Richmond is entering the plant-based snacking category with a ready-to-eat variant of its successful meat-free sausages.
The Pilgrim’s Food Masters brand will launch its “super-convenient” Richmond Meat-Free Minis in Waitrose on 19 April (rsp: £2.50/162g), followed by a further rollout across Sainsbury’s and Tesco in May and Asda in June.
The launch of the chilled, soya and wheat protein-based sausages – which are suitable for vegans and available in a resealable tub format – follows the introduction of ready-to-eat pork cocktail sausage line Richmond Minis last spring.
Richmond Meat-Free Minis were also “a healthier alternative to ambient snacks such as crisps or confectionery”, the brand said, and were low in fat, salt and sugar, and high in protein.
It comes amid a growing appetite amongst shoppers for meat-free, protein-filled snacks, with Richmond pointing to the category’s 20% increase in value to £30m over the past two years [IRI to 30 October 2022].
Additionally, some 61% of branded growth in the category came from brands with both meat and meat-free offerings such as Richmond [IRI], as they were “well placed to attract flexitarian shoppers”, it said.
But despite this growth, there was still “a lingering consumer opinion that current meat-free snack options miss the mark on taste, texture and overall consumer experience”, the brand claimed [Kantar 52 w/e 27 November 2022], offering Richmond an “opportunity to offer better, tastier meat-free snacks”.
The NPD would “disrupt the status quo in meat-free snacking”, said Chris Doe, marketing controller at Pilgrim’s Food Masters.
“Our loyal Richmond customers have been asking us for a meat-free snack that delivers on taste and texture – where our competitors often fall flat – because they trust us to deliver in meat-free,” he added.
“We’re confident Richmond Meat-Free Minis fit the bill for a snack that tastes great, looks delicious, is a healthy option and not only that, is suitable for vegans too. As the meat-free snacking category begins to flourish we want to be front and centre of that growth, catering to all meat-free occasions. And given our track record in this space, retailers can rely on us to deliver strong sales.”
Richmond said it was now the third-largest brand in meat-free, with sales of £37.1m [IRI & Kantar 52 w/e 22 January].
The launch will be supported by a digital OOH and targeted social campaign, running across June and July, alongside city centre sampling to drive purchase.
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