A small Irish snack manufacturer is celebrating a major milestone, having secured a listing with Tesco Ireland that will see an estimated 100,000 bags of Pinkfinch fruit and vegetable crisps sold annually.

Since founding Pinkfinch in his parent’s spare room five years ago, Michael Heaslip has grown the brand across Ireland, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, with distribution warehouses in Ireland and the UK.

The ranges set to be appearing on Tesco shelves include Pinkfinch Green Bean & Sugar Snap Pea, Banana flavour, and Apple. All the flavours contain real fruit and vegetables, produced through a process known as “vacuum-crisping”.

The Green Bean and Sugar Snap Pea offering has won a Great Taste Award and was shortlisted in the Sial Paris Innovation Selection 2018.

“Our ultimate aim was to develop a healthier crisp that could contribute to the five-a-day diet recommendation,” says Heaslip. “To do this, we developed a unique cooking process that maintains the taste qualities of the fruits and vegetables. The result is they are a more appealing snack for children.

“In fact,” he adds, “parents that couldn’t convince their children to eat their fruit and vegetables are sending us messages thanking us on social media!”

Pinkfinch’s listing in 118 Tesco stores marks a significant chapter in the brand’s growth, Heaslip adds. “We are determined to grow our business with them,” he says, “and make the listing a success.”

Commercial director at Tesco Ireland, Joe Manning says the group is thrilled to bring Pinkfinch to its stores. “Innovation is a key focus in everything we do,” he says, “and our teams are very passionate about continuing to develop our offering with the best range of products in the Irish market.”

Pinkfinch fruit crisps are available now in Tesco Ireland and multiple major retailers in Belgium and Germany.