Sainsbury’s has been accused of making “carbon copies” of products developed by London-based Sublime Butter after the retailer launched a four-strong lineup of own-label flavoured butters.
The supermarket last week tapped into the fast-growing flavoured butters trend with the unveiling of Taste the Difference lines in Honeycomb & Salted Caramel, Chimichurri, Triple Garlic & Herb and Truffle, and Parmesan & Black Pepper variants.
But within hours of the new products going on sale, alongside a new Taste the Difference Salted Spreadable butter, Sainsbury’s was facing claims it had “ripped off” upmarket brand Sublime Butter, with whom it had been in discussions last year over a potential listing.
In a withering social media post, Sublime Butter – which claims to have kicked off the flavoured butter trend in 2018 – said Sainsbury’s had “pretended” it had wanted to stock its range, before asking for samples and then “ghosting” the business.
Sainsbury’s new Chimichurri and Truffle, Parmesan & Black Pepper lines in particular were almost identical in terms of taste profile and name to Sublime Butter’s own products, according to the brand, which described them as “like-for-like copies”.
Their development by the retailer, after a long courtship of Sublime Butter dating back as far as 2021, was an example of “bad sportsmanship”, the brand added.
“As a small producer, we’re sick of having giant supermarkets swoop in, ask for samples, and then rip us off,” it wrote.
“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, so thank you. But also: stop and think. Take the £££s you’ve spent copying us and make something original. Go out on a limb.”
Sublime Butter currently sells its products direct, via independents and in Harrods, Whole Foods Market and Selfridges.
Sainsbury’s had contacted the brand over potential listings in July 2024 and said, “we want to add you to our portfolio and stock you”, claimed founder Tony Ho.
But after he had “discussed flavours and sent loads of samples” to Sainsbury’s over a three-and-a-half-month period, Ho told The Grocer communications then came to an abrupt halt, with no explanation.
“This is not the first time this has happened to a small producer, and it won’t be the last. Many are not brave enough to voice an opinion and call people out on this behaviour,” Ho said. “But we can’t stand aside and let them do it, this is not a fair practice.”
Ho added he had approached the Groceries Code Adjudicator on the issue and sought legal advice. “This fight isn’t about the money; it’s about the principle. It’s about our hard work and Sainsbury’s laziness,” he added.
“It’s amazing that flavoured butters have taken off as they have, and there are so many more players on the market and major suppliers getting involved,” he added.
“We want the market to grow but we don’t want our hard work benefiting someone else’s bottom line.”
Sainsbury’s did not respond directly to Ho’s complaint when approched by The Grocer. A spokeswoman said: “We’ve launched our new Taste the Difference flavoured butter range in response to the rising demand we’ve seen from our customers for delicious and trend-led flavours.”
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