus are like a lens to such ingredients it unlocks through which the unique character of a place, and the necessity of you must view a limited palate boosts our creativity. the world What is the best thing about

being a small business?

Everything about Slake, from the products to the working environment is built around the company’s and my values. We’re passionate about quality and believe in the importance of people and place. We unashamedly put our whole heart into everything we do.

…and the worst?

There are an awful lot of resources needed to support and grow a brand, particularly in a crowded and noisy global market. As a small business, even with a strong brand and good products, it’s tough to compete and you have to choose how you allocate resources carefully.

What’s next for Slake Spirits?

We’ve been kept rather busy of late renovating an old Victorian granary in Worthing to rehome our growing distillery and there will be two new spirits from Slake launching later this year to watch out for, too.

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WHAT’S NEW

British popcorn snacking brand Joe & Joe & Seph’s has launched has launched a new range of Chocolate Popcorn Slabs including milk Slabs including milk and vegan dark varieties. Hand-made varieties. Hand-made in the brand’s London in the brand’s London kitchens, both are vegetarian friendly and gluten free with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Each 115g slab has an RRP of £7.

joeandsephs.co.uk

Set to be launched later this month, Coldpress Juices has two new flavours in the pipeline: Valencia flavours in the pipeline: Valencia Orange Juice With Pulp (1l) and Orange, Mango, Carrot, Passionfruit, Apple Rise & Shine juice with added vitamins (750ml). Both juices benefit from (750ml). Both juices benefit from the brand’s recently upgraded pressing process. Coldpress’s Thrive & Survive and Mend & Defend lines have also had a recipe refresh.

cold-press.com

Wellness tea brand D’Amazonia has launched its third SKU, Sleep Tea. Containing lavender, chamomile, rose petals, lemon balm and oat flowering tops, the British-made tea is designed to assist in a good night’s sleep. Available in packs of 20 two-use biodegradable tea bags with an RRP of £15.

damazonia.co.uk

and its

“We wanted to offer something hotter and a bit

towards East Africa and

Shifting its focus from West to East Africa for the inspiration for its new SKU is Chilli.Inc and its latest sauce, Mango Pili Pili. “We wanted to offer something hotter and a bit fruitier to our customers,” said founder Nki Ogunro. “We looked towards East Africa and found that the mango and chilli combination Freshly Ground Sponsor advert 2016 print ready.pdf 1 16/08/2016 10:37 was perfect.” The sweet and savoury sauce is made with Kesar mangoes and has an RRP of £5.99 for a 200ml bottle. It is available direct from the producer.

chilliinc.co.uk