Speciality-Food-Magazine-September-2024

round and some in line with those key selling points throughout the year. We’ve seen a fantastic uptake on these promotions and feedback fromour customers have said their consumers are loving themand our product is flying off the shelf.” A healthy opportunity For those shoppers seeking a combination of traditional comfort, great taste and health credentials, Biona has just the ticket. Its fruit spreads are free fromartificial sweeteners and additives, “addressing growing consumer health consciousness and the demand for healthier, naturally sweetened options,” begins Kelly Stalker, senior marketingmanager at Windmill Organics (Biona). “By sweetening with organic apple juice and puree, Biona enhances the natural fruit flavors whilemaintaining a better nutritional profile, which supports overall wellness.” With a growing number of consumers actively seeking out healthier options, 48% of global consumers actively avoiding sugar and 67% preferring natural ingredients according to a 2020 survey by FMCG Gurus, “this approach not only caters to health-conscious consumers but also aligns with Biona’s mission to deliver organic products that are both better for people and the planet,” says Kelly. While 2024’s fine food shopper is likely to know the difference between ‘good’ honey and ‘bad’ honey – keeping a wide berth from suspiciously cheap, blended honeys – there is still education to be done around the full plethora of flavour and health credentials it offers. One way to really celebrate and understand honey is to keep it raw – unprocessed and unpasteurised. “Keeping honey raw is crucial for preserving its nutritional integrity, as raw honey retains more natural enzymes, vitamins, andminerals compared to processed honey. Studies have shown that raw honey contains up to 4.3 times more antioxidants than processed honey. This ensures it maintains its antioxidant properties, prebiotic and overall health benefits, such as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, which can aid in digestion, soothe sore throats, and promote wound healing, says Kelly. “It also preserves the pollen naturally present in the honey, which is amain contributor of its taste.” “Luckily nowadays consumers are very educated and aware of the difference between real honey and the highly processed stuff they often sell for £2 in supermarkets,” begins Stela Aleksieva, co-founder of BeeHype, creators of the UK’s first healthier alternatives to salted caramel, preserves and jamusing just raw honey and one additional natural ingredient. “According to studies, raw honey’s advantages over sugar include a slightly lower glycemic index (i.e. it doesn’t affect your blood- sugar levels as much). Unlike refined sugar, it also contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and pollen. “Our customers understand well that honey production is very labour- intensive for bees and beekeepers. It takes about 12 bees their entire lifetime tomake just one teaspoon and Lemon Curd, the Cottage Delight range showcases innovative and award-winning products including Passionfruit &Mango Curd and Stem Ginger Jam, and new for Christmas 2024 is Christmas Pudding Curd: an indulgent orange base topped with the warming scent of festive spices. Far frombeing simple toast- toppers, Cottage Delight’s range of jams and spreads are remarkably adaptable – think flavour-bomb curds in cheesecakes, fan favourite Strawberry Jam in PB&J bakes – which perfectly suits the growing consumer demand for versatility. In fact, all Cottage Delight jars feature a QR code which links to a recipe, and the business has invested heavily in recipe creation, sharing ideas via recipe cards and booklets. Ingredient versatility has an important role to play in the cost-of- living crisis. “Consumers are looking for a bargain and value for money but are still looking for quality,” says Selina. “Consumers are found to be shopping own label products more than ever before which is a real opportunity for brands to invest in own label offerings which are good quality as well as at the right price point. “We are a premiummanufacturer and we wouldn’t want that to ever change, however, we have had to respond to this in a way that works for the consumer and us as a premiumbrand. We’ve introduced a great selection of promotions with some available for activation all year our products inmuch the same way, in small batches in copper bottomed pans. Heritage and provenance are hugely important to us andmake us unique, as we havemany stories of jammaking throughout the decades.” These stories are shared at the on-sitemuseumat Tiptree’s factory in Essex, where you’ll also discover that its labelling and branding has remained constant as a “reassurring” mark of quality – as has the range’s Royal Warrant, which was originally rewarded by King George V in 1911 and has remained ever since. “Whilst we have added newer flavours to our large range of products, we still find that the traditional flavours are the bestsellers. These are tried and tested classics and have stood the test of time, with our Strawberry Conserve remaining very popular. With times being tough for consumer’s budgets, we find that people are less likely to take risks with newer products andmore likely to stick to those products which they knowwill taste consistently great.” Another business expertly combining heritage and innovation is Cottage Delight, established over 50 years ago. “Despite the heritage, we’ve by nomeans stood in the past,” says Selina Talbot of Cottage Delight. “Our methods are artisan, cooking in small batches to retain flavour and our premiumquality status –we’ve been awarded over 222 Great Taste Awards since the awards began.” As well as includingmuch-loved classics such as Strawberry Jam @specialityfood 34 SELINA TALBOT COTTAGE DELIGHT KELLY STALKER BIONA STELA ALEKSIEVA BEEHYPE IVA DANCHOVA OAT AVENUE JENI REEVE BUTTER BIKE COMMENTATORS LIZ BAKER TIPTREE A lthough it might look still to an outsider, look closer at the spreads category and you’ll see that it’s a hive of innovation – as well as contradiction. Consumers value the comfort of the classics and are willing to paymore for heritage, yet they’re simultaneously seeking out the new. They want tomake healthy choices, yet indulgence is never far from their minds. And they’ll never turn their backs on a slather of something delicious on toast, yet if it can be utilised in numerous ways, so much the better. What’s not in question, however, is the value of quality. It’s easy to get jams and honeys wrong – cut any corners and you and your customers will know instantly – but by keeping an eye on quality, innovation, and above all, taste, your ambient section could be oh so right. The value of heritage “Heritage and traditions are intrinsically linked with jams and marmalades, as they are part of British traditions such as afternoon tea and breakfast, and recipes are passed down through generations,” begins Liz Baker, marketingmanager at Tiptree, which has been farming since 1757 andmaking quality preserves since 1885. While the business was considered innovative at the time, making jamas an alternative to transporting fruit to London, it is now considered a traditional skill – one which Tiptree utilises with aplomb. “We still make SPREADING THEWORD Far froma being a staid category, the world of jam, honey and spreads is heating up – here’s why