Finnish company Paulig bowed out of the UK when it sold its business to Netherlands based Drie Mollen in February. But its two most well known brands ­ Lyons and Ashby ­ are alive and kicking under the auspices of Drie Mollen's UK subsidiary Gala Coffee & Tea. The deal also included the distribution of Melitta filter papers in the UK. Paulig started to revitalise the Lyons brand and Gala intends to do the same. "We didn't buy the Lyons brand not to progress with it," says managing director Keith Charie. "So far this year we have launched the Origin range which is going on to supermarket shelves now." This is made up of four variants ­ vibrant Java, indulgent mocha, relaxing Colombian and passionate Kenyan ­ which retail between £2.29-£2.49. Each comes in a 227g can which has a special one way valve to keep the coffee fresh. "We pioneered the soft valve packs, but there has always been consumer preference for tins, but these didn't offer freshness. "This is now possible with the valve can ­ the first new development in ground coffee packaging. It combines straight-off-the-roast freshness with the convenience of a can and a lid. No one else has done that before," says Charie. Gala's future plans include Lyons coffee bags which it says is "a unique product in a unique niche", and the Lyons Original range which will be relaunched early next year. Ashby will continue as its organic brand although it hasn't ruled out Lyons going organic. "If it's relevant, we'll do it," says Charie. Gala claims to be the largest coffee roaster in the UK. As a leading player in own label with a 24% share of the £87.8m roast and ground market [AC Nielsen], and the acquisition of Lyons adding a further 8%, it now controls almost a third of the market. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}