Marking key dates in the diary with exciting and unique products can be a great way for food and drink producers to uplift their normal ranges.
Halloween is one such occasion, a time of year when manufacturers can have a little bit of fun and create exciting new options that will fill the baskets of trick or treaters come the end of October.
Mr Kipling expands Halloween range
Premier Foods, the makers of the Mr Kipling range of sweet bakes, has expanded its range of Halloween products with the addition of ‘Chocolate & Orange Slices’.
Already available in stores, the slices are individually wrapped and sold in packs of five at £1.75 each. The sale of chocolate and orange flavoured cakes have grown by more than 11% in terms of value year-on-year, while Toluna research found that 66% of consumers are looking to try new seasonal flavours of existing products.
In addition to the new Mr Kipling ‘Chocolate & Orange Slices’, Premier Foods is bringing back a number of products from across the Cadbury and Mr Kipling ranges. This includes ‘Cadbury Mini Bonfire Logs’, ‘Cadbury Pumpkin Patch Cakes’, ‘Cadbury Goo Heads Cake Bars’, ‘Mr Kipling Deliciously Good Toffee Apple Pies’, ‘Mr Kipling Terrifyingly Toffee Whirls’ and ‘Mr Kipling Fiendish Fancies’.
“Building on the growing success of the chocolate and orange flavour in cakes, the Mr Kipling Chocolate & Orange Slices are set to meet demand for this flavour profile at Halloween,” said Naomi Shooman, global marketing director for sweet treats at Premier Foods.
“Stocking the product alongside the wider Mr Kipling and Cadbury cake Halloween range will help retailers appeal to all ages and occasions – from trick or treating through to celebrations with friends and family.”
Krispy Kreme unveils four spooky doughnuts
Doughnut manufacturer Krispy Kreme has launched four new limited edition products to mark Halloween.
The handcrafted treats became available for pre-order on 25 September and are set to hit the shelves of grocery stores from 16 October.
The new varieties launched are the raspberry flavoured ‘Bite n Delight’, the chocolatey ‘Howl-o-ween’, the toffee apple and orange ‘Pumpkin Patch’ and the apple and sprinkles ‘Spooktacular’. The first three are priced at £2.95, while the ‘Spooktacular’ will be sold at £2.55.
In addition, Krispy Kreme has created a ‘Pumpkin Decoration Kit’ priced at £15.95, which includes six toffee apple filled, pumpkin-shaped doughnuts that can be decorated with a dark icing hand piping tube. Two multipack options are also due to go on sale.
The doughnut manufacturer makes its products fresh on a daily basis, and they are sold out of selected supermarket cabinets in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, as well as at Krispy Kreme stores.
Commenting on the limited edition range, Jamie Dunning, president and managing director of Krispy Kreme UK and Ireland, said: “Each year our manufacturing and product development team look to push the boundaries of what can be baked and hand-decorated daily to meet demand when it comes to Halloween - one of our biggest sales occasions of the year.
"Our new limited edition, spooky doughnut range offers our fans a ‘scary’ twist on our classic flavours, ensuring made fresh daily Krispy Kreme doughnuts can enjoyed as part of our customers’ Halloween celebration."
BEAR celebrates Halloween with ‘Yoyos’
Kids fruit snacking brand BEAR has reimagined its ‘Blackcurrant and Strawberry Yoyos’ for this year’s Halloween.
Back for another year but in larger quantities, the snacks will be available in two pack sizes of five or nine, with each pair of Yoyos individually wrapped. The product counts towards the five a day target and is made with no added sugar.
Based on the traditional Yoyo range, the packaging has been redesigned specifically for the season.
“Consumers are often willing pay more for novelty products, especially around seasonal occasions, and we know that premiumisation is driving growth in the category,” said Stephanie Armstrong, marketing manager at Urban Fresh Foods, the parent company behind BEAR.
“In spite of the ongoing cost of living challenges, shoppers will still look to good quality and as a brand parents already know and love, BEAR is in the perfect position to entice families to Halloween displays.”
Armstrong added that a growing emphasis on healthy eating among consumers means that more trick or treaters will be looking for healthier alternatives to sweets and chocolates.
She continued: “BEAR is currently growing ahead of the category at more than 9% year-on-year, and our brand is all about making the healthier snacking choice easier for parents and still fun for kids as there’s no compromising on great taste.”
Finsbury launches Thorntons seasonal special
Finsbury Food Group has created a new product in collaboration with Thorntons to mark Halloween – ‘Thorntons Toffee Apple Bites’.
The autumnal shortcake squares encase an apple-infused caramel filling and feature a creamy milk chocolate topping. Launched on 23 September, they are now available for purchase in Spar, Asda and Co-op for £1.25 per pack.
Headquartered in Cardiff, Finsbury manufactures a range of baked products including for retail and foodservice markets. It was announced earlier this month that the firm is set to be acquired by Frisbee Bidco, which is owned by funds managed by asset management firm DBAY Advisors, in a deal worth £143.4m.
Speaking following the launch of a new range of products, which included the ‘Thorntons Toffee Apple Bites’, Finsbury head of brands and marketing, Daryl Newlands, said the firm was “excited” by the opportunity to launch new products.
“We continue to innovate in line with consumer demands for exciting indulgent treats at accessible price points,” added Newlands.
“Our team have worked closely with our brand partners to create products that align with their master brand equity, whilst also creating unique offerings that really stand out on the cake fixture.”
Blondies Kitchen releases Halloween cookies
London-based American-style cookie manufacturer Blondies Kitchen has created a special range of Halloween products.
Due to go on sale from 2 October, the products will be available for purchase online or at two London locations. The first is at the Blondies store in Covent Garden and the second is at the Selfridges Food Hall on Oxford Street.
The new range includes a seven inch Halloween cookie, priced at £16.50, and a ‘Giant Halloween cookie’, priced at £32.50. The brand has also brought out six and 12 packs of ‘Pumpkin Pie' cookies, available for £20.99 and £34 respectively.
