Surya Foods’ summer of innovation has continued with its Laila rice brand’s first foray into microwaveable pouches.
Ten 250g variants across plain and flavoured rice are currently rolling into more than 500 Tesco stores. Lines include Basmati, Brown and Long Grain (rsp: £1) alongside Chilli & Lime, Spicy Mexican Style and Golden Vegetable (rsp: £1.25). All are ready in two minutes.
The lineup will be on a two-month long Tesco Clubcard promotion at 80p for the plain pouches and 90p for flavoured.
The launch was “designed to capture a greater share of the UK rice market by offering consumers the same authentic quality they expect from Laila, in a convenient, ready to eat format – at a competitive price point”, said Harry Dulai, Surya’s group CEO.
The 10-strong microwave range was “one of the biggest NPD projects we’ve carried out in recent years for the Laila brand”, he added. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in the convenience sector and our research shows consumers, while loving scratch-cooked rice, also like the option of quick, meal solutions at busier times – without compromising on taste or quality. This expansion allows us to meet that demand while staying true to our heritage.”
It represented “the natural evolution of our brand strategy”, Dulai claimed. “We’ve built our reputation on providing the highest quality traditional rice varieties, and now we’re bringing that same commitment to the convenience category. Each pouch delivers the distinctive taste profiles our customers love from Laila.”
The brand is currently worth around £38m in grocery, having grown its value sales 16.5% in the 52 weeks to 23 March 2025 [NIQ], on volumes up 24.7%.
Its NPD follows launches last month from Surya sister brands Khao Chi and Trophi. The former added 15 ambient lines to its Indo-Chinese offer, including Schezwan Noodles, Green Chilli Sauce, Manchurian Prawn Crackers, Hakka Noodles and Momos Dipping Chutney.
Greek mezze brand Trophi unveiled 20 ambient SKUs such as Olives Stuffed with Garlic, Lentils with Roasted Vegetables & Pomegranate Dressing, Souvlaki Pitta Pocket Meal Kit and Halva with Vanilla.
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