Jameson has announced that its brand-new bus will be bringing St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to London on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March, decked out in all its authentic Irish flair. Enlisting one of its close pals, Aisling Bea, to bring cherished Irish humour (with her tongue firmly in her cheek), Aisling will deliver a warm welcome and a safety briefing that’s sure to give passengers a good old Irish laugh before they enjoy the ride.
The Jameson bus is kitted out with everything needed for the best Paddy’s Day ever, complete with a fully-stocked bar so passengers can enjoy some signature Jameson, Ginger & Lime cocktails whilst getting from A to B on the double-decker’s maiden voyage (with their seatbelts on, of course).
On Saturday 16, 10 lucky competition winners will get the chance to shout "sláinte" as they board the bus and make their way through East London’s best Irish haunts. The competition to win a space on the bus will run on Jameson’s Instagram from 4 – 8 March, giving followers the opportunity to experience the spirit of Paddy’s Day in true Jameson style. Once they’ve boarded the bus and received Aisling’s welcome, the first stop will be one of the best Irish pubs outside of the Emerald Isle, The Auld Shillelagh in Stoke Newington. After tasting some delicious Jameson drinks, they’ll then head to SWIFT Shoreditch for the ultimate cocktail masterclass to recreate SWIFT’s award-winning Irish Coffee. The fun doesn’t end there, as guests will then venture to the iconic food and drink hotspot BOXPARK Shoreditch to enjoy a Paddy’s Day party and keep the good times rolling.
"We’re proud to be launching our very own Jameson bus on such a big day for an Irish brand, and St. Patrick’s Day will always hold a special place in our hearts," said Josh McCarthy, Brand Director for Jameson UK. "The attention to detail inside the bus has to be seen to be believed and we can’t wait for as many people as possible to come and join us, raise a glass for the maiden voyage of our Jameson bus and keep your eyes peeled for the bus popping up around the UK in 2024 and beyond."
The bus will also park up outside King’s Cross Station from 12pm-6pm on St. Patrick’s Day itself (17 March). Those passing can join in the St. Patrick’s Day fun and grab a free Jameson, Ginger & Lime cocktail, plus they’ll be in with a chance of winning bar tabs and exclusive Jameson merch.
NEO WTR, Europe’s first ethical spring water brand to use a 100 per cent Prevented Ocean Plastic bottle, has won Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative at the Zenith Global Ltd Global Water Drinks Awards 2024. The industry's only Global Water Drinks Awards took place on Wednesday 29th October 2024 during Zenith Global's 21st Global Water Drinks Congress in Frankfurt, Germany. These prestigious awards celebrate excellence and innovation across every category of the water drinks industry worldwide.
NEO WTR was born out of a simple but powerful idea - to create a bottled water brand that doesn’t contribute to the plastic crisis but actively fights against it. In a world drowning in plastic waste, particularly from the soft drinks industry, NEO WTR’s mission is to transform the way we think about bottled water and packaging.
NEO WTR doesn’t just meet the minimum requirements; it exceeds them. While UK regulations mandate that plastic bottles contain only 30 per cent recycled plastic, NEO WTR uses 100 per cent Prevented Ocean Plastic, a ground-breaking material that supports people and the planet. Each 500ml NEO WTR bottle stops 1.7 plastic bottles from entering the ocean. Each sip helps reduce the harmful effects of ocean-bound plastic, turning discarded waste into a powerful tool for environmental change.
But the brand’s impact goes beyond recycling. NEO WTR’s mission is deeply rooted in a commitment to protect our planet’s most vulnerable coastlines while supporting communities in developing countries. Plastic pollution disproportionately affects these regions, with 80-90 per of ocean plastics originating from developing countries where recycling infrastructure is limited or non-existent. NEO WTR’s partnership with Prevented Ocean Plastic ensures that plastic waste is collected responsibly while providing economic opportunities and better working conditions for local waste collectors.
For Brookfield Drinks’ Managing Director, Nigel McNally, NEO WTR isn’t just about offering an alternative - it’s about leading a transformation. “We knew we couldn’t contribute to the plastic crisis, but we wanted to do more than that. We wanted to create a product that actively works to solve the problem,” says Nigel. “Consumers deserve a sustainable option when they need bottled water on the go, and NEO WTR gives them that option - without compromising on their values or the planet.”
At NEO WTR, we’re proud to say that every 500ml bottle makes a difference. We’ve taken the first step in creating a circular economy, and we’re excited to continue leading the charge for meaningful change in the bottled drinks industry. Together, we can protect what’s irreplaceable - our oceans, our environment, and the communities most affected by plastic pollution.
Nomadic has launched "Power Pots", its latest foray into protein-rich products and the company’s fourth launch of 2024. The duo of flavours - Chocolate Brownie and Smooth Caramel – feature a combination of vanilla yogurt with granola, plus chocolate brownie or caramel pieces.
Each pot features 20g of protein, plus 100 per cent of daily vitamin D and gut-friendly cultures, which all support immunity. This ‘trifecta’ of ingredients ticks an important box for Nomadic’s core consumers, which it describes as ‘hard-working busy people on the go’ – and who want satisfying, filling, foods which don’t compromise on taste.
And it’s a focus on taste that has driven the company’s choice of flavours with Smooth Caramel and Chocolate Brownie – effectively layering indulgence on top of the functional benefits of these products.
Power Pots appear in a similar format as the company’s best-selling Yogurt and Oat Clusters – which have helped Nomadic maintain its position as the No.1 Chilled Yogurt & Desserts brand in Convenience (Circana, 12 w/e 4/8/24, Chilled Yogurts and Protein Desserts, Total Convenience). As per usual, each pot also features a convenient wooden spoon.
“These are another part of our line-up that neatly combines ‘power’ – protein, gut health and vitamin D - with great taste," said Michelle Bloom, Nomadic’s marketing manager. "We’re sure these will be a big hit with hard-working consumers looking for both function and flavour.”
KTC Edibles Ltd (KTC), the UK’s largest supplier of edible oils, has launched Super High-Oleic Frying Oil, a traceable high-performance and long-life frying oil.
HOPO is blended using 100% traceable, organic, carbon-neutral RSPO Certified Sustainable Identity Preserved (IP) high oleic palm oil sourced directly from Daabon, a global leader in sustainable agriculture. KTC Super Hi Oleic can be offered with full traceability back to Daabon’s CI Tequendama SAS mill in Northern Colombia, providing complete visibility and zero deforestation guarantees - all the data customers need to comply with their obligations under the new European Union Deforestation Regulation (EU DR).
DAABON’s carbon-neutral organic palm oil has a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculated CO2eq of -977kg per tonne, cradle to gate. The LCA was conducted using Ecopalma’s carbon footprint estimation tool, harmonised with the ISO 14067 standard.
This traceability offers other sustainability benefits, allowing customers to calculate their Scope 3 emissions - and because it’s sourced from Daabon, a global leader in sustainable agriculture, it can be an effective way for companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their frying operations.
Gary Lewis, Sales Director at KTC Edibles, explains, "Super Hi Oleic offers the gold standard in sustainable, high-performance, long-life frying oils. We believe in offering consumers innovative new products that not only meet their culinary needs but also align with their values and sustainability goals. This is a giant leap forward in the industry, and we're proud to be at the forefront of positive change."
The high oleic palm oil used in the product also offers some unique performance advantages. It has higher oxidative stability and smoke point, lower PUFAs (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids) and saturated fats than standard oils. The non-GMO, non-additive formula also provides a long shelf life, a well-balanced fatty acid profile and neutral taste attributes, ensuring it can be blended with other vegetable oils for premium performance at competitive prices.
Created using a natural, non-GMO hybrid of a standard African palm tree and a native Latin American palm tree, high oleic palm oil offers significantly higher crop yields than standard palm. It also requires manual pollination leading to additional employment, helping boost the local economy - the costs of which are offset by the higher yields.
Super Hi Oleic Frying Oil is the latest addition to KTC's range of certified sustainable, traceable and responsibly sourced palm oil products for bakery, food manufacturers and fryers in the UK.
TRIP, the UK’s fastest-growing soft drinks brand for the past two years, is excited to announce the launch of its new Magnesium Gummies.
After taking the market by storm with its award-winning range of functional Mindful Blend drinks, which were its most successful launches ever on Amazon, TRIP is continuing its mission to help people find calm and enjoy the benefits of magnesium in a new and convenient way. The gummies are available for purchase on the TRIP website for £19.60 and soon on Amazon, with plans for wider retail distribution in the coming months.
Boasting a remarkable +389 per cent CAGR over the past two financial years, the brand continues to disrupt the wellness space with innovative products that meet the needs of the modern consumer. In line with TRIP's commitment to quality and taste, these gummies are vegan-friendly, contain no added sugar, and deliver a delicious, juicy Wild Berry flavour experience worthy of their Great Taste award-winning heritage.
Magnesium is fast becoming one of the most talked-about wellness ingredients, with over 1 billion views of the #magnesium tag on Tiktok3 as people seek natural ways to manage fatigue and improve their overall well-being. This surge in popularity is partly fueled by recent trends like the “sleepy girl mocktail,” which combines magnesium and tart cherry juice as a pre-bedtime ritual, and wider recognition of its numerous health benefits, including:
Supporting the normal functioning of the nervous system
Promoting normal energy-yielding metabolism
Helping to reduce tiredness and fatigue
TRIP's Magnesium Gummies are designed to seamlessly integrate into consumers' daily wellness routines, whether as a standalone supplement or in combination with the brand's popular Mindful Blend drinks.
Olivia Ferdi, TRIP Founder, says, “I launched TRIP to help people find their calm in the everyday chaos - with a focus on authentically functional and uniquely delicious products that people love. Building on our mission & Following the overwhelming success of our Mindful Blend drinks, we recognised a growing demand from our community asking us for ways to incorporate new and powerful ingredients into their daily routines.
"We pride ourselves on innovation and expertise crafting the highest quality functional ingredients into award winning delicious formats. We wanted to offer our customers even more ways to find calm in their busy lifestyles, and our new gummies provide just that - a tasty and convenient option for those wanting the health benefits of magnesium without compromising on flavour or quality.”
An eye-catching design created by a customer is bringing a unique appeal to a new limited-edition range of king-size slim papers from the iconic Rizla brand.
The Super Thin Silver papers from the UK’s favourite rolling papers brand* come in three exciting and colourful designs, which form a complete image when placed together.
The final design - featuring an interpretation of Michelangelo’s sculpture David, with each version having a differing vibrant and colourful background - was chosen from more than 580 entries submitted via Instagram for a global competition which reached an audience of more than 2 million people.
The new papers provide retailers with an additional sales opportunity – and further demonstrate how the iconic Rizla brand continues to deliver strong visual appeal backed by unrivalled product quality.
Each bright and colourful pack contains 32 king size papers and is available to buy at an MRRP of just £0.99**.
They represent the latest chapter in Rizla’s unique journey which, for more than two centuries, has seen the brand pioneer major developments in this category – from the world’s first hand-rolling machine to the launch of rolling papers with gum, and papers with cut corners.
Rizla King Size papers were created and introduced to the market in the 1970s and are now the paper of choice for millions of customers worldwide. Indeed, many people now simply refer to Rizla when discussing or buying rolling papers in general.
Yawer Rasool, Consumer Marketing Director UK & Ireland at Imperial Brands, explained: “King size slim papers seem to have lost none of their popularity with customers and that was one of the reasons we decided to add new limited-edition papers to the line-up – and ask our customers to come up with an eye-catching new design which would work with our established brand look.
“The Instagram competition was hugely popular and drew a vast range of entries, meaning our judges had a really tough time picking a winner to be used on the new packs.
“In the end they went for a novel design where each pack works individually but also in combination with the other two to form a larger image. The design truly reflects the unique image of the Rizla brand, delivering the iconic look and feel which continues to appeal to millions of smokers worldwide. We believe the trio of designs will definitely catch the eye of customers to pick up a pack – or even all three!”