The deal to supply six products to Asda has doubled the output at the Nottingham-based Riverside Bakery, NoG’s brand manager Sam Benjamin told FoodManufacture.co.uk.
“We were doing about 8,000 products a week,” he said. “With the Asda contract that will double our capacity to 16,000.”
There would be no need to create any more jobs on top of the 350 currently employed at the site, just a demand to “run the machines for longer”, Benjamin revealed.
Future investment
Although there were plans for future investment when the firm secures listings with other retailers, there were no immediate plans to invest in production facilities, he added.
“We work to where we are and when we need to invest in facilities or products further down the line we will,” he said.
“We have a good relationship with all the retailers and are getting the timing right. We are doing one multiple at a time and doing it right.”
The brand is currently stocked in Ocado and Sainsbury. Benjamin estimated the brand would enter other retailers throughout the year.
Asda’s NoG’s range will include Chicken, Bacon & Leek Pie; Steak & Ale Pie; Vegetable Pie; Quiche Lorraine; Cheese & Onion Quiche and Crustless Garden Veg & Feta Quiche. It will be available later this month at an introductory price of £2.
A custom-built van will also visit a number of stores to give out free samples and boost brand recognition among consumers.
Benjamin claimed the product reflected Asda’s core business strategy.
‘Delighted’
“We’re delighted that Asda is stocking NoG as it extends its gluten-free offering to their customers at a time when more and more people are looking for interesting and delicious free-from products,” he said.
The brand – which is certified gluten-free by Coeliac UK – launched last April at the Food & Drink Expo event, where it scooped top place in its innovation award category.
The brand plans to boost its reputation by appearing at a number of food festivals across the UK this summer including CarFest North and South and Kirstie Allsopp’s The Handmade Fair.
NoG was launched in March last year as the UK’s first chilled gluten-free savoury pasty range. By June it had won listings with Sainsbury and Ocado.