Bowl of new flavours

The Fusion and Street range takes influence from popular world street food

Flavour and exotic ingredients are driving an evolution in the Irish soup market. While old favourites still remain popular, David Corscadden explains how companies are looking to distant lands to drive growth and interest in the soup sector.

Brand Central

14 October 2013

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AT A GLANCE SOUP

Avonmore pioneered the fresh soup sector in 1991
Avonmore is Ireland’s number one brand in the fresh soup category
Fusion and Street has seen its volume share of fresh soup increase to 6%
Fusion and Street’s share of the total fresh soup category stands at 4%
Weight watchers from Heinz is the number one healthy eating soup brand

Soup is as popular as ever with more people turning to it, not only for its comforting effect but for convenience too. Companies however are coming to the realisation that to keep customers interested and to drive more sales they must become more adventurous with their flavour combinations and ingredients. This move to incorporate more exotic flavours has helped evolve the sector and drive sales with people looking for more satisfying eating experiences.

Global influence

With consumers accustomed to a wider range of flavours but lacking the means to travel to far off countries to experience the dishes first hand, a suitable alternative was needed. The Fusion and Street range of soups offers customers just that. The range offers consumers a fusion of global street food, which has seen a phenomenal surge in popularity in recent years, with the wholesomeness and comfort of soup.

The brand has set out to change the face of lunchtime forever. It aims to distract consumers away from the horrors and stresses of work, transporting them to exotic and exciting destinations with just one spoonful. The brand’s chefs select the best ingredients from each city’s street food and use them to add an unexpected twist to the soups customers have grown up with. The collection sees influences from South America, Asia, Africa and India.

‘A taste of Bangok’ incorporates Thai spices, jasmine rice and fresh lime into the comforting base of chicken soup while ‘A taste of Mumbai’ offers chicken soup combined with garam masala spices and basmati rice. Tomato soup gets ‘A taste of Mexico City’ from fresh coriander, red beans and corn. The fourth soup in the range travels to northwest Africa for ‘A taste of Marrakech’ that livens up vegetable soup with puy lentils, cumin and ginger. The entire range allows customers to travel all around the globe without leaving their seats.

Public response to the range has been very positive with people turning to it for an alternative to the traditional fresh soups on the market. The popularity of the range has seen its volume share of fresh soup increase to 6% and its share of the total fresh soup category currently stands at 4%. The company believes apart from its diverse flavour pallet, the range’s great value offering has helped its growth. The range retails for €2.59 which will suit most budgets.

The Fusion and Street range takes influence from popular world street food

This month Fusion and Street will add a fifthvariant to the range with ‘A taste of Rio’ with more global influences coming in 2014.

Better than homemade

Avonmore’s new smooth soup showcases changing consumer tastes

In 1991, Avonmore pioneered the soup industry with the introduction of the first fresh soup, and since then has become a firm family favourite. The brand’s motto for the past 22 years has been, "The taste of homemade", a motto that is still at the heart of all products created today. This message is brought home with the company’s careful sourcing of only the best quality ingredients to go into its soups.

The number one soup brand offers consumers the taste and feeling of homemade soup without any of the hassle or effort of making it from scratch themselves. The convenience factor of the fresh soup range has made the soups very popular with consumers who find themselves strapped for time.

For over 22 years, the brand claims to have been at the forefront of innovation, responding to changing shopper needs and bringing new pack formats, new recipes and new products to the market. This month sees Avonmore launch a new twist on vegetable soup, one of the most popular variants in the category.

The brand’s new Smooth Vegetable soup is a blend of potatoes, carrot, onion and leek, with crème fraiche and garden herbs. The new flavour showcases an evolving consumer pallet with Avonmore now offering customers flavours that would not have been considered when the company first started.

Avonmore believes that its careful selection of ingredients and close relationship with its growers is what adds the real flavour to its soup. "Ingredients are key to us; we’ve just been down to Cork to visit Ned English’s farm where he’s had a great potato harvest. It’s partnership like this with our farmers that makes for great soup," the company states.

The brand has recently introduced a new pack design for its new product which the company believes will standout clearly on shelves with its distinct background colour. Avonmore’s soup campaign will go live in October, leading with sponsorship of the RTÉ Weather.

Irish families still enjoy the Heinz Classics range

An old favourite

Heinz and Weight Watchers from Heinz soup ranges are still proving popular with Irish consumers. Consumers are still attracted to the company’s continuing innovation and product development. Offering customers new flavours and alternatives has helped to keep them coming back to the brand every time.

Heinz Big Soup Beef & Vegetable offers consumers a hearty, tasty option

The Heinz Classics range remains a firm family favourite for people. Classic recipes such as Cream of Tomato and Cream of Chicken remain as popular as ever for customers. The classics have also gotten a modern twist recently with the introduction of Heinz Black Label.

The black label range of soups offers consumers the best of the classics range with a contemporary spin on them. Heinz Cream of Tomato with Chilli, Cream of Tomato with Fiery Mexican Spices, Cream of Mushroom with Wild Porcini Mushrooms and Cream of Chicken with Thai Spices have added excitement to the canned soup category.

Heinz revolutionised the instant soup category through the creation of its Squeeze and Stir range of soup in a cup. The range, made from concentrated vegetable puree, offers consumers an ideal solution for mid-morning or afternoon snacks or the perfect accompaniment to lunchtime sandwiches, in the time it takes to boil a kettle.

With healthy eating as important to consumers as ever, Weight Watchers from Heinz offers them just that without compromising on flavour. The number one healthy eating ambient soup brand continues to offer favourites such as Chicken Noodle, Tuscan Minestrone and Tomato and Basil. The Weight Watchers range will soon see the introduction of a Squeeze and Stir range of soups.

Cully and Sully are launching a new Lentil and Bacon soup

A chunky move

Cully & Sully claims to be a pioneer of the smooth style soup in Ireland and has decided to expand its ‘chunky’ soup selection, still in the easily identifiable black oval pot, and with an RSP of only €2.59.

Last year Cully & Sully added a limited edition chunky Thai style chicken soup to the range and the response was so positive that it became a permanent addition to the collection. Following on from the success of the Thai Chicken soup, a fishy Seafood Chowder was added to the range in May and in the near future Lentil and Bacon soup will join the range on all good supermarket shelves.

The company promises that even lovers of its original smooth soups will fall for the new ‘chunky’ varieties on the market now. For further details on the products, visit www.cullyandsully.com.

Golden Vegetable offers consumers a specially selected array of root vegetables

Something for everyone

Baxters soup started with the introduction of its Royal Game soup in 1929. Since then, the range has been adapted and extended to include a wide selection of recipes. The range offers everything from Baxters favourites to the unique range of deli inspired soups. Autumn 2013 will see the introduction of four new delicious Baxters soups into the Irish market: Favourites Golden Vegetable, Favourites Beef and Vegetable, Chunky Beef and Vegetable and luxury Cullen Skink.

Cullen Sink is based on a traditional Scottish recipe of smoked haddock, potatoes and double cream

Golden Vegetable is an array of specially selected root vegetables including carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onions, swede and leeks, combined with stock and a dash of fresh Scottish double cream. Beef and Vegetable is a hearty traditional soup, which combines minced beef and a selection of vegetables, as well as brown lentils and pearl barley. Chunky Beef and Vegetable combines tender pieces of beef with a wholesome base of chunky vegetables, beans and pulses. Luxury Cullen Skink is a traditional Scottish recipe using the finest smoked haddock combined with potatoes, onions and fresh double cream.

For further information on Baxters soups, contact Stafford Lynch Ltd on (01) 8023 100 or info@staffordlynch.ie

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