Coldpress said it has been enjoying “staggering uplift” in their smoothie sales following new listings in 2020 with NISA, foodservice specialist Freshfayre and health and wellness wholesaler CLF.
The brand undertook an extensive makeover at the end of the last year, enhancing everything from the clarity of its brand messaging and packaging to its recipes and website.
In addition, Coldpress has also become the country’s first HPP juice & smoothie portfolio with added vitamins, following consumer feedback.
“Today’s consumers have a much better understanding of acceptable daily intakes (of sugar) and by providing smoothies with a wealth of beneficial extras - the first traditional smoothies with added vitamins, the first of any to include vitamin D, flavour marriages that win blind taste tests of account of being HPP produced - Coldpress smoothies are now at the forefront of the premium smoothies revival,” commented Andrew Gibb, Coldpress founder.
Coldpress smoothies also provide superior shelf lives (up to x 3 those offered by traditional pasteurised smoothies) courtesy of HPP and upgraded flavour formats.
Coldpress’s traditional smoothie portfolio (250ml) includes: Mango Passion Fruit, Strawberry Banana and Pineapple, Banana Coconut.
Chinese vape firm Vozol has announced the launch of two new open-system products in the UK and European markets in December.
Ace Max is specially crafted for those who seek top-tier quality and a premium vaping experience. Made from high-quality zinc alloy, similar to the materials used in Louis Vuitton accessories, it seamlessly combines durability with luxury.
Featuring the world's first and largest touchscreen, at 1.47 inches, consumers can enjoy effortless operation without the hassle of physical buttons or complicated menus.
The product offers three interactive thematic modes to choose from.
The Classic Space Launch theme is designed for adventurers; the Racing Speed Mode is tailored for thrill-seekers; and the Barbie Pink Heart Launch theme, adorned with playful heart motifs and eye-catching effects, is perfect for those who appreciate aesthetics.
Ace Go is the ideal choice for savvy vapers seeking high quality without overspending.
Constructed from lightweight aluminium alloy—widely used in aeroplane wings—this product is designed for easy portability, making it perfect for travel and sports. Its unique triangular screen allows users to stand out in a sea of conventional rectangular displays.
Nescafé has collaborated with the ultimate break-brand, KitKat, to create a delicious chocolate flavour latte.
The Nescafé KitKat Latte hits shop shelves this week and combines the best of both worlds, bringing together the rich flavours of Nescafé coffee with the signature chocolatey-wafer taste of KitKat.
This indulgent coffee joins a full line-up of other Nestlé confectionery collaborations, including Aero Peppermint and Quality Street Green Triangle. The line-up is proving to be popular with consumers as both the Nescafé Peppermint Aero Mocha and Nescafé Quality Street Mocha are the top two best-selling new products across in-home coffee, year to date [Circana & Kantar, Average 4w/e 02.11.24].
Each crafted with fresh milk, the frothy lattes and mochas deliver a sweet taste, balanced aroma and creamy texture, with a serving coming in at under 100 calories when prepared according to instruction.
“We are thrilled to continue our collaborations with iconic Nestlé confectionery brands. The chocolatey-wafer flavour of KitKat perfectly complements the aromas of Nescafé coffee. We’re excited to be bringing more unique and indulgent experiences to coffee lovers in the UK,” Ingrid Hayes, marketing director for Nescafé at Nestlé UK & Ireland said.
“We’re also proud of the fact that real milk goes into the Nescafé frothy coffee range, produced here in the UK at our Dalston site, with milk sourced from dairy farms across Ayrshire and Cumbria.”
Through Nestlé’s partnership with First Milk, the business works with 85 farmers in a dairy operative across Cumbria and Ayrshire to provide high-quality fresh milk for brands made in the UK, such as KitKat and Nescafé Frothy Coffee.
Through the partnership, Nestlé’s goal is to lessen environmental impact by improving the sustainability and efficiency of the supply chain. Each farmer receives a ’sustainability bonus’ for taking practical measures that protect and enhance natural assets on their land.
Nescafé KitKat Latte is available in stores nationwide from 16 December. Each portion comes in an individual sachet, making it easy to enjoy this delicious latte at home or on the go, any day of the week.
Faustino, distributed by Amber Beverage Group UK, is the largest vineyard owner in Rioja with a long commitment to the traditional style of the region’s wines. With over 160 years of family winemaking history, Faustino’s wealth of knowledge makes it the leader in Gran Reserva wines in the Rioja region. With its exceptional quality and taste – Faustino continues to perform well in the UK retail market, and volume sales have increased by +13 per cent since 2022.
Elevated affordability
Affordability remains a key concern for many this Christmas, as 53 per cent of consumers worry about how they will afford presents. However, 55 per cent of consumers are also willing to pay full price for important gifts, meaning stocking products that resonate with consumers’ gifting needs will be essential.
This is the perfect time for retailers to stock premium wines at a price point that is still accessible and good value for money, as consumers continue to buy less, but better-quality wines, not only for personal consumption, but for gifting hosting and gifting loved ones.
For example, Faustino I Gran Reserva – the flagship from Bodegas Faustino – is a quality wine at an accessible price point of £18. Celebrating its 60th vintage this year, it is the leading Rioja Gran Reserva in export markets and available in more than 140 countries.
It is complex and elegant, with fruity and spicy notes, pairing well with medium-aged cheese used for creating festive charcuterie boards.
A Rosé-coloured Christmas
Whilst most consumers have traditionally opted for red and sparkling wines at Christmas, 56 per cent of drinkers consider Rosé suitable for drinking all year round including the festive season. Rosé is ideal for the social gatherings that take place around Christmas and New Year. Faustino has enhanced the consumer experience of its VII Rosado with new packaging that includes food pairing suggestions, such as fish, traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. This caters to the 70 per cent of millennials who seek wines that complement their culinary preferences.
The conscious Christmas consumer
This Christmas, consumers are predicted to be more mindful of their buying habits, with almost half intending to buy from sustainable brands and 21 per cent willing to spend more on them.
Consumers looking for more sustainable gifting options could reach for a bottle of Faustino, as its rebranded labels are made of 100 per cent recyclable materials and the V range has changed from a matte bottle to a clear bottle, resulting in lower CO2 output – making it particularly appealing to the 63 per cent of Millennials who say they are concerned about climate change.
In the hubbub that builds before Christmas, it’s easy to understand how an out-of-touch person might momentarily have lost sight of the fact that January 4 is National Spaghetti Day.
In an age of countless fancy twirled & tubed pasta shapes, its reassuring to know that it’s the straight-talking, thin lined spaghetti that retains top status throughout the globe with especially high sales currently being registered in China, Canada Japan, North America and Germany.
In total, 18m tonnes of spaghetti is consumed globally every year!
A new organic pasta offering from Realfoods by Organico originates from a small batch producer in Bari Puglia where "slow" is the name of the game, whether it's the slow proving of the dough or the extra time drying; taking time plays a pivotal role in producing a superior product.
Realfoods by Organico uses best-in-class durum wheat and pure spring water, not to mention old-school bronze plates from times gone by (the finest traditional pasta is extruded through dies—perforated bronze plates that both cut and shape). But it’s not rushing that creates the real point of difference versus rapidly extruding, mass market, conveyor-belt peers.
Spaghetti, as any well briefed pasta aficionado will explain, derives from the word "Spago" which means twine or string. Whilst many Sicilians will claim that spaghetti is a home-grown delicacy, there’s a growing body of evidence which suggests spaghetti is actually an "Arab-inspired" food introduced by traders to the Sicilian shores, who were keen to enjoy the manifold benefits of an easily stored dried food that could sustain them as they travelled the arduous Silk Road to China (which also lays claim to the primal noodle).
So, when the last slice of turkey has been polished off and the cranberry sauce and mince pies are nothing more than a distant memory, it might be wise to ensure some Organico pasta is in the larder, maybe even some Organico Arrabbiata, Vegan Bolognese or Puttanesca sauces.
Inspired by Spotify Wrapped and a Year in Monzo, retailer Haypp has revealed what a year of spending on vapes looked like for Brits in 2024. From the most popular flavours to the most purchased brands, this year’s data provides an interesting insight into the current vape market.
The sales data from Haypp reveals the importance of flavours in encouraging smokers to switch from cigarettes to less harmful alternatives.The data shows that fruit flavours, in particular, were far more popular than flavours such as tobacco or menthol.
With over 7,000 different vape flavours available in the UK, Pineapple Ice by Lost Mary came out as the favourite of the year, with six per cent of sales coming from this product. Watermelon by Elf Bar is the second most popular vape flavour, with 3.7 per cent of customers opting for the fruit-flavoured vape. Elf Bar’s Mad Blue completes the top three, with 3.1 per cent of vapers choosing the fruit flavour.
Top 10 most loved vape products in 2024 were:
Lost Mary 20mg 600 Pineapple Ice
Elf Bar 20mg 600 Watermelon
Elf Bar 20mg 600 Mad Blue
Lost Mary 20mg 600 Strawberry Ice
Elf Bar 20mg 600 Snoow Tobacco
Lost Mary 20mg 600 Menthol
Elf Bar 20mg 600 Blueberry Raspberry
Lost Mary 20mg 600 Blueberry Sour Raspberry
Elf Bar 20mg 600 Cherry Cola
Elf Bar 20mg 600 Strawberry Raspberry Cherry Ice
Making alternative nicotine products more attractive to adult nicotine users through flavours is vital to reducing smoking rates and smoking related deaths in the UK. However, the availability of a wide variety of flavours must be balanced with preventing youth access to vapes. With this in mind, Haypp does not stock flavours which could potentially appeal to underage vape users, for example candy or energy drink flavours.
When it came to brands, the UK certainly favoured the household names, with Elf Bar and Lost Mary dominating market share (38.7 per cent and 29.5 per cent respectively). The next favourite, Vuse, made the top three with a 13 per cent market share.
“The data revealed a clear favourite when it comes to vape brands, but with so many flavours available to vape users, it was no surprise to see more of a split result here," said Haypp's Markus Lindblad. "It’s also interesting to see that, generally, Brits steer away from tobacco flavoured vapes and instead find exotic fruit flavours like pineapple and watermelon the most appealing. With just two per cent opting for the menthol flavour, it’s clear that alternative flavours are important for many who have taken the decision to switch from cigarettes to vapes.
Research from our insights department shows that quitters usually start off with a tobacco flavoured vape, but after a while, they move on to other flavours, especially fruity ones. Smokers, as they move away from cigarettes, also want to move away from the taste of tobacco. This is why flavours are such an important part of the decision to switch and stay off cigarettes for many people and also why it is so crucial to take a sensible, balanced approach to flavours in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Banning flavours may have an unintended consequence of reducing the number of people using vapes to quit cigarettes and make some people switch back to smoking.”