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5 food and drink manufacturing summer schemes to watch
With summer now in full swing, we have summarised some of the best schemes food and drink manufacturers are running this year.
Whether they are looking to stand out from the crowd or give back to the community, the industry continues to come up with innovative ideas to mark occasions in the calendar.
Warburtons and Morrisons announces holiday crumpet scheme
Bakery brand Warburtons has teamed up with supermarket chain Morrisons to launch the ‘Ask for Ellen’ campaign which offers free crumpets at Morrisons Café locations.
Aimed to provide support to families during the holidays, anyone can ‘Ask for Ellen’ at a Morrisons Café to receive two toasted crumpets, with butter and jam for free.
Available in all 398 locations across the UK between 17 July and 13 August, the scheme comes in response to research commissioned by The Warburtons Foundation which found that 64% of parents are concerned about the additional costs associated with children being at home during the summer holidays.
The initiative is named after Warburtons’ founder, Ellen Warburton, with the business remaining in the family to this day, almost 150 years after it was established.
“Whilst the summer holidays offer a chance for families to enjoy time together, we know that the reality can be very different for many families,” said Jonathan Warburton, the bakery’s chair.
“As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household budgets we wanted to offer a little to support to families through the holidays. Being able to help families across the country is as important to us today as it was to Ellen Warburtons back in 1876.”
Flawsome! go plastic-free on wonky juice
Fruit juice brand Flawsome! has announced it is attaching paper straws in paper packaging to all its cartons, becoming the first brand in the UK within the kids category to do so.
The new Wonky Fruit Water Cartons range is made with no added sugar and unwanted surplus fruit and is designed specifically for children.
While single-use plastic straws were banned in 2020, many brands continue to use plastic wrapping. Flawsome!’s paper wrapper has already allowed the brand to remove 252kg of plastic from its process, while helping it maintain a carbon footprint 50% below the average small juice company.
The new range includes apple, mango and orange flavours, as well as sweet apple and apple and sour cherry.
“We’re really excited to finally introduce both our new range of Wonky Fruit Water Drinks and revolutionary paper straw in paper packaging,” said Karina Sudenyte, co-founder of Flawsome!.
“We pride ourselves on being innovators within sustainability and prioritise this throughout the business. The new range will join our current products in providing children and families with healthy, delicious and affordable options for fruit drinks while ensuring today’s children have a planet to enjoy as they grow up.”
Clara Amfo to curate Divine summer recommendations
Fairtrade chocolate maker Divine Chocolate is teaming up with new brand ambassador Clara Amfo to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
The radio and TV presenter is curating a quarterly digest of recommendations as part of the new role, with her remit focused on doing things differently.
‘The Divine Curates’ series will include a range of summer recommendations including exhibitions, shops and events. Founded in Ghana back in 1998, Divine is still co-owned by farmers and endeavours to improve the lives of cocoa farmers that supply it.
“When a brand goes beyond just purchasing cocoa and wants to thoroughly engage with the communities at the heart of the production, it really sets them apart from other companies,” Amfo said.
“That’s something that Divine has done differently since its inception and the Divine Curates series is a joyful extension of this, encouraging the world to see and do things differently. I’m delighted to be working with Divine to shed light on the amazing work they’ve done over the past 25 years and hope chocolate lovers across the country will join us on our journey to do things differently.”
Bridge Cheese launches ‘world of cheese’
Cheese and dairy supplier Bridge Cheese has announced a new three-year digital roadmap, including its new website that asks customers to explore the ‘world of cheese’.
The roadmap was designed to improve the brand’s customer service, enhance the quality of its products and streamline production.
Bridge Cheese currently supplies the food manufacturing, wholesale and food service sectors. The firm offers a vast range of options including cheddars, hard cheeses and mozzarella products.
Commercial manager Monica Chauhan said the site not only helps offer improved functionality for consumers, but allows reflects the brand’s fun energy and ethos.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression and we want to show our customers from the first time they land on our home page what they can expect from Bridge Cheese,” Chauhan added.
“We do things differently and we get excited about our cheese and dairy products – our ‘world of cheese’ digital approach says that about us.”
British Berry Growers links up with Tough Mudder
Industry body the British Berry Growers is partnering with obstacle course event Tough Mudder this summer to promote the nutritional benefits of fresh berries.
British Berry Growers represents 95% of British berries and has aligned the partnership with its Nature’s Vitamin campaign. At upcoming Tough Mudder events in Manchester and London, the group will have a presence and be on hand to offer samples of British strawberries.
The two events are set to attract around 20,000 attendees between them, providing British Berry Growers the opportunity to highlight the health benefits associated with strawberries, especially during the summer season.
“This partnership reflects our commitment to encouraging healthy eating habits and promoting the benefits of enjoying fresh berries,” said chairman Nick Marston.
“Strawberries are a British favourite – Brits bought more strawberries than ever in the past year, and the berry industry is worth £1.7bn in year-round retail sales. Berries are big business, but supporting local growers is of the utmost importance to us. We hope this partnership will encourage the public to enjoy fresh British berries and all their health benefits, supporting our farmers in the process.”
In other news, the government has been criticised for its lack of action in tackling the sale of unhealthy, ultra-processed food in the UK.
