Mrs Crimble's makes gluten-free waves across the pond
The firm has also scooped 16 new listings in Morrisons due to hit shelves in September, and additional business with Tesco (for its gluten free sage & onion stuffing mix), and Holland & Barratt (which will stock its gluten-free chocolate macaroons from October), md Jeremy Woods told FoodManufacture.co.uk.
The Morrisons listings include apple and ginger cakes, crackers, macaroons, Bakewell slices, double chocolate brownies, a dumpling mix and cheese bites.
"We benchmark all our gluten free products against the best mainstream alternatives so they can be enjoyed by everyone,” said Woods, who has also secured listings for Mrs Crimble's products in Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and Dubai.
“With one in five of us regularly buying gluten free foods, people now see Mrs Crimble’s as representing a lifestyle choice, not just a brand for those who are gluten intolerant.”
Double-digit growth
The Mrs Crimble’s brand was generating double-digit growth and had recently won new listings in Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco, said Woods, who believes that free-from products should be merchandised alongside conventional counterparts to ensure they are visible to a broader group of shoppers.
“I’ve been fairly vocal about this. I want to be on the main fixture. Something like 20% of the population regularly buys into the free-from category. That’s a big business opportunity."
He added: “Mrs Crimble’s has managed to maintain its presence in this market because it is a strong brand but also because we look beyond the free-from category.
“But I don’t see the growth as coming just from the supermarkets. We’re looking at alternative channels from single-serve products for cafes and restaurants to independent retailers and convenience store chains.”
