berry collective

Source: Berry Gardens

The berry pots are the newest addition to the supplier’s brand The Berry Collective, which previously focused only on wholesale 

Berry Gardens has expanded its Berry Collective brand with a first move into snacking formats.

As part of a move to encourage retailers to reconsider how to sell berries outside of the fresh aisle, the brand has launched a Mini Berries line containing mini strawberries (rsp: £1/125g) into Waitrose this month. A second Blueberry Snack Pot (rsp: £1/80g) is also available now to retailers with on-the-go product offerings, the grower co-operatve said.

The move into snacking represents the latest push into retail for a brand that was previously focused only on wholesale and with standard pack formats. It follows listings in Booths and Ocado in 2021, with the brand enjoying a 950% increase in gross sales last year to £4.2m and with expected growth to exceed £6m in 2022, according to Berry Gardens sales data.

Berry Gardens said the products would also contain only British picked berries during the British summer months.

“For health-conscious consumers, these small pack formats make the perfect health snack, packed full of health benefits and antioxidants and perfect for skin health, brain health and immune system, but also super sweet and juicy,” said Rob Harrison, commercial director at Berry Gardens.

“From a retailer perspective, we truly believe there is a real opportunity for soft fruit out of the fresh produce aisle and The Berry Collective brand aims challenge this status quo,” Harrison added.

“We are also exploring how we can work with retailers to promote fresh produce in different locations around the store (eg, at checkout, aisle ends, etc) considering the new HFSS legislation.”