Scottish Grocer's Top Brands 2021

SCOTTISH GROCER

December 2021

DECEMBER 2021

THE NO.1 SCOTTISH GROCERY BRAND BACK ON TV FROM 28th NOVEMBER Copyright © Snowman Enterprises Limited 2021 THE SNOWMAN (TM) Snowman Enterprises Limited

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*Source: Kantar World Panel, Value Sales, Take Home Non-Alcohol Brands, MAT to 05.09.21, Total Scotland

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Scottish brands 2021

Pandemic winds continue to blow Questions remain, but some categories are still benefitting from lockdown trends ONCE again congratulations to all the brands that have made it onto the list especially when shoppers are still exhibiting behaviours that we haven’t seen before.

At Kantar it is now standard practise to compare 2021 with 2019 to get a better sense of just how much behaviour has changed over the last 20 months.

The big question we are now asked is whether we have reverted back to our previous normal? There is no clear answer to this and when we look at our data, we see that it is influenced by our life stage, where we work and our economic confidence.

Lesley Ann’s overview LESLEY Ann Gray, strategic lead for Scotland at market research company Kantar – which provides the listing of the top 50 Scottish non-alcohol brands in Scotland and the Top 10 Scottish alcohol brands in Scotland – analyses the year for the leading Scottish brands in Scottish food and drink retailing.

23 brands fell.

Some of these brands will have benefited from the tailwinds in the market.

If we look at two categories where brands are important the dairy category grew at

We are seeing an evolution of how consumers shop that has been accelerated by the events of the last two years.

What we are seeing is an evolution of how consumers shop that has been accelerated by the events of the last two years.

This change hasn’t impacted the list of brands that appear on this year’s list as much as you may think due to their reliance on mainstream retailers.

Versus last year there are four new entries, 13 of the brands have stayed at the same position, 20 brands moved up and

twice the rate of biscuits.

If you supply the dairy sector, you would have benefited from this category growth versus biscuits which grew behind the total market.

The biggest tailwind of all has been for the alcohol brands who have benefited from consistent double-digit growth ahead of the market as the ontrade suffered.

In terms of overall growth what is encouraging if you are

a brand manufacturer is that 48% of Scotland’s food and drink value comes from brands and – once again – they outpaced own label growth, growing at twice the rate.

In addition, continuous research shows that the ability to buy products that have been made locally remains important to Scottish consumers versus the GB population as a whole If we look back over the last year at how shoppers have interacted with these brands it is the online channel that has seen the biggest increase in market share and it now commands 12% of grocery value, compared to 5%, 5 years ago.

However further analysis shows that this channel has lost some of the shoppers it gained at the start of the pandemic as shoppers enjoy getting out more and shopping around.

Despite this, the number of fascias we visit is still not back to 2019 levels reinforcing the mantra that your brand should be available in as many places as possible to ensure you have the greatest chance of growth.

Online has always had the greatest benefit to shoppers who are doing their main shop and if this channel is to grow in the future one of the challenges it will face is how it captures more of the smaller basket spend.

The other threat on the horizon for online is the behemoth Amazon and how it will disrupt our behaviour, 70% of Amazon shoppers have bought groceries from Amazon and its investment in checkout free stores shows that it looks set to disrupt in the future.

Whilst the convenience channel increased its share at the start it is now back to its prepandemic levels at 9% share of total grocery, and it is our prediction that will continue.

The innovation and development of the rapid delivery apps have played their part in helping the independents and symbol groups to compete against the more established online players.

In addition, the strong community initiatives that are intrinsic to this sector have also reestablished the vital part they play in our communities.

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Top 50 Scottish take-home food and drink brands in Scotland – excluding alcohol Brand

Rank 2021

Rank 2020

Irn-Bru

1

1

Graham’s

2

Malcolm Allan

Moving Up

Rank 2021

Rank 2020

Mrs Tilly’s

26

33

2

Tarbert Fine Foods

27

26

3

4

Mackays

28

30

Bells Food Group

4

5

Highland Game

29

31

Tunnock’s

5

9

Marshalls

30

24

Simon Howie

6

7

Paterson’s

31

32

Mackie’s

7

10

Genius

32

23

Baxters

8

6

Lawsons

33

29

McIntosh

9

8

Brownings

34

34

Seriously

10

3

Macsween

35

35

Barr

11

11

Scott’s

36

28

JG Ross

12

13

Big + Scottish

37

39

Albert Bartlett

13

14

Mrs Unis

38

40

Hall’s

14

12

Dean’s

39

42

Scotty Brand

15

15

Glenrath

40

37

Highland Spring

16

16

Orkney

41

–

NE

Galloway Cheddar

17

–

Punjab Pakora

42

–

NE

Border Biscuits

18

17

Hamlyns

43

38

Scottish Blend

19

18

Calder Millerfield

44

36

Rowan Glen

20

22

Scottish Favourites

45

41

Nairn’s

21

20

Stockan’s

46

44

We Hae Meat

22

25

Stoats

47

46

Bliss

23

–

Castle Maclellan

48

49

Mac B

24

21

Swankies

49

47

Buchanan’s (Golden Casket)

25

27

Macleans Highland Bakery

50

43

NE

NE

Brand

Moving Up

This list is compiled using total value sales for each brand for the 52 week period to 21 September 2021 for Scotland. It is produced for Scottish Grocer and is different to the Kantar Brand Footprint which measures brand frequency and penetration (consumer reach points).

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Scottish brands 2021

1. Irn-Bru

Scotland’s other national drink retains its spot at the top of the list thanks to a lot of hard work

WHEN presidents, prime ministers, Greta Thunberg and even David Attenborough were all in Glasgow for COP26, who could have predicted Irn-Bru would be the star of the show?

Such is the cultural power of Scotland’s top grocery brand, which just about broke Scottish Twitter when US congresswoman Alexandria OcasioCortez managed to source a can from the First Minister.

Brand strength like that doesn’t come by accident though and Jonathan Kemp, commercial director at AG Barr, said Irn-Bru’s place in Scottish culture is the result of a lot of hard work.

“You need to continue to invest and almost sort of regenerate the brand, but while keeping the core values.

“If you look back at what have we done, the brand offering is very different to even when I joined the business 20 years ago.

“We’ve got regular, we’ve got Sugar Free, we’ve got Xtra. Xtra continues to grow incredibly strongly,” he said.

Adjusting the offer to contemporary trends is key to any brand’s success, but there’s no question Irn-Bru’s clever mar-

Jonathan Kemp, commercial director at AG Barr, said Bru has big plans for 2022.

keting campaigns have helped to give the brand something of a personality.

The first major tournament for the men’s national football team was almost an open goal for Irn-Bru’s established humour, with the brand’s campaign focusing on tournament virgins.

That was swiftly followed in July by what Kemp described as the “Django-esque” cowboy advert that formed the centre of the brand’s ‘It Tastes Magic’ campaign.

Consumers can expect to see more from the It Tastes Magic marketing in the new year, according to Kemp, who said it will be a big focus with a cam-

paign relaunch scheduled for March.

Another piece of innovation on the horizon comes in the shape of a canned format for Irn-Bru 1901.

“That’s something we’ll do I think towards the end of Q1” said Kemp.

“We have the 750ml glass bottle which is great because it’s iconic, but a lot of consumer feedback can we not get that in a can please?

“We’re going to put it in a sleek can so it will look quite nice. It’s going to have a gold end on so it will be a nice, premium looking can.”

Other priorities for Irn-Bru

over the course of the next year include continuing to educate consumers on Irn-Bru Xtra.

Kemp said the brand is performing well, but there are still consumers out there who may not be fully acquainted with the variant.

“We have a big job to do on that, there are still a lot of consumers who say ‘why is it called Xtra?’ ‘ Does it have sugar in it?’ It takes time to get those sorts of messages across,” he said.

Kemp was also bullish about the prospects of Irn-Bru Energy, which was extended this year with the introduction of a 500ml can.

“There is a massive opportunity for gowth in Scotland.

We’re doing very well, it’s growing strongly, but actually that will be a key focus in 2022,” he said.

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NO.1 SCOTTISH

GROCERY BRAND AGAIN*

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS FOR YOUR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT 2021 *Kantar World Panel, Value Sales, Take Home Non-Alcohol Brands, MAT to 05.09.21, Total Scotland

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Scottish brands 2021

2. Graham’s

Graham’s The Family Dairy retains its number two spot. The brand’s ever expanding range is made from raw materials sourced from Scottish farms MORE than a milk brand, Graham’s has had the innovation taps fully open over the last few years, releasing NPD across dairy categories.

The brand now produces an award-winning home-grown range that includes Graham’s Gold, Graham’s Organic, milk, Skyr, cream, butter, spreadable butter, ice-cream, cottage cheese, quark, sour cream, yogurt and Protein 25.

Graham’s entire range is made using the finest Scottish ingredients from 100 specially selected farming partners.

David Connacher, marketing manager at Graham’s The Family Dairy, said the firm was pleased to have hit the number two spot again – and was thankful for the support shown

by Scottish consumers.

“We are delighted of course, and very proud the public have shown faith in us and continue to buy our products

Third generation farm business Graham’s The Family Dairy sources its raw materials from family farmers across Scotland .

to help feed their families.

“We see it as a huge responsibility to place fresh, highly nutritious dairy products on the kitchen tables of Scotland every day.

“And we carry that from when our grandfather first started milking cows in 1939 at our home at Airthrey Kerse Farm right through to

today,” he said.

The Graham’s business continues to be family-run, and Connacher said that having grown through three generations, the firm still wishes to shout about the excellent produce that can be found on family farms across Scotland.

“One of our key aims has always been to highlight our core strengths of farming, family, heritage, quality, provenance, and taste, whilst ensuring our range is diverse enough to appeal to every consumer.

“Being a family business, and working with other family farmers throughout the country, allows us to create the very best in dairy.

“Our investment in Scottish farming provides not only the basis for delicious tasting, fresh products, but also makes up an important part of

our story – and consequently is an important reason why people choose Graham’s,” he said.

When it comes to directing investment in the future, Connacher said that Graham’s has “a number of workstreams underway”, but operating in a more sustainable manner is a top priority.

“We have already started this work with the launch of our new 1litre and 500ml cartons for our organic and fresh milk range using 70% less plastic as well as the carton itself is made from 100% recyclable material.

“There is a long way to go but we are delighted with the start and look to make big strides in 2022 and beyond, not just on our product range but also across our dairy and production arms of the business,” he said.

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Scottish brands 2021

3. Malcolm Allan Staff shortages may have hit the business, but Malcolm Allan finds itself back in the top three as consumers continue to trust its traditional recipes MALCOLM Allan finds itself back on the podium this year, having climbed from fourth position in 2020.

The strong result comes off the back of a 2020 in which steak pie sales soared during lockdown, meaning that yearon-year sales may have taken a dip in 2021, but only from a high watermark.

Scotland’s biggest supplier of square sausages may have enjoyed another year of success, but it hasn’t come without significant challenges.

Director Gordon Allan, said that labour market shortages and rising costs are taking their toll when it comes to the firm’s capacity to meet consumer demand.

“The sad thing is that our sales are down because we’re turning away work because I haven’t got the labour.

“We’ll sell everything we can produce,” he said.

Currently, Malcolm Allan has

Malcolm Allan director Gordon Allan said he thinks Scottish food brands should work together more – Malcolm Allan collaborates with a range of local producers.

around 150 staff on the books, but Allan would like to see another 15 recruits join.

As a business, it’s an attractive offer, as the firm continues to train its own butchers, offering workers skilled labour and consumers the best possible quality.

The brand also works well

with others and Allan said partnerships with fellow Scottish producers make sense for both sides.

“We’re selling a lot of breakfast packs, it’s a staple purchase for people. We’ve done one with McGhee’s, they can make tattie scones far more efficiently than I can.

“We also do an apple and

need to produce a pack.

“We’re also working with Taste of Arran, with a pork and Arran mustard sausage, and with Mackays we are doing a pork and marmalade sausage,” he said.

More collaboration is high on the agenda for the future Allan said, and he reckons more collaboration would benefit all

We’re selling a lot of breakfast packs, it’s a staple purchase for people. We’ve done one with McGhee’s. berry pie with Bruce Farms.

That’s working, and they wanted to produce a vegan bacon out of pea protein.

“I wouldn’t produce it because I don’t think you should be having meat-free products out of a meat factory, but what we did was get them in, scaled it to a production sized batch and showed them what they

Scottish brands.

“It just makes sense, we’re a small country and we’re all running about with the same trucks going down south.

Can we amalgamate pallets?

Is there a way we can share costs?

“Everyone has to think outside the box at this time,” he said.

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Scottish brands 2021

4. Bells

It has been a challenging time for staff at Bells, but the team’s efforts have been rewarded as the firm gains ground in the top brands rankings IT has been a challenging time for the team at Bells, but going by this year’s result you wouldn’t know it.

The pandemic hasn’t made life easy for food manufacturing staff and Ronnie Miles, managing director of Bells Food Group, said that being able to tell the team that the brand is within the top five has been more than welcome.

“The pleasing thing for me is really recognition of the staff, it’s not easy in short shelf life manufacturing. Every day can be a challenge, especially just now.

“We have had some real challenging days over the last 18 months and being in that top five is recognition to the staff at every level.

“Also, it’s encouraging because we’ve invested a lot of money despite all the challenges with Covid and commodity pricing.

“Our projects are still going and getting that kind of recognition gives us a comfort factor to try harder and keep investing.”

Bells’ investment, which Miles said has been ramped

up over the last six to eight months, is focused in two key areas, as the Bells boss explained: “The investment has been focused in two areas, Increasing capacity and replacing equipment, (Above) Gordon Smith, sales and marketing director at planned replace- Bells and (right) Ronnie Miles, managing director. ments, but we’ve also spent a wee bit of money “It is a really fortunate posion potential new products. tion to be in and we recognise “We have a couple of things, that, which gives us a confiwe have some exciting new dence. pieces of equipment that will “Consumers warm to our both improve visual quality – products and there is emotion we have machines that will do attached. That understanding lattice pastry and slightly difhas allowed us to go into the ferent toppings on products. right places in the market,” he “There has been a good elesaid. ment of it that will just widen Bells’ market knowledge saw our product range,” he said. it launch four new SKUs in the Gordon Smith, sales and marketing director at Bells Food Group, added that the firm has also been investing in market research.

Smith said the research revealed that Bells’ tagline, ‘Part of everyday Scottish life’, has proven to be true. autumn, comprising box pies, a larger box pie, and an innovative bake product that Smith suggested could really fly.

“The individual box pies, a puff top, short crust and a larger steak pie, are doing very well.

“We’ve also got something unique in our Scotch bake, which is effectively a Scotch pie in a bake.

“With the Scotch pie mar-

ket share we have, you’re essentially taking something that has tremendous strength and leveraging it into a different format,” he said.

Having a big market share is no bad thing, but it also opens up the question of where you can find more growth.

Consumers warm to our products and there is emotion attached.

That understanding has allowed us to go into the right places.

For that, Miles said that there’s always the potential to grow more in Scotland, but he reckons the time is also right to expose consumers in England to what Bells has to offer.

“We are planning to go further south. In times like this, we can offer consumers fantastic value for money. Our products taste good, they look good and they’re very attractively priced,” he said.

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Scottish brands 2021

5. Tunnock’s Flying up to fifth place, Tunnock’s is perhaps more popular than ever – an impressive feat for a firm that got started under Queen Victoria’s reign IF you live in Scotland, then you know Tunnock’s.

The brand started trading in 1890 when Thomas Tunnock spent his life’s savings of £80 to buy a shop in Uddingston.

The core business continued making baked goods up until the early 1950s when Archie Tunnock (son of Thomas) wanted to make something with a longer shelf life.

Archie bought a few wafers

sition on this year’s list shows the wafers are not going stale.

Fergus Loudon, director at Tunnocks, commented on the result.

“We feel very privileged to be named one of Scotland’s top brands.

“It’s been a huge challenge for everyone over the past 18 months, but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we can get back to some

It’s been a huge challenge for everyone over the past 18 months, but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel. from the local ice cream shop, made some caramel and covered it in milk chocolate.

The company has stayed loyal to it’s roots and still has a small bakery within the factory and one retail bakers shop in Uddingston Main Street. The shop sells baked goods and biscuits along with a range of Tunnock’s merchandise.

Tunnock’s may be a brand with a long history, but jumping four places to hit fifth po-

form of normality,” he said.

Success isn’t something you can take for granted, even when your brand has existed since Queen Victoria was on the throne, and Loudon said that Tunnock’s is appreciative of its customers.

“Tunnock’s has a very loyal customer base, and when the consumer buys any of our products they know it’s the same quality and size as it’s always been,” he said.

When it comes to range, Tunnock’s has avoided the temptation of bombarding customers with NPD – particularly as it works through the challenges of the pandemic – instead opting to work its proven winners hard.

“Tunnock’s has a fairly small range,” said Loudon, “the most popular is the milk chocolate Caramel Wafer. Five layers of wafer with four layers of caramel sandwiched between, and covered in milk chocolate.

“Our Teacakes have a lovely biscuit base with a dome of soft mallow and covered in milk chocolate.

“Both Caramel Wafer and Teacakes have dark chocolate variants.

“The caramel log is quite

unique with four layers of wafer, three layers of caramel sandwiched between, covered in chocolate and golden roasted coconut.

“The Snowball has lovely soft mallow covered in chocolate and desiccated coconut sprinkled all over, it’s lovely with ice cream.

“Last but by no means least we have the Milk Chocolate Wafer Cream that has five layers of wafer with four layers of chocolate cream sandwiched between and covered milk chocolate.”

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Scottish brands 2021

6. Simon Howie Scottish butcher brand boldly goes where no haggis has gone before in a triumphant 2021 JOHN F Kennedy famously said we choose to go to the moon and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

In that spirit, the first person at Simon Howie who bravely suggested sending a haggis to space deserves a round of applause.

As marketing stunts go, it’s hard to think of a better way to capture imaginations and, perhaps more importantly, headlines.

The stunt, which was carried out in partnership with Scottish near-space education and research providers Strato-

take Scotland’s national dish to new heights “Burns Night is one of the most important dates on the food calendar for us and we wanted to mark the occasion by sending the UK’s best-selling haggis, the Original 454g, to the edge of space.

“Since becoming the UK’s best-selling haggis brand five years ago we have continued to see double digit growth year on year.

“Our success is absolute testament to my hard-working team and the strength of relationship that we have with all the retailers.

Burns Night is one of the most important dates on the food calendar for us and we wanted to mark the occasion. nauts, was put together in time for Burns Night.

Simon Howie – who started his career aged 12 as a Saturday boy in a local Perth butchers – commented on the space launch.

“After a year like no other, we wanted to kick off 2021 by lifting the spirits of the general public.

“We are thrilled to have worked with Stratonauts to

“It has been a difficult time and I’m incredibly proud of everyone that works for me, from increasing production to support the supermarkets through the period of panic buying to the demands of Christmas production and now Burns – we are working round the clock to produce over onemillion haggis and feed over three million customers our best-selling haggis.

2021: A Space Oddity – Simon Howie started the year far above the stratosphere.

“We hope that our space haggis gives everyone some much needed cheer.”

When one of your products has soared to space in the first month of the year, it’s hard to see how you can go anywhere but down.

However, Simon Howie was able to maintain momentum thanks to a raft of NPD throughout the year.

New Simon Howie products for 2021 included DryCured Bacon Medallions, Veggie White Pudding, Chicken Square Sausage, Pork Sausage Breakfast Patties, Pork

Olives, and the return of Haggis Bon-Bons.

The butcher brand also scored big at this year’s Great Taste Awards.

Simon Howie received three accolades, for its Original 454g haggis, Wee Black Pudding, and Premium Dry Cure Unsmoked Back Bacon.

The 2021 award logos will now appear on packs across all three products.

• Simon Howie opened his first butchery in 1986 at the age of 19, in Dunning near Perth where the brand still operates today.

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Scottish brands 2021

7. Mackie’s A flurry of NPD, investment and a new look helps Mackie’s of Scotland to climb higher MACKIE’S of Scotland has climbed three spots, with success coinciding with its biggest rebrand for 30 years.

Offering Scottish shoppers a comprehensive range of farm made products spanning ice cream, chocolate, crisps and popcorn – as well as an ice cream parlour in Aberdeen – Mackie’s has been making waves across categories.

This year’s rebrand saw Mackies adopt a fresh new look across its ice cream and chocolate packaging.

The brand also launched a new website as well as summer marketing campaign ‘Discover the Dairy Difference’.

Consumers will definitely have heard about the changes, with Mackie’s summer campaign featuring digital advertising and video said to have reached over 18 million consumers across the UK. The brand also launched an

autumn campaign focused on introducing Mackie’s chocolate to new customers across Scotland.

And the brand’s sales figures speak volumes.

Mackie’s of Scotland has sold almost 700,000 bars of chocolate this year, which is up 12% on last year’s figures.

The best-selling chocolate variant was Honeycomb, while the fastest growing flavour was Orange.

Stuart Common, sales director at Mackie’s, commented on the performance.

“We are delighted to see the new flavour performing so well along with increased availability of more flavours in ice cream.

“We are continually working on ways to improve our products and trialling new flavour ideas.

“We have a new flavour of ice cream joining our ice cream

range in spring – which will attract new and excite loyal consumers in the sector” On the snack side of the business, Mackie’s range of potato crisps, popcorn and lentil waves, has also had an extremely positive 12 months of production, growth and innovation.

The brand now produces over 500,000 packs of crisps weekly which is up 50% from the previous year and sales are up 18%.

The past 12 months has been Mackie’s at Taypack’s most innovative year on record with four new product launches: Sticky Toffee Pudding Popcorn, Boxing Day Curry crisps, Pickled Onion crisps and new range Lentil Waves in Barbecue and Salt and Vinegar.

It also added Lorne Sausage and Brown Sauce flavoured crisps as well as Pickled Onion crisps as permanent addi-

tions after initial launch highlighted demand.

Due to the popularity of Pickled Onion Mackie’s plans to release a single serve 40g pack format next spring as well.

Mackie’s also recently announced a £750,000 investment in a new production facility in Perthshire, which will allow mass production of better-for-you snacking alternatives in Scotland.

James Taylor, Managing Director with the Perthshire family business, said: “It’s important to us that we always push to deliver flavours and products that excite – and often surprise – our customers.

“Healthier snacking is an important and growing market.

That’s why we’ve invested to ensure that our NPD breaks through the noise of the category. Developing our Lentil Waves is just the start of that process”

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Scottish brands 2021

8. Baxters

Plant Based range extended as NPD proves popular with UK consumers IT has been another busy year for Baxters, with the brand continuing to roll out innovation across its broad portfolio.

Following the launch of Baxters Plant Based soup range in 2020, the brand chose to expand its vegan friendly offer with the launch of three additional flavours.

Spiced Red Lentil, Sundried Tomato & Thyme and Thai Yellow Vegetable Curry joined existing variants Jackfruit, Three Bean & Chipotle, Sri Lankan Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash & Lentil Dhansak.

Going by their sales performance, those initial flavours have been a hit with consumers.

Nielsen figures for the week ending 16 August 2021 revealed that since its launch, Baxters Plant Based sold over 1.1 million tins, generating £1.6 million in sales value.

Plant-based products may be a trend that screams modernity, but this new range has

gone through the same quality control process as every other Baxters product.

Chief executive and fourth generation family member Audrey Baxter is said to have personally tasted and approved each variant, to ensure consumers are guaranteed the quality they have come to expect from the brand.

Commenting on the launch, Darren Sivewright, development chef at Baxters Food Group, said: “Following the success of our first ever Plant Based range last year – I’ve loved creating these three new flavours. All three soups are packed with punchy flavours, colours and goodness.”

Sarah Knowles, marketing communications manager at Baxters Food Group, said: “Innovation has always been an integral part of Baxters history.

“From being the first to develop a vegetarian specific tinned soup range in the ‘80s and the first to bring tinned

plant-based soup to the market in 2020, innovation is at Baxter’s core, which allows us to continue to be ranked among the best in the category.

“Our Plant Based range has been one of our most successful launches to date and we are delighted to add three new flavours which have been developed specially in response to customer feedback” Innovation stretches beyond soup for Baxters. In time for the festive season, the brand has also launched a new variant to its jarred beetroot range.

Baxters has been selling beetroot since 1928, but this new variant is the first flavoured option in Baxters’ jarred beetroot

range. The new Spiced Black Pepper & Fennel has secured distribution through Sainsbury’s.

Chef Sivewright said that as “the nation’s favourite beetroot brand” the team wanted to develop a variety, “packed with goodness.”

“We’ve taken our time trying different flavours, methods and ingredients until we found the perfect combination.

“We’re really proud to introduce our Sliced Black Pepper & Fennel Beetroot and hope our customers enjoy it as much as we do.”

The Baxters Beetroot range also includes Sliced, Baby Beet, and Crinkle Cut varieties.

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Scottish brands 2021

9. McIntosh

Strathmore Foods continues to innovate as McIntosh performs despite challenges

THE pandemic has seen consumers spend more time at home than ever before, which is good news for cook book sales, less so for ready meal brands.

It’s impressive that despite consumers cooking up a storm, McIntosh finds itself comfortably inside the top ten.

Neil Macrae, sales manager at Strathmore Foods – the firm behind McIntosh of Strathmore – said he was delighted by the brand’s performance.

“The pandemic has been incredibly challenging for the brand – as people spent more time at home and scratch

cooking and baking became increasingly popular there was far less demand for quick, convenient meals – so to remain in the top 10 is very pleasing.

“And recent months have seen very strong growth versus both the same period last year and pre-pandemic so it’s a good and busy time for the brand,” he said.

McIntosh may have been operating in challenging market conditions, but that hasn’t slowed down innovation for the brand.

Macrae said that it has been an “incredibly busy” year for the McIntosh NPD team, with the brand bringing a raft of new products to Scottish consumers.

“Earlier in the year we introduced two new chilled meals – Steak & Black Pudding Casserole and the winner of our

2020 ‘Save The Flavour’ campaign – Leek & Broccoli Macaroni Cheese.

“We then added two further meals this Autumn to refresh the offering by launching a Beef & Haggis Lasagne and a Lorne, Beans & Mash.

“All four lines are proving to be strong additions to the brand, both as something new for current loyal customers and also by encouraging new shoppers to try our meals for the first time.

“As well as growing the core ready meal offering the brand has also stretched into a new category with the very exciting recent launch of McIntosh puddings.

“The initial range of three lines – Sticky Tablet Puddings, Scottish Raspberry Sponge Puddings, and Dundee Marmalade Chocolate Puddings – all add a Scottish twist to popular flavours and are dual branded with Mrs Tilly’s tablet and Mackay’s preserves to shout about the quality, Scottish ingredients that we use,” he said.

10. Seriously THE top Scottish cheese brand, Seriously has put on a strong showing in 2021.

Seriously may benefit from wide distribution and major marketing investments, but the brand can also boast about its quality, thanks to success at the Great Taste Awards 2020.

Last year, Seriously scooped three Great Taste Awards across its Cheddar Creamy Mature cheese, Spreadable Vintage and Spreadable Original variants.

This comes off the back off securing a Great Taste awards gong in 2019 for the Extra Mature variant.

There’s more to Seriously than block cheese. Diversification into Spreadable, Spreadable Squares, and hot snack, grated and sliced formats offers consumers plenty of choice.

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Scottish brands 2021

11. Barr IT has been another great year for Barr, on the back of what was already an extraordinary volume sales performance in 2020.

Jonathan Kemp, commercial director at AG Barr, said the brand has had a “massive boost” during the pandemic, as consumers across the UK discovered, or rediscovered, its affordable flavoured carbonates range.

“If there’s one brand in our portfolio, and I think out of total soft drinks, that won during Covid it was Barr.

“You had lots of people going to their convenience store to buy take-home carbonates and they disovered this great

tasting 2L bottle you could buy for a pound.

“Lemonade, cola but also cherry, bubblegum, maybe flavours they had forgotten about.

“Barr as a brand was up something like 35% last year, it was massive. That growth interestingly was more skewed towards England a bit because obviously in Scotland it’s more established.

“This year we all thought, ‘there’s no way we’ll be at the same level as last year, we got a one off boost.’ But the reality is – the business has stuck,” he said.

Barr may not benefit from the kind of marketing spend

enjoyed by big brother IrnBru, but Kemp highlighted the work the brand does on social media and through point of sale materials, that help to build consumer awareness.

And the brand’s penchant for launching more unusual limited

edition flavours is going away, with Kemp suggesting retailers should keep an eye out for further developments “There’s a lot of work you can do with limited flavours and I am certain we will do something next year,” he said.

12. JG Ross LOOKING at the brands surrounding JG Ross on this list, it’s worth remembering that at its heart, the Aberdeenshirebased firm is still very much a local business and regional supplier.

Founded in 1962 by J George Ross and his wife Elizabeth, today the firm is still in the family and second generation baker George Ross said he was pleased to see the brand competing with global businesses.

“It’s fantastic, especially when we’re just a regional supplier to kind of hit that level and compete against major national and international brands, it’s absolutely fantastic.

“Particularly with the last 12 months being so challenging as well, it’s great to see the level of support we’ve had from our customers,” he said.

Through its wide distribution in Scotland, which in-

cludes listings with Asda, The Co-op, Scotmid, McColl’s and CJ Lang, JG Ross finds itself going head to head with some big names, but the brand’s mammoth range – which Ross estimated to be in excess of 300 lines – is a proven winner with Scottish customers.

Why? Ross reckons there are a couple of things behind the baker’s success.

“I think it’s a few things, we work very closely with specific retailers that share similar values and it’s about driving product quality, consistency and availability.

“We try and ensure the products get in as fresh as possible, so a lot of our production is done nightshift, that creates a few challenges and costs at our end but it does mean the

product gets there better and fresher to the consumer.

“Another reason is the quality of ingredients we use. The flour we use is milled from Canadian wheat, which is widely regarded as the Rolls Royce of wheat. It comes with a Rolls Royce price tag, but we feel it’s worth that in terms of the quality of the products,” he said.

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Scottish brands 2021

13. Albert Bartlett IT has been a successful year for Airdriebased Albert Bartlett, with the brand best-known for its potatoes moving up the rankings.

Michael Jarvis, head of marketing at Albert Bartlett, said the team was “really pleased” with its performance.

“I think we’ve had a good year, we’ve got some very good products which have come out in our frozen and chilled ranges,” he said.

Two particular successes highlighted

by Jarvis were brand’s new Crispy Potato Slices, which have secured distribution through Iceland Food Warehouse, as well as its chilled mash and root vegetable mash SKUs, which have landed in Tesco for the first time.

The potato brand has also been hard at work growing its presence on social media, as Jarvis explained.

“We’ve continued to work with our long standing ambassadors, such as chef Michel Roux Jr. and Airdrie star of The Royal Ballet, Reece Clarke.

“We put a lot of emphasis on the work we do on social media. We can also attribute some of the growth to some of the promotional work we do,” he said.

Earlier this year, Albert Bartlett offered an on-pack promotion offering consumers a free child ticket to Legoland for every paying adult.

“That kind of promotion works really well for us and improves visibility in store,” he said.

14. Hall’s IT was another strong performance from Hall’s in a year when many consumers will have had more opportunities to indulge in hot breakfasts at home.

The brand continues to offer a broad range of Scottish favourites, from square sausages to haggis, all made to traditional recipes.

In what is a competitive category, Molly Jardine, group sales director at Hall’s brand owner Browns Food Group, reckons the provenance and heritage of the Hall’s brand is what keeps it a cut above.

“I think there’s a brand loyalty there and we do stick to the traditional recipes that were created for the brand.

“There are certain products, for example our haggis – people have a favourite recipe of haggis – so we’re fortunate to be one of the top haggis brands in the country,” she said.

Strong distribution hasn’t hurt the brand either. As Jardine said, Hall’s is available “pretty much everywhere”

15.

Scotty Brand with listings across all major retailers, discounters and CJ Lang, as well as small independents through van sales.

If you’re going to maintain that strong presence though, it’s important to keep things current, which is exactly what Hall’s is doing with its Wee Willie Winkie’s sausages brand.

The eponymous character that appears on packaging and marketing materials for the brand was recently subjected to a major redesign, with a new website currently in development and scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2022. Packaging for Wee Willie Winkie’s has also been up-

dated and now feature twinfacings, boosting visibility in store.

David Sprott, creative and marketing manager at Hall’s, was optimistic about the revamp’s potential.

“The nostalgia factor for Wee Willie Winkie’s is really strong,” he said.

Wee Willie Winkie’s isn’t the only Hall’s line benefitting from a packaging revamp.

Sprott said Browns Food Group is also in the process of redesigning new haggis packaging.

The new look packs are expected to be ready in time for Burns Night in January.

EVERYONE’s favourite soup selling canine has mastered the ‘stay’ command, with Scotty brand retaining its place on the top brands list.

New listings for Scotty Brand Chippy Chips surely contributed to the strong performance. Brand manager Sarah McDonald said Chippy Chips are now more widely available than ever, supporting volume sales growth.

And there’s more to Scotty Brand than chips and soup – the range now includes salmon, peas, coleslaw, salad tubs and seasonal lines such as berries in the summer and soup mix packs in the winter months.

The range could grow even further, with McDonald adding that NPD is on the agenda for the future.

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• GOOD FOOD’S BEST FRIEND •

ONE OF THE BEST IN OUR FIELD Scotty is bright eyed and waggy tailed to be number 15 in the Kantar World Panel 2021 Scottish take-home brands. Whether it’s our commitment to a growing range of Scottish produce and foods – including our frozen Garden Peas and Chippy Chips, or delicious soups and berries – or Scotty’s hard work and canine charm, it’s a result that’s not to be sniffed at.

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scottybrand.com

We’re delighted to move up into 13th place in the 2021 Kantar table of Scottish take-home brands.

TOTAL BRAND Albert Bartlett potato products are purchased by 1 in 5 UK households.* FROZEN We are the UK’s fastest-growing major frozen potato brand, outperforming any other frozen brand or own label by more than four times, as we attract more shoppers to the category.** CHILLED We are rolling out exciting new launches and listings across our range of chilled potato products.

*52 week Kantar to 03/10/21 **Kantar 4 w/e 3 October 2021 vs 4 October 2020. Frozen potato brands worth >= £1m.

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albertbartlett.co.uk/extraordinary #DOTHEALBERTBARTLETT

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Scottish brands 2021

16. Highland Spring ANOTHER strong year for Highland Spring despite lockdown restrictions and Covid caution limiting the number of consumers on-the-go at any one time.

The bottled water brand has been branching out, thanks in part to its canned sparkling water range.

Sparkling water is a category enjoying growth according to Highland Spring, which in addition to its unflavoured sparkling water SKUs, also offers 330ml fruit flavoured sparkling cans in Blackberry, Plum & Hibiscus; Pear & Elderflower; and Rhubarb & Ginger flavours.

This year also saw Highland Spring make a bold sustainability pledge. The brand, which pioneered water bottles made from 100% recycled packaging (rPET) in the UK, has committed to rolling out 100% rPET across its entire

17.

Galloway Cheddar A SCOTTISH favourite, Galloway cheddar has solid distribution. Recent on-pack activity around St Andrew’s Day saw the brand bring its Scottish roots to the fore.

19.

Scottish Blend SCOTTISH Blend has been created with Scottish consumers in mind.

Blended for Scottish water, it is a tea tailored to its market.

range by 2025.

Made from recycled plastic, rPET use prevents wasted plastic from ending up in landfill and less energy is typically used in its creation than when making new PET for packaging.

A spokesperson for Highland Spring said: “Between 2015 and 2020, we reduced the plastic content in our bottles by 20% with further plastic and glass light weighting initiatives planned.

“We are working towards greater proportions of recycled plastic content as the quality and quantity becomes available and have a target of 50% rPET in our Highland Spring bottles by 2023 and 100% rPET by 2025.

“In the meantime, we work tirelessly to make everyone aware that every single Highland Spring bottle can be recycled.”

18. Border Biscuits SCOTTISH consumers are spoiled for choice when it comes to the biscuit category – so if you’re going to do well, you better bring quality.

At position 18, Border Biscuit must be hitting the mark with consumers.

It’s also making waves among supermarket buyers, having secured a deal during the summer that has more than doubled its UK-wide presence.

The extended partnership with Sainsbury’s saw the supermarket giant carry four new Border Biscuits products across its UK estate.

Alex Sano-Davies (pictured), head of grocery at Border Biscuits, said of the deal: “With

snack brands dominating new product development last year, our own innovation pipeline has been key in the expansion of this brilliant partnership with Sainsbury’s.

“Driven by the needs of mod-

ern consumers, the range further cements Border Biscuits as a genuine category innovator, while placing us one step closer to achieving our ambitious growth targets for 2021 and beyond.”

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*

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Scottish brands 2021

20. Rowan Glen UP two places on last year’s performance, Rowan Glen’s new look appears to be paying off.

Rowan Glen was subject to a rebrand and relaunch of its core low-fat bio yogurt range in 2019, while 2020 saw it update its Greek proposition.

A spokesperson for Dale Farm, the farming co-operative behind Rowan Glen,

said the revamp was made to “appeal to a wide range of consumers.”

And there’s more to the brand than smart looking pots.

Rowan Glen also offers Bonnie Shots bottles, available in strawberry and raspberry. Bonnie Shots offer consumers a convenient on-the-go yogurt solution.

21. Nairn’s NAIRN’s has had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, having secured six awards at the Great Taste Awards 2021.

The success comes just four years on from the brand opening the doors to its larger gluten-free bakery site in Newtongrange, Midlothian.

Nairn’s six Great Taste Awards winners were: Nairn’s Cheese Oatcakes; Nairn’s Cheese & Smoky Chipotle

Oatcakes; Nairn’s Peri Peri Oatcakes; Nairn’s Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Biscuits; Nairn’s Stem Ginger Oat Biscuits; Nairn’s Fruit & Seed Muesli.

All winning Nairn’s variants will now be eligible to sport Great Taste Awards branding on packaging – signalling quality to shoppers.

Emma Heath, head of marketing at Nairn’s,

commented on the brand’s success.

“Making the best quality, healthy products that taste great is our top priority at Nairn’s, and has been for 125 years.

“Winning six Great Taste Awards this year is not only

a great boost for our teams at the bakery, but important recognition that experts and customers alike found our products to be delicious and enjoyable.

“We look forward to entering some of our new products into the 2022 awards”

22. We Hae Meat BASED in the beautiful Girvan Valley in the heart of Ayrshire, We Hae Meat is a multi-award winning family business owned by Alex & Carlyn Paton (pictured), The brand’s portfolio includes a broad selection of sausage and burgers SKUS, as well as ready to cook meal solutions.

According to recent Nielsen figures, We Hae Meat is the fastest growing square sausage

brand – a category in which Scottish shoppers definitely have strong opinions.

A spokesperson for the brand said that while We Hae Meat has enjoyed “exceptional growth across core lines”, it has also been gaining ground through the development of new products under its Skinny brand.

“These reduced fat, low calorie versions of their best loved products, have brought in new customers to the Scottish breakfast category.

“As farmers as well as butchers, We Hae Meat are passionate about the environment and are proud to be one of the most sustainable meat manufacturers in the UK,” they said.

The brand has also been stepping up its sustainability focused activities and the spokesperson said managing and reducing carbon footprint “is at the very heart of the business.”

We Hae Meat’s sustainability

journey started in 2016. The brand has reduced its carbon footprint by 87% over the last five years following investment in an on-site renewables plant.

The team is now focused on achieving carbon neutral status next year.

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From our family farm... to your family table Our family run, multi award-winning butchers business offers finest, quality assured meats sourced from our own farm, Cairnhill, and other carefully selected suppliers.

We manufacture a range of top quality meat products including Scotland’s much loved square sausages, hand finished burgers, black pudding and haggis and ready-to-cook meal solutions.

So, whether you are looking for some traditional Scottish breakfast products, a delicious, easy to prepare meal or the perfect burger, we can provide the finest products made using only the best ingredients.

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Scottish brands 2021

23. Bliss THE highest new entry on the list, Bliss has pushed right into the top half – extraordinary growth that is not to be sniffed at.

Bliss is the brainchild of Martin Lightbody, Neil Steward, and Crawford Currie, who founded their Glasgow based firm Lightbody Ventures in 2010.

Until recently, Lightbody Ventures offered four principle brand services largely focused on providing baking expertise to global names looking to expand into bakery, snacking and dessert.

Work in this area included developing a range of year round and seasonal biscuits

with Thorntons, as well as securing the WW (Weightwatchers) brand for the development of sweet biscuits in 2020.

However, in 2019 the team at Lightbody decided to embark on a new venture – developing their own brand.

The Bliss brand was created on the back of consumer research, which revealed demand for an indulgent, chocolate centric snack bar – with fewer than 100 calories.

The first Bliss products were launched in 2019 and – despite the Covid pandemic – the brand has enjoyed exceptional growth.

There are currently nine

products in the range, with flavours such as salted caramel, dark chocolate and raspberry, white chocolate and lemon.

Consumer reaction has been strong, with the brand’s social media channels recruiting over 17,000 followers.

Lightbody Ventures has produced cakes under licence for some major brands.

24. MacB FLAVOURED water brand MacB has had a busy year, with the launch of a new canned range during the summer.

MacB’s sparking cans landed in Asda stores in time for the warmer weather, available in two flavours: Strawberry & Kiwi and Lemon & Lime.

The brand was keen to shout about its new variants too, taking to the small screen with

an advertising campaign shot on location in Glasgow.

The new television advert, which appeared on STV, saw skateboarders and others take a break to enjoy the flavoured water brand.

MacB’s 2021 product launches follow on from a packaging overhaul for its bottled format in 2019.

Flavours available in the MacB bottled water range include: MacB Strawberry & Kiwi, MacB Lemon & Lime, MacB Apple & Blackcurrant, MacB Peach, MacB Raspberry & Cranberry, and MacB Watermelon.

A spokesperson for the brand said “the NPD pipeline is long,” with new flavours and formats planned for 2022.

Neil Stewart, managing director of Lightbody Ventures said: “We are delighted to feature so highly in the Top Scotland take home food and drink league table for 2020/21.

“The success of the Bliss brand has driven the growth of our business. It’s a tremendous credit to the team, who have worked tirelessly, through the challenges of the last 18 months, to create and built our new brand, Bliss, that is loved by consumers.”

MacB was purchased by Refresco from Cott Beverages in 2019. The brand has more than 200 years of heritage in Scotland, claiming that the earliest documentation of water from Tarlair – a well sprung from the same source as MacB – dates back to 1740.

The well at Tarlair was destroyed by a rogue World War II sea mine in the 1940s, but the source was rediscovered in MacDuff, Aberdeenshire, in 1996.

A 200ft well was then created, freeing the spring water and opening up the door for the creation of the MacB brand.

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Scottish brands 2021

25. Buchanan’s (Golden Casket) A STALWART of Scottish confectionery, Golden Casket has had another stellar year insales terms.

According to Sandra Fisher, sales and marketing director at Golden Casket, the secret to enduring success is quality.

“Since we were established in 1959 it’s always been top priority to keep the quality and taste of our confections to what our consumers expect of us – we never cheapen or deviate.

“I think our consumers love the fact that every time they buy a Buchanan’s Chocolate Caramel, bite into a Peppermint Cream or chew a ‘Million’ it will exceed expectations and be as good as they imag-

ined and tasted before.”

Golden Casket doesn’t just offer quality, it’s got quantity too with a huge range that should ensure all sweet tooths are catered to, as Fisher explained.

“We have quite a few brands in our golden casket port folio.

Our Buchanan’s range has 15 indulgent lines you will find in all leading supermarkets, we have our £one pounder range over of 60 lines from toffee,

fudge, chocolates to mints chews and gum & jelly lines which are for sale in private retailers UK wide and in Ireland.

“We also still have a huge range of traditional weigh out jars in Buchanan’s and Gibbs brands and a seasonal range of gift boxes in various formats and varieties.

“Last but most certainly not least we have ‘millions’ – the tiny tasty chewy sweets – invented by Douglas Rae in 1991 and stronger than ever with eight flavours and a new flavour launch in 2022.”

Millions was recently extended into Jelly Babies and Iron Brew Babies, with more NPD scheduled for February and June next year.

26. Mrs Tilly’s BREAKING into the top 30 for 2021, Mrs Tilly’s has been pushing ahead despite the challenges all firms have faced during the pandemic.

Blair Paterson, managing director at Mrs Tilly’s, said the team was “delighted” to be featured in the top 50 once again.

Mrs Tilly’s has had a busy time of it in 2021, with Paterson noting that while NPD has to be placed on the back burner this year, the firm has been able to meet demand in challenging circumstances.

“For us, the focus for 2021 has really been on stability and coming through the tail end of Covid as strongly as we can.

We pulled back from NPD this year but did drive our vegan range hard on offers and media – which has paid off with additional distribution on our national business. We expect to restart our NPD program in the early part of 2022,” he said.

The brand has also been giving back to the community, through its charity partnership with Strathcarron Hospice,

which provides specialist palliative care and expert end of life care for the people of Forth Valley, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth.

Sustainability has been high on the

agenda at Mrs Tilly’s too. Paterson said the brand’s sustainability programme continues “at pace”, with a lot of work on packaging already well underway, as well as operational improvements and even a move to fully electric company vehicles.

Looking to the future, Paterson said that like everyone, the team at Mrs Tilly’s hopes the worst of the pandemic is in the rear view mirror and that it can start to make progress in more normal circumstances.

“While I’m sure that new ways of working are here to stay in some shape or form, I think we are all looking forward to getting back to some normality in our daily business routine, whether that be face-toface meetings, trade shows and of course industry functions.

“We will ramp up our NPD plans in the new year and we also have significant investment in our Larbert site and it’s operational capabilities in the pipeline – to position us for the next few years as we continue to grow the business,” he said.

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Scottish brands 2021

27. Tarbert Fine Foods ANOTHER strong showing for Tarbert Fine Foods proves there is big demand out there for premium Scottish produce.

Molly Jardine, group sales director at Browns Food Group, said that things are “really positive” for the brand, and highlighted the success of its recently launched salmon and trout range.

“They launched not long ago, maybe just over 12 months ago, we’ve since had them listed in Tesco and Morrisons in Scotland. We’ve got two lines extended into Tesco nationally which is really exciting and they’ve really gone from strength to strength in quite a short period of time.

“We got a Great Taste Award last year on the trout product, all of that is quite exciting,” she said.

In addition to Tarbert Fine

Tarbert Fine Foods has launched a fish range, with cold and ready to cook SKUs.

Foods’ new cold smoked fish range, the brand has also launched two ready-to-cook fish lines, which Jardine said are also performing well.

As a nation with ample coastline and plenty of fishing

28. Mackays

FOUNDED in 1938, Mackays serves up Scottish consumers a huge range of jams, marmalades, chutneys and curds from its state-ofthe-art facility in Arbroath.

The brand isn’t just big in Scotland, expansion of distribution and co-packing facilities made in 2019 to meet global demand saw Mackays become the third largest preserve brand on the

UK market.

Investment continues at Mackays, as the brand seeks to open up new opportunities in the foodservice sector.

Tradition is at the heart of Mackays offer, and protected by managing director Martin Grant, who took on the role having first started in the business in 2002. Since taking charge, the business has doubled in size.

heritage, entering into the fish category could be a daunting proposition, even for a well established brand.

However, Jardine suggested that the quality approach taken by Tarbert has paid divi-

dends for the brand.

“All the Tarbert cold smoked fish products are dry cured and made from specialist raw material, specifically sourcing Scottish fish from Scottish farms.

“We’ve got some really skilled people in the business; people that know all about smoking,” she said.

The launch of a fish range may have been the most visible development for Tarbert Fine Foods over the last year, but the brand’s core meat business also continues to perform, according to Jardine.

“It’s really positive, our cooked meats continue to perform well as a real favourite Scottish premium range.

“We’re really pleased with how those have gone. The cooked meat range has existed for around 15 years,” she said.

29. Highland Game HIGHLAND Game has been hitting the spot and its range looks particularly attractive in 2021.

Managing director Christian Nissen has been making the case for venison as a homegrown, sustainable and healthy solution for customers.

The Dundee-based brand, which suppliers Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi, Co-op, Lidl and Waitrose, has grown significantly in the last 12 months.

Its category retail sales are up 16% year on year,

outstripping general grocery growth at 11% and red meat growth at 13%.

Nissen said: “All we are hearing about right now is shortages in supermarkets and the foodservice supply chain, and we believe there is real potential for venison to help fill that gap.”

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Scottish brands 2021

30. Marshalls QUICK, convenient and comforting, Marshalls ticks a lot of boxes for busy consumers.

In addition to its core Macaroni Pasta range, Marshalls offers solutions for shoppers looking for a tasty snack without too much effort.

Marshalls’ Cheesey SKU offers mac ‘n’ cheese in a fraction of the time.

The brand has also branched into the pot-snack category with its Snacaroni range.

Available in both pot and pouch formats, Snacaroni is

available in Mac N Cheese and Spicy Mac N Cheese flavours.

For those consumers willing to put in a bit more effort in the kitchen, Marshalls has home cooks covered with its Semolina and Farola – a Marshalls invention.

Farola was invented by brand founder James Marshall, who had the idea to create finely-milled semolina for making baked goods such as shortbreads.

Marshalls celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2019 and with its continuing popularity and ongoing innovation, there’s every chance it’s here for 130 years more.

31. Paterson’s TRADITIONAL shortbread brand Paterson’s got a premium feel this year, thanks to the launch of the new Paterson’s Gold range.

The range includes three all year-round products, alongside one limited-edition seasonal tin to cater for family celebrations such as Christmas and Burns Night. The core Paterson’s Gold range comprises All Butter Shortbread Fingers, Milk Chocolate Chunk Rounds, and Dark Chocolate Chunk & Seville Orange Rounds.

Kate Needham, marketing director at Burton’s Biscuit Company, said that Paterson’s Gold is made with “the finest ingredients to an all-butter recipe, providing shoppers with the perfect afternoon and evening indulgence.”

“We’re really proud of Paterson’s Scottish heritage. The brand’s journey started with a husband and wife team home baking oatcakes in Rutherglen in 1895, and is now Scotland’s favourite shortbread made with over 120 years of tradition and experience,” she said.

32. Genius GENIUS Foods was founded by chef, entrepreneur and mother Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, out of a need to create gluten-free dishes for her son, who had been diagnosed as gluten intolerant.

The brand first hit shelves in 2009 and in the years since, it has grown rapidly as demand for gluten-free options soared.

Genius isn’t just for those adopting a lifestyle choice diet, certain SKUs have been made available on prescription.

Genius Gluten-Free Soft Brown Sandwich Bread, Soft White Sandwich Bread and Seeded Brown Farmhouse Bread are all available through the NHS. 96 · Scottish Grocer · December 2021

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Scottish brands 2021

33. Lawsons BEST-known for its skinless sausages, the Lawsons brand has done well to hit spot 33 on this year’s list.

The brand’s tagline “Quality Since 1905” speaks to its heritage status. One of the

oldest brands on the top 50 list, Lawsons has managed to succeed in Scotland for over a century, which is a feat any brand could be proud of. Based on this performance, the brand will be around for a long time to come.

34. Brownings THE firm behind the world famous – if Scottish football fans are to be believed – Killie Pie has maintained its place from last year, when it leapt up from 42nd

position in 2019.

Established in 1945, Brownings The Bakers is one of the largest traditional craft bakeries in Scotland. The bakers’ specialities include morning rolls, potato scones, oven scones, buttermilk soda scones and a range of savouries.

The firm was crowned Scottish Baker of the Year in 2018 and the Killi Pie was top of the table at the World Scotch Pie Championships 2017.

Food to go may have taken a hammering in some locations as

workers stayed home due to Covid-19 but, judging by Brownings strong performance, they haven’t been shy to tuck into a pie in their kitchens.

There is more to the business than its famous pie however, with Brownings offering everything from rolls and pastries to cakes and biscuits.

35. Macsween IF you are going to sell haggis in Scotland you better know what you’re doing – and with decades of experience under their belts, the team at Macsween can certainly say that.

Founded in 1953, Macsween is a third-generation family firm. It continues to make its haggis using recipes that it claims have been left “virtually unchanged” for 60 years.

The brand is beloved by meat eaters and vegetarians alike, thanks to its popular veggie variant of Scotland’s national dish.

Never ones to miss out on a trend, the team at Macsween has also cooked up a glutenfree haggis to cater to those following a free from diet.

In the UK, Macsween Haggis products can be found across Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Tesco, Asda, Booths and Waitrose.

For those without the time or

appetite for a full haggis, Macsween also offers the convenient ‘Haggis in a Hurry’ format for its original and vegetarian variants.

The smaller format comprises a 130g serving of haggis,

pre-sliced and microwaveable in six seconds.

Those looking for a more adventurous take on haggis could also be tempted

by Macsween’s Moroccan Spiced Vegetarian Haggis.

Haggis isn’t the only thing going on at Macsween either, the family firm also offers Black Pudding, Chocolate & Chilli Black Pudding and Macsween Whisky Cream Sauce.

And with Burns night on the horizon, it may not be the worst idea for budding chefs to make their way to the brand’s website.

There, consumers can find a host of recipes with haggis at their heart. More than just the traditional accompaniment of neeps and tatties, the Macsween site has instructions for haggis nachos, vegan haggis poutine, haggis lamb kibbeh burgers, hot cross buns with haggis jam and more.

Burns Night is sure to be a busy time for Macsween and the brand must surely be looking forward to renewed celebrations under looser Covid restrictions.

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Scottish brands 2021

38. Mrs Unis CLIMBING two places on this year’s brands list, Mrs Unis offers Scottish shoppers authentic home-cooked pakora flavour, in a convenient format.

Like many brands, Mrs Unis has had to adapt to meet the demands of the pandemic.

Kenneth Laughlan, business development manager at Mrs Unis, said that before lockdown hit, the brand was looking at foodservice as a key area for growth, but the pandemic halted those plans.

NPD plans too, were put on ice, as Laughlan said the small firm focused on its first priority – maintaining the safety of its staff.

Now that trading conditions are starting to more closely resemble normal, Laughlan said things are moving on.

“We are already in the final stages of supplying one of the

biggest foodservice companies in Scotland and UK with frozen products.

“We are now re-starting our NPD on our food to go for retailers large and small, street food and Asian fusion range for a point of difference under the Mrs Unis Brand. We see this as the game changer late 2022/23,” he said.

Laughlan may describe Mrs Unis as a small firm, but in terms of brand power the business has grown rapidly

when times are difficult.

“Mrs Unis is now a household name across Scotland and a lot of this is through word of mouth, so being a local supplier has a big impact on our sales growth, consumers trust becomes loyalty,” he said.

What may set Mrs Unis apart from other brands is that she’s not a made up person. Mrs Unis arrived in the UK from Pakistan in 1967 and Laughlan reckons its her pas-

Mrs Unis is now a household name across Scotland and a lot of this is through word of mouth, so being a local supplier has a big impact on our sales growth.

– having only entered the top 50 brands list for the first time four years ago.

It’s clear the brand is doing something right and Laughlan reckons the secret is the authenticity and quality that Mrs Unis offers.

“Our products have a point of difference as they are hand produced and more authentic than the machine produced pakora.

“We also saw loyalty to local brands during lockdown and with our brand being in all areas of retail from the small corner store, large retailer and we even supplied local charities with products free of charge

sion that has pushed the business forward.

“She was passionate about preserving south Asian culture and aimed to add spice to the chill cabinets in Scotland.

“In 1998 Mrs Unis Spicy Foods Ltd was finally born and the brand was born, signalling the start of a period of growth that led to the opening of Edinburgh’s first purposebuilt factory unit in Peffermill in 1999 and started the Scottish pakora range.

“The provenance is important more so in Scotland as customers look at local ingredients, manufacturing and where it is produced,” he said.

Looking to the future, Laughlan said that the brand’s hope for 2022 is to have more clarity on a lot of things they currently can’t control.

“Like most companies it has been a very rough start to 2021 first was packaging and ingredient shortages; staff retention and staff employment as filling positions is getting harder; price increase from

36. Scott’s Porage Oats IT doesn’t come any more Scottish than a shot put throwing, kilted Highlander, which probably explains why Scotts Porage Oats’ packaging has remained largely unchanged for decades.

A newfound interest in porridge among instagram influencers and health aficionados can’t have hurt the brand, which has leapt up seven places on last year.

37. Big and Scottish PROVENANCE on the pack is a sure fire winner in any category and it certainly works for Big and Scottish eggs.

our suppliers; energy prices at the highest we have seen; delivery charges escalating due to driver shortages; and fuel increases all impacting businesses.

“It’s hard to plan when things like this come at short notice putting a squeeze on cost centres and hope that governments take bigger responsibility to help companies through these challenging times,” he said.

This year may have presented challenges, but on a positive note, Laughlan said that Mrs Unis is currently pushing for BRC accreditation within the next year or two, with colleagues putting in a lot of effort.

Once that is secured, who is to say how high up the list this brand can go?

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Scottish brands 2021

39. Dean’s

FOUNDED in a kitchen in Huntly in 1975, Dean’s has come a long way.

The Aberdeenshire brand, up three places from last year – when it had hopped up two – is clearly moving in the right direction and it’s not hard to see why.

Starting life in the kitchen of Helen Dean, the brand grew from Dean finding a receptive audience for her home baking among friends and families.

Dean’s husband Bill, a drum major, used the shortbread to raise fund for the local Huntly pipe band. Touring with the pipers spread the word far and wide and demand for Dean’s shortbread grew.

The firm moved into a purpose-built bakery on the outskirts of Huntly in 1992 – providing the platform to accelerate up the brands list today.

Dean’s now offers a range of premium shortbread boxes, tins and gluten free SKUs, and has also diversified with the roll out of a cheese bites range.

Flavours in the cheese bites range include

Extra Mature Cheddar Bites; Extra Mature Cheddar & Caramalised Red Onion Bites; Extra Mature Cheddar and Cracked Pepper Bites; and Extra Mature Cheddar & Chilli Bites.

Not just a hit in Scotland, Dean’s currently exports to around 30 countries across the globe.

40.

Glenrath ESTABLISHED by John and Cathy Campbell in 1958, family-owned egg brand Glenrath is situated in a glen in the borders.

The farming enterprise has grown a lot since those early days and is now one of the UK’s leading egg production and marketing companies.

Glenrath produces Free Range, Organic, Barn and Enriched Colony eggs of which are compliant with UK and EU assurance schemes including Lion Quality, British Retail Consortium (BRC) and RSPCA Assured.

The brand has also been investing in response to consumer demand and plans to be fully cage-free by 2025.

41. Orkney CHAMPAGNE, Scotch Whisky and Orkney Cheddar – what do they all have in common?

They all benefit from geographical indication protected status, meaning if a cheese carries Orkney in the name it must be made there.

Much like Parmigiano Reggiano and Stilton, Orkney’s protected status indicates there’s quality there that’s worth guarding.

Made using fresh milk from island cows, Orkney cheddar offers the authentic provenance and heritage that many shoppers crave.

Orkney cheese has been produced for centuries, but it really got its start during the Second World War. During that time, the population of the islands swelled with the arrival of 60,000 service-

men and women and 500 Italian prisoners of war.

When the troops went home at the end of the war, they left an over-supply of milk, creating the opportunity to ramp up cheese production.

Since then Orkney has established itself as a leading Scottish cheddar brand.

And while the Lactallis McLelland owned brand may have expanded its reach, the dairy-farmers behind the brand have continued to use only fresh milk from cattle that graze on the islands.

Tasting notes for the island cheddar describe it as a firm and dense-bodied cheese with a rounded mellow flavour.

Budding chefs who would like to experiment with Orkney cheddar, can also pick up some top tips from the brand’s

website.

There, the team behind Orkney has provided recipes for dishes ranging from Cauliflower Soup with Orkney Cheddar

Croutons and Orkney cheddar fisherman’s pie, to Fishcakes with Mornay Sauce to lamb shank with Orkney cheddar mash.

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Spice up your sales!

At Mrs Unis Spicy Foods we have been creating traditional Indian recipes to excite the Scottish palate for over 30 years.

Mrs Unis Spicy Foods is recognised as being one of the most exciting and innovative companies in Scotland. The company produces the finest array of handmade Indian snacks, naan breads and chapattis. Mrs Unis has been perfecting the recipes throughout the years by carefully selecting spices, herbs, halal meats and vegetables to deliver the highest quality and authenticity.

Based in Edinburgh, Mrs Unis Spicy Foods is the city’s only producer of authentic speciality South Asian food products for the retail, catering, and wholesale market. Mrs Unis Spicy Foods products can now be found in ASDA, Morrisons and LIDL. Our products can also be purchased via major distributors including Bidfood. We now offer larger pack sizes as a solution for your food to go business.

To enquire about stocking our products in your store, contact us below: T: 0131 656 9090 www.mrsunis.com E: sales@mrsunis.com

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Mrs Unis Spicy Foods Ltd Block 2, Unit 1-5, Kings Haugh, Peffermill Industrial Estate Edinburgh EH16 5UY

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Scottish brands 2021

42. Punjab Pakora A NEW entry for 2021, Punjab Pakora traces its origin to a fish and chip shop on Crown Street in Ayr. The brand got its start servicing its local Asda store, which received its first orders in May of 2012.

From there, success for the brand led to Asda adding more local listings in 2013. This extra business allowed the team behind Punjab Pakora to invest in its first fully functional pakora factory on Waggon Road.

Punjab Pakors has been going in an upwards direction ever since, with more Asda stores and an Aldi listing in 2014, the launch of a seasonal range in 2015, and a deal with Iceland in 2016 ensuring momentum was maintained for the

brand.

Opening the doors of a new 7,000 square foot manufacturing unit in 2017 bolstered capacity for the brand – which could go some way to explaining its appearance in the Top 50 Scottish Brands today.

Having scooped a Sainsbury’s Scotland contract in 2018, Punjab Pakora is now one of the UK’s largest pakora manufacturers.

The brand offers a broad range of pakora, curry and spiced onion products, with everything from traditional chicken pakora, to local favourite – haggis pakora.

Diversifying into chilled ready-to-cook curries and party favourites such as

Punjab Pakora was founded in a chip shop in Ayr.

chicken spring rolls and lamb samosas has ensured the Punjab Pakora brand is well positioned to continue pursuing growth.

43. Hamlyns FIRST formed in 1888, Hamlyns is closing in on its 130th birthday, so there are few brands on the market today with a stronger heritage claim.

What started as a local mill in the north east of Scotland has grown significantly over the last 13 decades and is now one of the last old brands standing.

It turns out that the north east of Scotland is about as good as it gets for making quality oats.

Alan Meikle (pictured), managing director of Hamlyns, said that oats need three things to make them really good: long daylight hours, poor soils, and lots of water. The whole country can agree that Aberdeenshire ticks the boxes there.

Hamlyns may be a traditional brand but, as Meikle said to Scottish Grocer earlier, contemporary trends have reshaped its performance over the course of the year.

He said: “When I first came here, it was huge sales in the

winter, low sales in the summer, that’s what you would notice in terms of retail packs.

“The big difference is that oats and porridge oats have become the sexy breakfast cereal, because they are natural and good for you.

“That has increased the volume of oat sales and it has also flattened that curve so more people are eating it in the summer, so it’s not such a huge increase in the winter.

There’s still an increase in the winter, but it’s not such a huge increase.”

Looking to the future, Meikle reckons the key will be to understand the market and the team at Hamlyns have their finger on the pulse, looking to see how things will shake out in the wake of the pandemic.

44.

Calder Millerfield Scottish classics are the name of the game at Calder Millerfield, with a portfolio that includes Scotch pies, mince rounds, bridies and more, Calder Millerfield was founded by John Calder in 1961, trading from premises on Millerfield Road in Dalmarnock, in Glasgow’s east end.

The brand began life as a supplier to chip shops and canteens, but by the 1980s it had diversified into supplying the retail trade, catching its first break with The Co-op.

Today the brand covers the majority of Scotland and the north of England.

Its branded and own-label products can be found in Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Scotmid stores.

Calder Millerfield continues to operate as a family business.

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Punjab Pakora pride themselves on being the leading Scottish supplier of authentic Indian pakoras and other snacks

Catering for allIndian occasions The best Authentic cuisine In 2013 Kushal and Vinita had a vision to bring authentic hand-made Indian cuisine to the people of Scotland, and Punjab Pakora Ltd was created. Beginning with a small factory in Ayr and supplying a few local supermarkets, Punjab 9 Crown Street, Ayr, KA8 8AG to providing the best quality their products proved to be loved

by Pakora, the people of Scotland.

The commitment great tasting food led to expansion into what has now become a workforce of over 40 experienced staff. Punjab www.punjabpakora.co.uk | www.punjabpakora.com Pakora Ltd is now one of the fastest growing Indian food suppliers with over eight Indian snacks and four curries Made in Ayrshire, available throughout Scotland. Punjab Pakora Ltd strive always UK to innovate in an ever changing market, bringing new products, seasonal and permanent to market to ensure consumers have the widest range of choice possible.

Catering for all occasions For Wholesale/Supply enquiries please contact: Dhruv Duggal Dhruv@punjabpakora.co.uk 07472639920

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Punjab Pakora, 9 Crown Street, Ayr, KA8 8AG www.punjabpakora.co.uk | www.punjabpakora.com Made in Ayrshire, UK

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Scottish brands 2021

45. Scottish Favourites STRATHMORE Foods’ Scottish Favourites range continues to offer consumers a selection of classic dishes in a convenient format.

The Scottish Favourites range offers shoppers a selection of affordable meals in minutes, with variants including Macaroni Cheese, Black Pudding Slices, Scotch Pies, Macaroni Pies, Stovies, Haggis Neeps and Tatties, and Haggis and

Mince.

Neil MacRae, sales manager at Strathmore Foods, commented on the brand’s performance.

“The frozen range of affordable frozen meals and pies continues to prove popular with a loyal customer base, and recent additions to the number of stores in which the brand can be found has resulted in growth of almost 30% year-on-year in the five months to end November.”

46. Stockan’s STOCKAN’S has been baking on the Orkney Islands for over 100 years, giving the brand the kind of provenance and heritage that Scottish consumers love.

Stockan’s offers a variety of traditional Scottish oatcakes, as well as Orkney Beremeal Oatcakes, Mini Original Oatcakes, Mini Cracked Black Pepper Oatcakes, and Mini Cheese

Oatcakes.

The brand has had a successful year, with its Orkney Cheese & MiniOriginal oatcakes both picking up Great Taste Awards in the autumn.

In October 2020, the Orcadian baker secured distribution in New Zealand in time for Christmas, making Stockan’s a truly worldwide brand.

47. Stoats

STOATS finds itself in the Top 50 Scottish brands for the third second year in succession.

The brand, which started life as a porridge food truck business for festival goers, is now responsible not only for a broad range of instant porridge varieties, but also its children’s snack bar range dubbed ‘Stoaters’.

Designed with children in mind, the Stoaters range includes real fruit pieces and contains no added sugar or artificial flavourings.

Stoats also offers a selection of porridge oat bars aimed at adults, with flavours including Raspberry & Honey, Blueberry & Honey, and Apple & Cinammon flavours. Its instant porridge is available in both porridge pouch and porridge pot formats.

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Serving healthy sales in Scotland NUMBER

43

IN THE KANTAR WORLDPANEL TOP 50 SCOTTISH FOOD & DRINK BRANDS

For all sales enquiries please contact: THE JFK PARTNERSHIP LTD

Tel: 01343 541496 Email: sales@jfkpartnership.com

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Scottish brands 2021

48. Castle Maclellan CASTLE MacLellan proudly produces fine Scottish pate, using local high-quality ingredients from its Dumfries & Galloway home of Kirkcudbright.

As a business, the firm is committed to using local suppliers, which it reckons is part of its appeal to Scottish consumers.

Castle Maclellan is currently the number one branded pate in the UK and has continued to grow in 2021, following on from a very successful 2020.

Growth has been driven in part by the success of our Smoked Salmon pate infused with Hills & Harbour gin which launched into Waitrose & Partners in 2020.

Castle MacLellan is a unique business, in that it is part of Kavli Trust whereby any profits which aren’t reinvested back into the business are donated to good causes both locally and globally.

One of the good causes sup-

ported by Castle MacLellan was the Kirkcudbright Scout Hall improvement project, who received a £19,000 donation so they were able to undertake work to ensure they had a modern and user-friendly facility.

May Sloan, Senior NPD Manager at Castle MacLellan said “We are thrilled to have moved up a place in the top 50 Scottish Brands after making the list for the first time in 2020.

We are delighted with the success the brand is having driv-

49. Swankies BACK in the top 50 for the second year in a row, Swankies is a frozen fish staple with strong distribution across supermarket channels.

The brand may have benefited from restrictions on hospitality, which forced shoppers to spend more time dining at home.

Swankies is produced by Aberdeen-based fishing company Joseph Robertson. Joseph Robertson is also behind the ‘Get Hooked’ fish brand.

Core branded product lines produced by Joseph Robertson include coated fillets, tradition-

al fishcakes and melting centre fishcakes.

Joseph Robertson was founded in 1878, and the company is now in its fourth generation of family ownership.

Robertson has done well to recover from a devastating fire which completely destroyed its factory in December of 2005.

To find its Swankies brand among the top 50 Scottish brands 15 years later is testament to the firm’s ability to bounce back from adversity and provide quality products which consumers seek out.

en by the listings in major retailers such as Waitrose & Partners, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. We have exciting plans for Castle MacLellan in the pipeline for 2022 driven by our chef led on site development team.”

50. Macleans Highland Bakery MACLEANS Highland Bakery specialises in bread and rolls, morning goods, cakes and savouries.

Its range includes everything from Girdle and Potato Scones to muffins and pancakes.

The brand’s savouries range includes Scotch, Macaroni, Steak, Chicken and Haggis pies.

The Maclean family was previously part of the Stag Bakery in Stornoway, before moving to Forres in 1978 to take over what was then called Bakery James Thain.

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