Van den Bergh Foods' Olivio brand ­ a pioneer of the olive oil based spread sector ­ is going retro with the launch of Olivio with Butter in a traditional style block format. This may seem an unusual move as it makes the brand look similar to more traditional butter products. However, business group director Neil Kimberley said the new product ­ which is available from September 25 ­ is in response to research showing that consumers want the taste of butter but the health benefits of olive oil. "There was a huge need for a product which delivered on taste but had a lower level of fat, especially saturated fats," he said. The company is backing the brand's image diversification with a £4.5m marketing programme which will run until December. New TV ads, breaking in October, will build on the health focus of Olivio's Mediterranean themed Club 18 - 130 series. There will also be press advertising, PoS material and sampling coinciding with the launch. The company predicted that the premium rsp ­ 89p for 250g ­ would drive value growth in the butter and margarine category. The border between butter and dairy spreads has become increasingly blurred in recent years, as butter's popularity has seen an upturn. Spreadable butter variants have joined the yellow fats fixture, including Country Life Spreadable which arrived in June 2000, and Kerrygold Irish Butter launched in late 1999. {{P&P }}

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