Piccolo Squares

Fast-growing babyfood brand Piccolo is to make its first move into snacks with Squares – wafers made from ancient grains and chickpeas.

Available in Mango and Coconut variants (rsp: £2.59/50g), Squares is aimed at introducing infants to their first textures from around 10 months old.

The gluten-free snack contains quinoa, buckwheat and rice – slow-releasing carbs that would “help give little ones all the energy they need at such a crucial stage of their development” according to Piccolo. The wafers were also “a great aid for teething babies needing something to gum”.

Piccolo founder Cat Gazzoli said Squares would fill “a real gap in the market for a snack that is nutritious and tasty with no added sugars or fruit juice”.

The NPD will roll out exclusively next month to Sainsbury’s. It will be joined on shelf by three new Piccolo meal recipes: two in a pouch (Kale, Kiwi, Peas & Pear with a Hint of Basil, and Pear, Fig & Butternut Squash with a Hint of Ginger) and one pot (Quinoa with Pumpkin & Goats Cheese).

The launches – to be supported with nationwide digital and PR activity – come after Piccolo unveiled Pots in February. The range of stage three meals in a split pot were a format first for the UK babyfood category, claimed the Mediterranean-inspired brand.

Earlier this year, Piccolo poached Gü Puds UK sales director James Gilks and head of exports Oliver Pinkus to spearhead its expansion at home and overseas.

In November, the startup, founded in early 2016, secured a £500,000 investment from Asian-focused venture capital fund DSG Consumer Partners.