Napolina is going upmarket with a new premium range of sauces and canned tomatoes.
Called Selezione Speciale, it comprises a duo of canned tomatoes showcasing Italian special varieties including datterini tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, and a five-strong range of 290g sauces: Puglian Cherry Tomato & Basil, Calabrian Nduja & Tomato, Sardinian Pecorino Romano Cheese, Tuscan Chianti Ragu and Ligurian Peperonata and Artichoke.
The Princes-owned brand plans to expand the range into pasta and oils further down the line.
Each product’s regional provenance will be played up on pack “so consumers can easily identify its origin of inspiration”.
It comes on the back of a stellar year for Italian cooking sauces – it was the fastest-growing cuisine last year, outpacing traditional, oriental, Indian, Tex Mex and other specialities with a £61.1m gain, hitting £420.1m [Kantar 52 w/e 27 December 2020].
The past year had “truly consolidated the UK’s passion for Italian food”, said Napolina commercial director Neil Brownbill, with home cooks attempting to ”recreate the ‘going out’ and ‘holiday’ experiences at home”.
The boom demonstrated “the opportunity for retailers as shoppers look to cook versatile, convenient, delicious meals”, he added.
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