Sessions raises £3m from Guinness Ventures
Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands, has raised a further £3m from existing investors Guinness Ventures, as it seeks to expand on its technology offering, while launching a new franchising arm, starting with SoBe Burger and Ivan Ramen.
In less than three years of operation, the Sessions Platform has grown to £55m in sales. The raise follows a £3.25m deal closed with Virgin Money in the autumn and sees the company double its valuation from Series A.
Founder Dan Warne said: “It is rare to have such supportive investors as Guinness, and we are very pleased to see the confidence they have shown in our business following this second, meaningful investment.
“The resilience and drive of our team is what you want to see as a Founder, navigating a tricky couple of years, and we’re seeing the benefits of that as we deliver very strong, sustainable growth.”
Head of Origination at Guinness, Ashley Abrahams said: “Dan and the team have done a fantastic job in delivering great growth whilst remaining capital efficient, navigating challenging economic conditions.
“The team have been a pleasure to work with and with massive opportunity for further growth ahead, it was an easy decision to lead a further funding round.
“Sessions are well placed to take advantage of the increasing demand for high quality, authentic food from talented chefs across the country, at the same time supporting the wider kitchen partner ecosystem through the creation of complementary revenue streams.”
Ginsters on a roll with new snacking products set to drive further category growth
With snacking accounting for over 13 billion consumption occasions and growing +5% since 2019, Savoury Pastry Category leaders, Ginsters’ latest product innovations are perfectly positioned to make the most of this opportunity. The two new launches – Ginsters delicious new Breakfast Roll and Butter Chicken Bake – will inspire shoppers to ‘Taste the Effort’ that goes into every Ginsters product when they launch nationwide from Monday 8th April.
With ‘convenience’ and ‘enjoyment’ driving consumers’ search for new snacks, the two new Ginsters launches are ready to meet this shopper demand, they are delicious to eat cold, or can be quickly heated in an air fryer to enjoy hot for the best flavour experience. These tasty new flavours will not only expand Ginsters range but help to create interest and excitement for the whole category, appealing to the 67% of shoppers who buy Savoury Pastry on impulse.
Ginsters Sausage Roll and Bakes ranges have delivered +15%CAGR volume growth over the past three years vs. average category decline of -1.8% making the brand best placed to launch NPD into these formats and further maximise the growth opportunity.
The new launches are:
Ginsters Breakfast Roll (130g) RRP £1.50, Ginsters new Breakfast Roll is a delicious new take on a sausage roll. Packed full of quality ingredients, Ginsters expert chefs bring together favourite breakfast ingredients – smoked bacon, scrambled egg, potato, and tomato ketchup in a 100% British Pork sausage roll, all encased in golden baked puff pastry. Not only does Ginsters new Breakfast roll taste great, it also scores 18% points higher in weighted purchase intent than the next branded competitor in consumer taste testing.
Sausage rolls typically attract a younger audience who actively seek out new and interesting flavours. With the rolls segment currently made up almost entirely (87%) of single flavour pork rolls, this is a huge opportunity for innovation to drive category growth. And with 32% of younger audiences also buying an on-the-go breakfast a few times a week the Ginsters Breakfast Roll has great potential to bring new, younger, shoppers into the category.
Ginsters Butter Chicken Bake (117g) RRP £1.50. The new Butter Chicken Bake is designed to appeal to a nation of curry lovers. Ginsters’ expert chefs use 100% British chicken cooked in a rich butter sauce with a blend of spices, coconut and lemon, encased in Ginsters signature golden baked puff pastry. Taste testers have raved about this pastry-wrapped taste sensation, which over-indexes vs category norms in both flavour and purchase intent in consumer taste testing.
The Ginsters Bakes range already offers an exciting array of flavours, from Cajun Spiced Chicken and Philly Cheese Steak, to Meatball Marinara, all of which are delivered in a convenient, smaller format that can be served hot or cold, ideal for snacking. The Bakes range has delivered over 11.6k incremental shoppers to the category since its launch in September 2021, and with the introduction of the new Butter Chicken Bake, continues to deliver exciting new global flavours to Savoury Pastry to drive incremental growth.
Like the rest of the Ginsters range, both new products are made with top quality, locally sourced ingredients to provide real, honest, convenient food for shoppers. No added artificial flavourings, colours or preservatives are used in either product.
Emma Stowers, Ginsters Marketing Director, commented: “We can’t wait to introduce our delicious new Breakfast Roll and Butter Chicken Bake to shoppers. These tasty new flavours will bring excitement to anyone looking for new, exciting and delicious snacks. We’re proud to continue to lead the way in Savoury Pastry taste innovation and meet consumer demand in snacking, as well as at lunch.”
Morrisons invests £1.4m in new Innovation Centre
Morrisons Greenside fresh food manufacturing operation, has officially opened a brand-new on-site innovation centre as part of a significant investment programme.
Costing £1.4 million, the brand-new ‘Greenside Innovation Centre’, was officially opened with the unveiling of a plaque by the Leader of Bradford Council, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe and Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin.
The centre features a new state of the art development and showcase kitchen that will support the growth of Greenside and the wider Morrisons manufacturing division – Myton Food Group. The innovation centre will allow the site to showcase the food they’re known for and allow for the development of new and exciting products to present to prospective customers.
Morrisons prepares and makes more than half of the fresh food sold in its stores. The Greenside site is the UK’s largest fresh food factory producing bacon, quiches, pies, sausages, gammon, cooked meats and packed cheese.
Rami Baitiéh, Chief Executive Officer of Morrisons, said: “We’re pleased to officially open our Greenside Innovation Centre here in the city of Bradford. At Morrisons we are proud food makers and we are always exploring ways in which we can showcase our expertise and develop new and exciting opportunities to take our products to a wider market.
“This new facility gives our fantastic team of chefs a space to create the high-quality, British products our customers want, using ingredients from our trusted farmers and growers.”
Bradford Labour Leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, said: “We’re really proud that Bradford is the home of Morrisons and therefore I really welcome this latest investment from the company in the city.
“It’s a very well run operation and it’s great to see what care and thought they are putting into new product design at the Innovation Centre. It’s this kind of investment which will retain Morrisons’ place as a market leader.”
Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, said: “I welcome the investment Morrisons has made into the Greenside Innovation Centre, helping to bring new opportunities to Bradford. Morrisons is an important partner for Bradford and West Yorkshire and I will continue to support them to grow and succeed.”
The site has received significant investment in the past year, with an additional £6.6 million being used in cheese automation technology; a further £7m will be invested this year in new sausage lines.
Morrisons Greenside is a 400,000 sq ft manufacturing site, employing a 1,400 strong team, producing 277m packs of fresh food products across 44 production lines.
Waterford Distillery appoints new UK distributor
Waterford Distillery, producer of single malt whiskies, has appointed Craftwork as its new UK distributor. Craftwork will now expedite product roll-out for the full Waterford Whisky range, and sisterbrand Renegade Rum.
Under the new distribution partnership, both Waterford Whisky and Renegade Rum will benefit from expanded UK distribution operations. The award-winning products will reach even more UK consumers who value transparency, provenance and natural flavours.
As specialists in distributing premium beverage brands, the appointment of Craftwork marks a vital time of development for Waterford and Renegade – highlighting a commitment to the UK market as consumer demand for premium offerings remain high. In total, rum accounts for 14% of all spirit sales in the UK, and whisky owning a 13% share.
With an established global reputation and recent expansion into the US market, European sales for both Waterford Whisky and Renegade Rum are growing at pace. With a wide variety of whisky bottlings and rum variations to choose from, the line-up will include signature bottlings and a brand-new core range of original natural whiskies and rums, over the next two years.
Waterford Whisky and Renegade Rum were launched in 2014 and 2018 respectively by CEO and Founder, Mark Reynier, who boasts more than four decades of industry experience. Both brands combine world-leading terroir technology with locally-grown ingredients, to distil the world’s most flavoursome single malt whisky and cane rum expressions. James Cowan, Sales Director at Waterford Whisky and Renegade Rum, says: “Craftwork is established as an influential and leading distributer across the beverage segment within the UK market, and I am delighted to assign both the Waterford Whisky and Renegade Rum brands to their existing product offering. “We are excited at the prospect of building upon our existing distribution and look forward to a successful partnership, furthering both brands’ presence in the UK as a key territory to support growth.” Mark Dawkins, Founder and Managing Director of Craftwork, added: “At Craftwork, we are committed to working with the best producers, brand owners and products for our prestige portfolio. Couple that with our vision to grow our whisky and rum portfolio, and it doesn’t get any better than every credential of Waterford Distillery and Renegade Rum. “We are delighted to be the new UK importer distributor and cannot wait to work with the team, on these brands, with our customers.”
Chapel Down calls for a “Chardonnay Renaissance” with the launch of its new Chardonnay 2023
Chapel Down, the English wine producer, is introducing its latest still wine release: Chardonnay 2023.
Building on Chapel Down’s mission to ‘change the way the world sees English wine’, this new wine launch aims to challenge consumer perceptions of Chardonnay.
Misconception of Chardonnay is based on the heavily oaked new world styles of the 1980s and consumers have since moved towards other grape varieties in search of crisper, fresher white wines. However, thanks to a maritime climate and longer growing season in the South East of England, Chapel Down Chardonnay delivers a higher acidity and crisper flavour that is sure to surprise and delight wine drinkers across the country.
Launching in time for spring, ‘Chapel Down Chardonnay’ is the wine producer’s first release from the excellent 2023 vintage. With notes of ripe apple and citrus with a creamy texture, this white wine is sourced from Chardonnay grapes grown in the Garden of England. Crafted with the same attention to detail as Chapel Down’s best-selling Flint Dry and Bacchus white wines, this latest addition captures the fresh, crisp and fruit-forward style favoured by UK consumers. This refreshing wine is a perfect partner to grilled chicken, seafood linguine, or asparagus with poached eggs.
Josh Donaghay-Spire, Head Winemaker at Chapel Down, said: “Chardonnay has struggled with consumer perception for over 40 years, but in fact it’s my favourite grape variety. The majority of our vineyard plantings are Chardonnay and this versatile variety features in the majority of our sparkling wines at Chapel Down giving it structure, weight and a unique sense of freshness.
“We’ve spent a long time building the quality perception of English wine and, as part of this, we’re excited to introduce consumers to the quality of English Chardonnay. This new wine not only showcases the versatility and elegance of Chardonnay but also reflects our ongoing commitment to challenge perceptions within the wine industry.”
Guided by a world-class winemaking team with expertise in sparkling wines and cool climate viticulture, Chapel Down produces wines of exceptional quality, which will be seen in the new Chardonnay 2023 launch.
Beyond its exceptional wines, Chapel Down offers visitors a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the vineyard experience. Located in the picturesque Kent countryside near Tenterden, Chapel Down invites guests to explore its vineyards and winery through guided tours offering the perfect experience to try its brand new Chardonnay.
Chapel Down Chardonnay 2023 (RRP £15.00) is available to order online at www.chapeldown.com. The wine can be ordered as a single bottle for £15.00, or with free UK delivery when ordering by the 6-bottle case for £90.00.
Kraft Heinz looks to reduce carbon emissions with $170m investment from U.S. Department of Energy
The Kraft Heinz Company has been selected for award negotiations to receive up to $170 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstration to support the implementation of clean energy projects at 10 of the company’s U.S. plants.
These plants produce various food products, and these new projects’ technologies can be replicated across a wide range of food and beverage manufacturers.
This investment will fund part of “The Delicious Decarbonization Through Integrated Electrification and Energy Storage” project, helping these locations reduce annual emissions by more than 99% from 2022 levels – a significant step forward in the company’s global net-zero ambitions.
“At Kraft Heinz, we’re on a journey to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” said Marcos Eloi Lima, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer at Kraft Heinz. “This investment will give us critical resources to make necessary improvements in our plants to help increase their energy efficiency and reduce emissions. This investment recognizes our continued efforts to reduce our environmental footprint, and we’re eager to get started.”
Kraft Heinz will use the funds to install a range of technologies, including heat pumps, electric heaters, electric boilers, anaerobic digestors, biogas boilers, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, and thermal energy storage.
The company anticipates the project will create an estimated 500 construction jobs across the 10 plant sites, providing opportunities for employees to receive additional training and develop new skills related to the new technologies.
“The infrastructure changes made at these 10 plants will allow us to replicate successful technologies and processes across our remaining U.S. plants and globally, making us more efficient as we continue to make upgrades to more locations,” said Helen Davis, SVP and Head of North America Operations at Kraft Heinz. “I’m proud of the impact this project and award will have on our facilities, but also on our current and future workforce and the communities that surround our operations.”
Louis Dreyfus Company to acquire soluble coffee firm
Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and Companhia Cacique de Café Solúvel (Cacique) have signed a binding agreement for the acquisition of 100% of Cacique shares by LDC.
“This development is aligned with LDC’s strategy to diversify revenue streams through value-added product lines – in this case, by accelerating the scale-up of LDC’s soluble coffee business, recently initiated in Vietnam with its iLD Coffee Vietnam joint venture freeze-dried soluble coffee operation, to position LDC among the world’s largest soluble coffee producers,” said Michael Gelchie, LDC’s Chief Executive Officer.
“This acquisition will further expand LDC’s business in Brazil, where the Group has been active for over 80 years, complementing our existing green coffee merchandizing operations in the country,” said Ben Clarkson, LDC’s Global Head of Coffee. “With its in-depth market knowledge and recognized brand in the industry, Cacique’s highly complementary profile will strengthen and consolidate LDC’s soluble coffee activities.”
Cacique is one of the largest global independent producers, processors and exporters of soluble coffee in terms of volume, with activities in more than 70 countries, two processing assets in Brazil and a strong team of approximately 1,000 employees.
“We are pleased to announce this agreement with LDC, whose global reach and extensive expertise in coffee merchandizing will undoubtedly benefit our network of growers and customers, ensuring continued growth in the years ahead. We are confident that our employees will benefit from this new chapter for Cacique, whose history and culture will be preserved, as will the vision of our founder, Mr. Horácio Coimbra, and his successors,” said Cesario Coimbra, João Paulo Coimbra and Horácio Coimbra Neto.
The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
SHICKEN receives further £4m cash injection from Veg Capital
Asian plant-based meals challenger, SHICKEN has received a further £4m cash injection from Veg Capital to scale up manufacturing capacity and realise the global potential of its restaurant-quality range.
The funding brings Veg Capital’s total investment in SHICKEN to £6m, which will be used for further CAPEX investment in the brand’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Increased scale and capability, together with the site’s recent BRC accreditation, will make SHICKEN’s Kent-based site become one of the UK’s few dedicated plant-based, nut-free manufacturers. SHICKEN will have capacity and capability to produce a breadth of branded and private label products across retail and foodservice.
Investment will also take SHICKEN’s UK distribution to the next level and fuel overseas expansion. SHICKEN is already projected to achieve five times its current growth, following a launch in premium US retailer, Sprouts Farmers Market, and incremental listings across Costco UK, Iceland, Sweden, and France with the brand’s latest Teriyaki Kebab NPD.
Co-Founder, Parm Bains, said: “It has been a phenomenal journey for SHICKEN so far and we’re incredibly excited to see business scale on an international level, both as a brand and as one of the UK’s few dedicated BRC accredited specialist primary plant-based manufacturers.
“Veg Capital has been the perfect partner, aligning with our commitment to a more ethical and sustainable food system and backing our potential to become a global brand and major plant-based producer within the next five years.
“This investment allows us to realise the ambitions for SHICKEN and to offer our proteins and develop recipes on a private label basis, where I can also leverage my 20 years’ experience within food manufacturing across the major retail and foodservice channels.”
Mars invests over $70m in New Jersey site
Mars has announced an investment of more than $70 million in its Hackettstown, New Jersey site to support innovation and manufacturing.
It will support a Research and Development (R&D) Innovation Studio—including a new test kitchen and packaging lab—along with manufacturing efficiencies and advancements in food safety at the Hackettstown manufacturing factory.
The R&D Innovation Studio will include a new prototyping kitchen, packaging lab, and collaboration space with the intent of increasing the speed of innovation and development to meet evolving consumer preferences.
The capabilities in the Innovation Studio will support Mars Wrigley products produced in the U.S. including M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, SKITTLES®, STARBURST®, EXTRA®, and ALTOIDS® as well as new product innovations.
The updated packaging studio will allow for development and testing of sustainable packaging materials to support Mars’ contribution to a circular economy where packaging material never becomes waste, but is recycled, reused, or composted.
The multi-year investment in the Hackettstown manufacturing factory began in 2023 and supports Mars’ continued commitment to quality and food safety with the addition of a new, state-of-the-art chocolate production facility.
“At Mars, our commitment to quality and innovation has been at the center of our business for more than a century,” said Anton Vincent, President Mars Wrigley North America and Global Ice Cream. “The continued investment in our Hackettstown site re-affirms our commitment to innovation in New Jersey and upskilling our Associates with best-in-class facilities to create more moments of everyday happiness for our consumers.”
New World Foods and YouTube sensation the Sidemen launch healthy meat snacking range
New World Foods, the healthy snacking company of Valeo Foods Group, has announced SIDES, its first in a series of product collaborations with YouTube sensation the Sidemen.
The high-protein, low-calorie meat snacks come in three flavours; Buffalo Chicken, Chipotle Steak and Korean BBQ Steak – and are inspired by the Sidemen chicken shops (of the same name), which are rolling across the UK.
The SIDES range is designed to build on the success of New World Food’s Wild West Steak Strip ambient range, coupled with the large-scale appeal of the biggest YouTube creator group on the planet. The SIDES meat snacks are a healthy snacking alternative designed to offer an alternative to the often high-calorie, high-sugar snacking category.
James Newitt, New World Foods CEO, said: “The launch of these first three flavours under the SIDES brand is the culmination of over a year of hard work and effort from both teams, and I’m delighted with what we’ve created. This marks the beginning of an expanding range of healthy snacking products that will excite new and old meat snacking consumers. I look forward to seeing how customers react to these brilliant products.”
The YouTube supergroup Sidemen (KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S) has a combined reach of over 150 million subscribers. The collective has moved into the FMCG space over the recent months, and the new SIDES healthy snacking products are a cornerstone of the global growth strategy.
Ethan ‘Behzinga’ Payne said: “We love seeing people enjoying freshly cooked fried chicken in our SIDES restaurants, and this first step into retail for the brand is really exciting. By offering a healthy snacking product across the whole of the UK, more people can enjoy SIDES products more often – and that’s what it’s all about for us.”
Robin Mehta, SIDES CEO, said: “As well as our fresh, extra crispy chicken, SIDES is loved for the flavour of our sauces. We’ve combined that flavour know-how with the market leading expertise of the Wild West Brand of New World Foods to create a meat snack range that’s second to none. We’re excited to see where this can go, both in the UK and internationally.”