Retail News|February 2021|www.retailnews.ie|29
Kind Snacks
A Kind of magic! Since January 2019, Kind has grown from being the No. 14 singles brand to the No. 1 singles brand in the fruit, nut, cereal category. NOW in its third year on the Irish market, Kind is continuing to grow from strength to strength, breaking into new categories and climbing from the No. 14 singles brand in the fruit, nut & cereal category to the number one position in the space of just over a year. Kind launched in Ireland in partnership with Mars in January 2019, bringing to the market five flavours in its core range, including the bestselling Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt. In response to the growing consumer trend, Kind Protein launched in May 2019, quickly gaining strong distribution through not only convenience and
The most recent addition to the Kind range: Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate.
grocery but non-traditional retail such as gym and pharmacy. Kind launched its breakfast range in September 2020 in multipack format, proving very popular in the changing landscape of shopper behaviour. Kind recently launched its newest flavour, Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate, a combination of its two best-selling flavours: Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt and Caramel Almond Sea Salt. Sustainability a key concern Sustainability is important to Kind, and they know it is equally important to their community. In 2020, Kind took a number of steps to becoming more environmentally conscious, including moving supply chain from the US to Europe and the UK to reduce its carbon footprint and removing palm oil from most of its recipes. In close partnership with Mars, Kind is evaluating non-plastic packaging alternatives, like biodegradable/ compostable materials, that meet its food safety and brand equity needs. Like Mars, Kind is a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Flexible packaging is not accepted in most global recycling infrastructure systems. However, Kind is actively looking for solutions, like alternative materials, for wrappers. In August 2020, Kind announced its commitment to become the first snack company to exclusively source
its almonds from bee-friendly farmland across the globe by 2025. Almonds are the lead ingredient in most of Kind’s 80+ products and the company’s number one ingredient by both volume and spend. By collaborating directly with farmers, suppliers, researchers and other leading brands, Kind aims to significantly expand the usage of bee-friendly practices among almond farmers What’s next for Kind in 2021? Kind will continue to expand into new categories, with a strong innovation pipeline from the US business, including a sharing bag and multipacks across all ranges. In 2021, Kind will focus on its mission to build a kinder world through purposeled initiatives, encouraging people to be kind to themselves, their communities and their world. Kind has seen the important role that kindness plays in mental health, especially through the darkest days of the pandemic, and so it is kicking off the year with a campaign called ‘exercise kindness’. Kind is proud to partner with Pieta House in 2021 to help raise vital funds to help the charity continue the important work it does in the prevention and de-stigmatisation of suicide in Ireland. Kind is available in impulse, convenience and grocery retailers nationwide, as well as gyms, pharmacies and cafes. Kind currently has nine flavours in its core and Protein range and three flavours in the breakfast range – available in both single and multipack. Kind’s journey in Ireland is just getting started; now is the time to give Kind a try!
