The Lancashire-based sweet manufacturer, which was founded by New Yorker Melissa Burton in 1999, will see her natural gummy candy range sold in 12,000 shops across the US.
GGS will now have the potential to reach more than half of US shoppers with its range of gummies, which are made from natural ingredients, are allergen-free and vegan, Burton claimed.
“I have always felt the US market would be a great fit for our range and we have been working very hard over the past three years to secure listings and build brand awareness,” she said.
Strike deals
The products will be listed by the US retailers CVS and Walgreens in 2015, which would also help GGS strike deals with other US retailers, she added.
“These recent wins are a huge turning point for our business in North America and will further help us in growing our total export turnover by doubling our access to market in one fell swoop.”
According to Burton, GGS’s range is the first and only of its kind on the market. “As a vegetarian, I wanted to produce a natural gummy sweet range free from animal products,” she added.
“And also free from allergens such as wheat starch, lactose powder, and nuts.”
Burton is also a member of the UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI’s) Passport to Export scheme, which has contributed to a 280% increase in the company’s revenue between 2011 and 2012, the UKTI said.
Tackle the US
Meanwhile, other UK food firms planning to tackle the US include Premier Foods, which formed a new international business unit in the summer to spearhead overseas business opportunities.
Premier’s Sharwoods Indian range of sauces was already a success in the US, following increased demand for Indian foods, it said [hotlink]. It would target more brands at the US soon, it added.
European food and drink exports to the US accounted for £11.67bn of trade in 2012, according to FoodDrinkEurope.
The US was the most important destination for EU food and drink exports and new Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks took place between the EU and the US in 2013 to boost them further.
However, talks were still ongoing in Brussels earlier this month (December 18), when EU leaders met with the US in a bid to finalise a new deal with “non-tariff barriers” and “harmonised regulations”.
The UK government claimed TTIP could add £10bn to the UK economy and £100bn to the EU’s economy each year.