A lads’ breakfast cereal that was developed in just six weeks is going on shelf in Tesco on Monday.

Granola brand Fuel, which is aimed at ­active young men, is rolling out to 459 Tesco stores in two varieties Fruit Loaded and 70% Cocoa Chunks (rsp: £3.69/400g). Sold under the strapline ‘One Life Live It’, the cereal contains guarana extract and is high in fibre and vitamins B and E, said brand owner Fresh Marketing.

The exporter, which launched the Diva popcorn brand last year, developed Fuel after a Tesco buyer told them about growing consumer interest in granola and said there might be an opening for a brand if it was ready to go on shelf in October.

The company sourced samples from a range of manufacturers and took its brand concept to Tesco in June.

By the middle of July it had been given the green light to start production, said founder Barney Mauleverer.

“To achieve this in such a minuscule timeframe simply does not happen in the food and drink sector, where it often takes years rather than weeks to get a product taken on by one of the big players,” he added.

Marketing plans for the brand include sampling at city stations and online ­activity aimed at the brand’s target audience of men aged 18 to 44. “Young males are dropping out of the category and there simply isn’t much out there aimed at active men,” added Mauleverer, who completed a 220-mile trek through the Amazon last year and has run a marathon in the Sahara.

Tesco said sales of ­granola had risen about 20% year-on-year in its stores.

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