Free-from and vegan chocolate makers Moo Free have announced its latest Christmas line-up with four new SKUs and four returning favourites, offering an inclusive range for all dietary needs this Christmas.
Moo Free don’t just focus on making free-from chocolate, they also send zero waste to landfill and support cocoa farmers by using ethically sourced Rainforest Alliance cocoa.
Each year, Moo Free’s seasonal range increases in popularity and is contributing to the B-Corp certified, family-run, free from chocolatiers gaining distribution in the major supermarkets for its award-winning chocolate.
In 2024, Moo Free’s Christmas line-up includes exciting new innovations, that are fun-filled spins on some favourite Yuletide characters and classic seasonal items. The latest NPD to join Moo Free’s festive line-up is the Yummy Tummy Santa RRP £5, Snowy Road Cracker RRP £4, Chrimbo Pud RRP £4.75 and Jingle Chums RRP 80p. Like the rest of the Moo Free range, each product is guaranteed to be free from dairy, gluten and soya and 100% vegan.
Yummy Tummy Santa RRP £5: A "milk" chocolate Santa figure in a brightly coloured gift box, filled with fluffy marshmallows and creamy white chocolate pieces.
Snowy Road Cracker RRP £4: A cracker-shaped treat that opens to reveal a medley of free-from and vegan white chocolate smothered raisins, rice balls, marshmallows and ‘bunnycomb’ (vegan honeycomb).
Chrimbo Pud RRP £4.75: Presented in an illustrated gift box, this Christmas pudding is a ‘milk’ chocolate hollow ball of Moo Free’s award-winning, Rainforest Alliance chocolate topped with a white chocolate ‘drip.’
Jingle Chums RRP 80p: The ideal pre-Christmas treat, these new festive favourites are made from Moo Free’s tasty Rainforest Alliance ‘milk’ chocolate. Each snack sized bar has a different surprise Christmas character inside, from a penguin, cheeky gingerbread man and snowman to Santa.
This year also sees the return of Moo Free’s popular Advent Calendars, in “milk” and white chocolate, its novelty Santa Shaped “Milk” Choc Bar and its white Choccy Snowballs.
Moo Free "milk" chocolate Advent Calendar RRP £4.90: Using Rainforest Alliance cocoa, every time shoppers open their advent door, they are helping protect the planet and farmers who source Moo Free’s tasty chocolate
Moo Free white chocolate Advent Calendar RRP £4.90: An alternative advent calendar option, the perfect way for free-from white chocolate lovers to start their day in the lead-up to Christmas
Moo Free ‘milk’ chocolate Santa Bar RRP £1: This novelty Santa Bar is perfect for popping into someone’s stocking as a tasty surprise, made with the same tasty, ethical “milk” chocolate as its advent calendars
Moo Free white Choccy Snowballs RRP £1.40: Moo Free’s white Choccy Snowballs are crispy, gluten free rice balls smothered in their award-winning Rainforest Alliance dairy-free white chocolate, a perfect Christmas snack on-the-go.
As with all Moo Free products, the festive range doesn’t use any single-use plastic, and the packaging can be fully recycled.
Andrea Jessop, CEO of Moo Free says: “If you’re a chocolate lover, but you suffer with allergies or follow a plant-based diet, festive season celebrations can be a frustrating time. At Moo Free, we have set out to change that. We have sourced the highest quality cocoa, without compromising on taste or product quality, to create these delicious products, that will bring excitement to everyone’s gifting and celebrations.
“The free from chocolate category continues to grow, hence at Christmas shoppers expect to find more alternatives to standard confectionery, and look to retailers to stock broader ranges. This presents stores with a great opportunity, when it comes to chocolate for the festive season. Thanks to Moo Free, this Christmas everyone can enjoy delicious chocolate, and know they’re being sustainable too.”
Natural cheese slice brand Leerdammer will launch its new “Incognito” TV advertising campaign on 20 January – aiming to drive memorability with consumers by tapping into the brand’s “Deliciously Different” positioning and comedic tone of voice.
Based on the insight that Leerdammer’s mild and nutty flavour profile is truly irresistible, keeping consumers coming back time and time again, the ad sees a shopper returning to a supermarket sampling counter ‘incognito’ in various disguises, to enjoy multiple tastes of the cheese.
Expected to reach over 7.6m ABC1 25-45 consumers, the campaign will promote Leerdammer’s flagship slices range – Leerdammer Original Slices and Leerdammer Light Slices – across BVOD and YouTube advertising. With a total investment of more than £800k, the first phase of advertising will run from 20 January to 9 February, to be followed with activity in May and September – supported with proximity six-sheets, as well as online and in-store activations.
The new ad scored highly in testing, with a 98 per cent Awareness Index and an outstanding ability to generate sales in the short-term (95 per cent). As well as excellent cut-through potential and strong persuasion, with an excellent ability to build the brand positioning.
“We know that Leerdammer’s mild and nutty flavour profile keeps consumers coming back for more and this new advert brings this to life brilliantly, while playing to the brand’s unique, fun tone of voice,” said Heloise Le Norcy-Trott, Group Marketing Director for Lactalis UK & Ireland.
“We expect the ad to drive brand memorability and strengthen engagement with shoppers – new and existing, in turn increasing purchase intent and basket size. And overall, we hope it encourages shoppers to return ‘time and time again’ for a taste of Leerdammer!”
Kellogg’s has announced the launch of a new Caramel flavour to its Coco Pops Chocos range.
The new addition follows the launch of Coco Pops Chocos in 2023, which was crowned top spot in the cereal category of last year’s Product of the Year awards.
Like the original Coco Pops Chocos, the new variant comprises curved, crunchy cocoa shells, but with an exciting caramel twist.
Food developers have created a balanced blend of rich roasted cocoa and creamy caramel, with the shells expertly cooked and shaped to give their signature crunchy texture.
All of Kellogg’s children’s cereals are non-HFSS including this new Coco Pops variant. It’s also high in fibre, forming part of Kellogg’s continued efforts to help families make healthier choices in the morning.
“We’re excited to be expanding our kids’ cereal line-up with this delicious Coco Pops Chocos addition,” Lejla Damon, shopper marketing & kids brand manager, Kellogg’s UKI said.
“It’s high in fibre, a delicious blend of chocolatey caramel flavour, and wonderfully crunchy. One for the whole family to enjoy!”
Coco Pops Chocos Caramel joins Kellogg’s diverse range of cereals, continuing its legacy of being the ‘OG of breakfast’. This legacy has been amplified by Kellogg’s £75m investment into its Wrexham cereal factory, set to more than double its production capacity – its largest single investment into British cereal production in over 30 years.
The new flavour will be available for shoppers to buy from January. Each 420g pack is £3.29 RRP.
Sweet maker Swizzels has unveiled a brand-new limited-edition product in time for Valentine’s Day, combining two of its most-loved brands into one treat: Squashies Love Hearts.
Offering a fresh twist on two popular classics, the new Squashies Love Hearts combine Squashies’ signature soft texture with the iconic and timeless messages of Love Hearts.
Squashies remain the No. 1 sugar confectionery brand in the market, while Love Hearts see consistent growth, with 950,000 units sold during the Valentine’s period and a 10 per cent year-on-year growth in brand value. Building on this success, Swizzels has combined the two household names to create a fast-moving and profitable addition to any retailer’s offering.
Available in 120g bags and sold in cases of 12, each foam sweet is embossed with a fun message or emoji, making them ideal for sharing with a loved one. Messages include "KISS", "WOW", "FAB", and "LOVE", alongside two cheerful and romantic emojis, adding a playful touch.
With an MRSP of £1.15, the new product retains the classic colours and flavours of traditional Love Hearts, including Pineapple, Lime, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Cherry, and Orange.
Swizzels’ Love Hearts range remains a Valentine’s Day favourite, led by the popular 39g Giant Love Hearts rolls, which outsell any other Valentine’s SKU with 621,000 units sold during the season.
Other fan-favourites from the range include Love Hearts Originals Hanging Bags, the 15g mini Love Hearts rolls and Giant Love Hearts multipacks.
“We’re excited to introduce a delicious and innovative new product that combines two of our most popular brands, delivering the same moreish flavours and signature texture - with an added twist," said trade marketing manager Clare Newton.
“Squashies Love Hearts bring something new to retailers’ offering, appealing to shoppers looking for unique yet familiar treats for themselves or as a special gift to someone else.
“Our Valentine’s range is all about sharing the love, regardless of relationship status - whether it’s romantic love, familial love or friendship and we hope the new Squashies Love Hearts will help to do just that.”
The launch is part of a broader campaign, featuring national research that explores how love and Valentine’s Day have evolved, and examining how the ways people express and seek love have changed over the years.
KP Snacks has today named Tom Grennan, one of the UK’s biggest solo pop music artists, as its official popchips ambassador. The new partnership between the beacon “Better for You” brand and the pop star taps into popchips’ positive, feel-good positioning while enhancing the brand’s relevance.
As an ambassador, Tom Grennan will perform at a special event delivered by popchips in May. Tickets to this exclusive event will be available as prizes in a brand new on-pack promotion running across the popchips portfolio from 27 January until the end of March. Featuring a flash of Tom holding a single popchip and microphone, the on-pack also offers consumers the chance to win cash prizes and tickets to leading UK festivals.
To celebrate Tom Grennan becoming a popchips ambassador, the brand will be supported by a £1m media investment with a campaign running across OOH and social media channels, as well as audio platforms including Spotify.
Building on the passion people have for music, popchips is proud to be the exclusive snack brand partner of the Latitude Festival for the second consecutive year. This year, the brand has extended its festival partnership with the addition of The Isle of Wight Festival, growing its reach within key cultural moments and driving its association with feel-good occasions. To further engage consumers, popchips will deliver exciting new marketing activations across both festivals.
“We are delighted to announce Tom Grennan as the official popchips ambassador," said Alex Callender, Brand Manager at popchips. "As a brand known for its positive energy, we are committed to tapping into culturally relevant moments in our consumers’ lives to drive a stronger emotional connection and boost brand penetration. By sponsoring two key UK festivals, we are taking this one step further, engaging consumers in an exciting setting and giving our leading ‘Better for You’ brand true differentiation.”
Worth £42.7m, popchips is the number two healthier brand in the CSN market with a 14 per cent share of the Healthier Snacking segment. Available in a variety of flavours and formats, the entire popchips range is non-HFSS. The new on-pack promotion will run across the entire popchips range including sharing, multipack, single and price-marked pack formats.
Confectionery challenger brand Bebeto is kicking off 2025 with a ground-breaking debut: its first-ever Valentine’s range featuring innovative liquid-filled technology.
You Melt My Heart liquid-filled gummy soft hearts contain two delicious flavours – Strawberry and Cherry – each with a luscious raspberry liquid filling for an extra-special touch. They are available in 130g hanging bags (£1 SSP) and 400g heart-shaped tubs (SSP £3), making the perfect Valentine’s gift or to share and show someone you care. To make them even sweeter, they contain no artificial colours or flavours and are halal certified.
Bebeto’s cutting-edge liquid-filling technique transforms traditional, firm, gummy sweets into gooey, flavour-packed treats with a juicy, melt in the mouth centre inside each foam-backed gummy, delivering a fun, sensory experience unlike any other. “Liquid-filled technology is one of the most exciting trends in confectionery today,” says Phil Hulme, Commercial Director at Kervan Gida UK.
“It’s particularly popular with Gen Z, who love experimenting with bold flavours and textures. We’re thrilled to lead the way with this innovation and offer UK consumers a unique, high-quality confectionery experience this Valentine’s. This marks an exciting new chapter for the Bebeto brand in the UK. Seasonal offerings have played a pivotal role in driving our growth, as demonstrated by the remarkable success of our Halloween range. Building on this momentum, we are expanding our seasonal portfolio in 2025 with fresh, innovative product developments that help bring even more joy to consumer celebrations.”
While the liquid-filling process requires advanced technology and extra production time, Bebeto is committed to keeping prices competitive, ensuring these premium treats remain accessible to all. Look out for further exciting liquid-filled NPD from Bebeto this year.
Rolling out from January, Bebeto’s You Melt My Heart range will be available in Spar UK and also through Parfetts Cash and Carry.