Innokin Technology has announced the launch of Lota, a new sub-brand for water-based vaping devices.
Lota combines Innokin’s innovation expertise with Aquios Labs, a new technology firm that enables water-based e-liquid.
Aquios has last month revealed first generation of its technology, AQ30 vape juice, claiming that it can support up to 30 per cent water content, using a combination of specially formulated e-liquid and hardware design. Most traditional vaping devices and e-liquids contain no water at all, and in those that do, the water content is restricted to 3 per cent or less, the firm noted.
Innokin said the partnership offers Lota an innovative new technology and approach to closed vaping systems.
Water-based vaping delivers smoother vapour and faster satisfaction compared to traditional vaping systems, which also reduces the dehydrating qualities of vapour. In addition, water-based vapes operate at a lower temperature compared to their traditional counterparts, which allows for greatly increased chemical stability during the vaping process, the company said.
“Innokin has always believed in embracing new technology. When first introduced to Aquios Labs, our product development team was impressed with the unique advantages of water-based vaping,” George Xia, Innokin Technology co-founder, said.
“Through this exciting partnership, Innokin is proud to launch the Lota brand, offering high performance water-based vaping in our continued quest of tobacco harm reduction across the globe.”
Lota will initially launch with a portfolio of three water-based devices, each with their own position for specific global markets and consumer needs: the Lota Enviro, F600, and Prefilled Pod Kit.
The Lota Enviro is a disposable device with a clear mission to reduce the carbon footprint of typical disposable vapes. Enviro achieves this with a unique paper shell design using recyclable materials and user-recyclable components. After the Enviro has been fully depleted, the device can be disassembled by the end user, and every component aside from the e-liquid reservoir can be fully recycled.
The Enviro launches with 10 flavours and provides a 600-puff lifespan with 2ml e-liquid capacity for European markets.
The Lota F600 is Lota’s flagship disposable vaporizer, targeted for European markets. Offering stylish, comfortable soft-touch surfaces and lightweight simplicity, it represents the ideal entry to vaping for transitioning smokers. The F600 features a 600-puff lifespan and delivers constant 3.6V output, which means consistent performance from the first puff to the last.
The Lota Prefilled Pod Kit integrates Aquios water-based vaping technology into a closed pod system with a rechargeable battery. Each 2ml pod is designed to last for 600 puffs and the battery provides constant 3.6V output for a consistent vaping experience throughout each charge cycle.
Nestlé Confectionery has unveiled its 2025 Easter range, comprising new treats and popular classics.
New for 2025: Milkybar Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Giant Egg, Aero Melts Neapolitan Ice Cream Giant Egg, KitKat Chunky Chocolate Brownie Crunch Incredible Egg, KitKat Mini Eggs Sharing Bag and Rowntree’s Jellytastic Mini Egg Bar.
Ice cream fans can look forward to two new offerings from some of Britain’s most beloved confectionery brands. The Milkybar Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Giant Egg is a delicious mix of half white chocolate shell and half raspberry flavour shell and features a Milkybar Raspberry Ripple Sharing Bag, filled with marbled white and pink raspberry flavour pieces.
Aero Melts Neapolitan Ice Cream Giant Egg combines Neapolitan flavours in a strawberry and vanilla flavour milk chocolate egg and comes with an Aero Neapolitan Sharing Bag containing bubbly milk chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavour melts.
There are two new products to try from KitKat. The indulgent KitKat Chunky Chocolate Brownie Crunch Incredible Egg is a smooth brownie flavoured milk chocolate shell with crunchy biscuit pieces and comes with two KitKat Chunky Double Chocolate Brownie bars.
The new KitKat Mini Eggs Sharing Bag features individually wrapped chocolate eggs filled with crunchy pieces of signature KitKat wafer, perfect for sharing this spring.
The Rowntree’s Randoms egg will return, bringing together Rowntree’s and Nestlé chocolate to create a shell with marshmallow pieces and Rowntree’s fruity flavoured sweets creating a delicious one-of-a-kind Easter egg. Lucky recipients of this egg will also receive a sharing bag of Rowntree’s Randoms.
Rowntree’s has its Jellytastic Mini Egg Bar joining the Easter line up this year. The milk chocolate bar is dotted with fruity flavoured jelly pieces mixing up textures and flavours to make an out of the ordinary treat.
Egg hunts are still part of the fun at Easter, and Nestlé Confectionery has three brands returning this year. The KitKat Easter Egg Hunt pack has eight milk chocolate Easter eggs made with signature KitKat crunchy wafer pieces, ready to be hidden away as part of an Easter Egg hunt activity. Smarties and Milkybar also have packs to join in with the fun.
For a premium experience, the After Eight Premium Egg returns, with a rich mint flavoured dark chocolate shell and a pack of signature After Eight mint chocolate thins.
The Milkybar Mini Egg Block is back again, with crispy milk chocolate mini-inclusions dotted inside a smooth white chocolate bar. Shoppers can expect to see egg offerings from many of the Nestlé Confectionery brands they know and love including KitKat, Aero, Rowntree’s, Lion, Toffee Crisp, Smarties, Munchies, Rolo, Yorkie and Milkybar.
All Nestlé Confectionery chocolate is made using 100% certified Rain Forest Alliance cocoa.
Muesli brand Alpen is to breathe life into the Cereals category with the reveal of a new recipe and redesign across its iconic muesli range. Backed by a £2m value investment into its first major consumer campaign in four years, it marks a significant milestone for the brand with a complete refresh of its cereal range hitting shelves this January.
The relaunch comes hot off the success of Weetabix’s recent investments back into the category, which saw new and consistent growth for its core line of cereals, with attention now turning to delivering similar success for the company’s second biggest brand, Alpen.
As part of its ambitious drive, the relaunched Alpen range features a brand new and improved recipe. Fruit is the number one driver of liking for Muesli lovers, so the new packs will now offer +30 per cent more fruit, delivering an even more delicious and flavoursome taste profile – which achieved a +30 per cent greater preference from consumer trials.
Embracing a more premium and modern brand identity, the new packaging design and branding boasts vibrant, natural illustrations that lean into the delicious, yet nutritious benefits that Alpen brings.
High in fibre, made with 100 per cent natural ingredients, non-HFSS compliant and made with a delicious blend of wholegrains, Alpen is backed by a revitalised message of being a tasty, but healthy choice for breakfast. Packed to the brim with toasted wheat flakes, creamy rolled oats, crunchy nuts and juicy raisins, the relaunch looks to bring Muesli back to its peak in cereal aisles at a key time of year for healthier eating.
“We’re proud to finally reveal our new look and recipe for Alpen, to rekindle that enjoyment of breakfast for Muesli lovers nationally," said Head of Brand Louise Vickers.
“Through a major investment into our product, our packaging and brand, we want to inspire UK consumers who are looking for a naturally delicious, wholesome start to the day that fits with their lifestyle.
“This is a significant new direction for Alpen and what we hope to be a welcome boost to the Cereals category – we’re excited to share more details in the months to come about what we have in store this year to further support our launch and boost Muesli back to its peak!”
Alpen’s new pack and recipe will be rolling out across all major channels, including grocery, retail, wholesale and out of home from 20 January.
The relaunched Alpen Original Muesli and Alpen No Added Sugar Muesli will be made available in new 950g and 550g variants, with +30 per cent more fruit across both formats.
Cadburyis building on its spirit of generosity with the introduction of its Cadbury Dairy Milk Made to Share range. The twelve limited edition on-pack designs for its Cadbury Dairy Milk 180g and 95g PMP bars are all centred around appreciation for each other and encourage shoppers to pick up a bar to share with someone they care about.
The suite of limited-edition bars, which will be available from the end of January, have been created to help shoppers celebrate kindness and drive connection, providing an easy and light-hearted way to spread positivity and recognition for loved ones and life’s everyday tasks. With front-of-pack designs posing questions such as “Who Pays the Subscription?”, “Who Drove?” and “Who Cooked?” to determine who gets the biggest share of chocolate, the playful new riffs on the iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk bars add a novelty to the sharing occasion and create a tongue-in-cheek and collectable gifting opportunity.
Each case of 180g and 95g Cadbury Dairy Milk bars will include three different designs from the suite of twelve, giving shoppers a range of designs to choose from to share with their loved ones. Significant media investment will bring the on-pack scenarios to life in a fun and engaging way, sending shoppers to store to find the bars which resonate the most with them. The extensive campaign will include out-of-home advertising, social activity and PR to drive awareness and excitement of this limited-edition range.
"We are really excited to be launching these limited-edition bars that touch on relatable acts of generosity,” said Connor Gould, Cadbury Dairy Milk Brand Manager at Mondelēz International. “Generosity is at the heart of our brand, so we wanted to make it easier than ever for people say a little extra thank you to those around them in everyday life, and to support retailers to drive sales around the sharing occasion."
Artisanal chocolate producer Gnaw continues to pursue its ambitious sustainable agenda in 2025 with the introduction of new eco-friendly pouches for their iconic Chocolate Buttons.
The state-of-the-art EvoPak RCM is a 100 per cent recyclable paper wrapper, which unlike a majority of its so-called environmentally friendly paper wrapper peers contains no polyethylene, which means it can effortlessly be disposed of in kerbside bins or into bespoke paper recyclable collections.
“EvoPak offers a significant step-change in planet-responsible snacking and confectionery wrappers as a result of significant advances in lightweight, multi-layer structures that preserve shelf-life whilst producing none of the harmful microplastics historically associated with snacking wrappers that unwittingly release harmful microplastics as they break down,” said MD Mike Navarro.
Gnaw is a leading voice within the UK’s thriving artisanal chocolate movement that sets great store by its proud sustainable stance; be that significant investment in clean energy (solar) that provides 70 per cent of its manufacturing needs, rejecting irresponsibly farmed palm oil and prioritising 100 per cent compostable/recyclable wrappers and vegetable inks for its headline chocolate range.
“Our sublime buttons remain a leading light within our ever-expanding premium chocolate portfolio, providing the perfect vehicle for our next sustainable initiative, championing awareness for cutting-edge wrapper technology that helps to address the catastrophic clogging up of seas and rivers with unwelcome micro-plastics,” Navarro concluded.
Eurostar Commodities has announced the launch of its highly anticipated line of regenerative flours, RISE Re:Gen, setting a new standard for sustainability and quality in the food industry.
Available from Feb 1, RISE Re:Gen is poised to redefine how the food industry think about sustainable production of British flour.
RISE Re:Gen is farmed in collaboration with The Green Farm Collective (GFC), a group of British farmers dedicated to regenerative principles.
Founded after the farmers met in the competition, 'Soil Farmer of the Year', GFC believes in regenerative agriculture and the benefits of reduced pesticides, increased carbon capture and improved biodiversity, water, air and soil. All farmers work hard to improve the habitats and biodiversity in all areas of their farms and educate people about its importance through visits and talks.
At the heart of RISE Re:Gen is a commitment to regenerative agriculture – a farming practice that restores soil health, enhances biodiversity, and sequesters carbon. Unlike conventional flours, Rise’s regenerative flours are sourced from farms that prioritise environmental stewardship, ensuring every bag contributes to the health of the planet.
Diane Crabtree, Sales Manager, RISE Re:Gen says; “This is a significant launch for the UK food industry. With RISE Re:Gen, we’re not just offering a product; we’re offering a solution. Our flours are designed to meet the needs of environmentally conscious manufacturers who want to make a positive impact without compromising on taste or consistent performance to meet the needs of consumers.”
Angus Gowthorpe, Farmer & Founding Member of the GFC says; “We chose Eurostar Commodities as a distribution partner, due to their expertise in the supply of speciality flours in the UK and Ireland. It was evident from early on that they understood the importance of regenerative farming practices to ensure the longevity of British farming.
"They were keen to work exclusively with Green Farm Collective as we are all British farmers who are passionate about nurturing and improving soil biodiversity and improving water and carbon retention in the soil.
"All of which helps the environment by reducing carbon output, reducing flood & drought risk in crops, and encouraging wildlife. Eurostar have committed to a long-term partnership with GFC, to grow and develop sales channels for regenerative flour, as they believe wholeheartedly that consumers and industry will want to support regenerative farming in the UK for future sustainability.
"With over 30 years of advising and supplying quality flour to the UK’s food manufacturing, wholesale, and retail sectors, Eurostar have the knowledge, expertise, and passion to put regenerative flour into many products on UK dinner plates in the future.”
RISE Re:Gen is available in two variants in fully recyclable multiply paper sacks;
Strong White Flour, 16kg - Farmed to The Green Farm Collective standards this high quality Strong White Flour provides structure and flexibility for breads, pizzas and products that demand a good strong flour at its base.
·All Purpose Flour, 16kg - Farmed to The Green Farm Collective standards this All-Purpose Flour is a premium product specially developed for general baking applications with sustainable principles that consumers demand.
RISE Re:Gen is sustainably Sourced and grown using regenerative farming methods that promote soil vitality and combat climate change. It is superior quality and crafted to deliver exceptional results in baking and cooking, with a range of options for every culinary need.
The product provides transparency you can trust with detailed information about its journey on the farms right through to the table. By choosing RISE Re:Gen UK food industry play an active part in supporting a more resilient food system. The production facility has been awardedBRCGS standard double AA accreditation for high quality standards.
RISE Re:Gen is available from Eurostar Commodities on 01484 320 516 or visit www.riseregenflour.co.uk for more information.