A natural cane sugar from Barbados is arriving in Waitrose and upmarket department stores.

Aimed at the premium end of the market, Plantation Reserve has a natural taste and aroma, and will be launched in Waitrose next week in 500g silver boxes (rsp: £2.35). Fortnum & Mason and other department stores will stock silver tins (rsp: £3.99/500g). The newcomer would fill a gap in the UK market for a genuinely premium offering, said Chris Docherty, managing director of Barbados-based West Indies Sugar & Trading Company, which is behind the launch.

"Sugar has been the definition of a commodity with little innovation for decades. Our research shows consumers want a sugar that is as good as the high-quality tea and coffee they buy," he said, predicting Plantation Reserve would clock up sales of £1.1m in its first year.

The product has been developed with the government of Barbados in a bid to boost its sugar industry.

Topics