Rachel's has launched what it claims is the UK's first mainstream pouring yoghurt in a bid to reinvigorate both the organic and natural yoghurt sectors.

Rachel's Pouring Natural Yoghurt comes in a 400g pot with a spout, and has a texture similar to a single cream. It arrived on Tesco shelves nationwide this week (rsp: £1.19) and will shortly go into Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado.

The three flavours natural, natural with a hint of honey, and natural with a hint of strawberry are being pitched as the ideal ­alternative to milk for use on cereal or muesli, or as an accompaniment to fruit ­salads or desserts.

Packs will include prominent instructions to help consumers understand how to use the yoghurt.

The organic dairy manufacturer has targeted £3m to £5m sales in the first year and believes it can kickstart growth in the natural yoghurt sector.

"In commissioned research, we discovered that consumers were looking for something more interesting than milk to pour over their cereal and muesli, while current natural yoghurt was also considered to be too thick," said marketing manager Andrew Curzon.

"As the leading premium dairy brand, we felt that this was a great opportunity to develop a new product that consumers were crying out for."

As part of its marketing plans for the new launch, Rachel's has teamed up with Dorset Cereals for a number of joint activities including digital marketing, sampling and in-store promotions.

With only 3% of yoghurt eaten at breakfast, there was significant opportunity to grow sales in that area, Curzon claimed. UK shoppers also lagged behind their Continental cousins in terms of overall yoghurt consumption, with the concept of pouring yoghurt having been much more widely embraced abroad.

As a unique product in the marketplace, the pouring yoghurt would give Rachel's the chance to get non-organic consumers buying into its portfolio, he added.

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