Something’s cooking

Consumers’ desire for healthy, convenient meal options is rising. The cooking sauces market is responding with a wide range of new products hitting the shelves.

Brand Central

12 July 2010

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At a glance: Cooking sauces

Dolmio from Mars is Ireland’s leading pasta sauce brand with 65% market share and continues to grow at 7%
The entire Dolmio Bolognese range was re-launched in late 2007 and now contains only good, honest, kitchen cupboard ingredients with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
Blue Dragon has grown its presence in the stir-fry category through a successful relaunch with updated packaging design and recipes in line with FDA’s salt guidelines for 2010 and 2012
Sacla’ Pesto is the Irish market leader in pesto
Roma has recently launched a range of new bolognese sauces
According to Blue Dragon consumers purchase ambient Oriental sauces on averge four times a year

As consumers enjoy eating out and travelling the world, they are increasingly being exposed to new cuisines and flavours that they then seek to re-create in their own homes. Consumers are looking for new, interesting flavours and textures, which allow them to have greater control over what they eat, whilst still offering a quick and easy option, which Oriental cuisine, particularly stir fry cooking methods, provides. According to Blue Dragon consumers purchase ambient Oriental sauces on averge four times a year, which highlights the potential to increase frequency of purchase; increasing value for retailers and manufacturers alike. Retail analyst Mintel states that: “The cooking sauces market has gone from strength to strength, changing with the times to remain relevant to consumer needs”. New products using authentic recipes and ingredients appeal to value-conscious consumers who are seeking convenience, and the taste adventure delivered by restaurant-quality food, through entertaining at home at a fraction of the price.

Uncle Ben’s is number one ethnic sauce brand

Uncle Ben’s sauces offer a wide range of inspirational meals from around the world. By appealing to consumers who demand great tasting, high quality sauces that can be ready in minutes, they maintain their position as the number one brand leader in the ethnic sauce category. Uncle Ben’s sauces are perfect for busy families and contain no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Uncle Ben’s sauce remains the leader within the ethnic food category, holding 22%* market share of the ethnic sauce category and spanning Oriental, Indian and Mexican cuisines. Though continuously creating new flavours, Uncle Ben’s are still very focused on their hero products – Sweet and Sour and Medium Curry sauces.

The latest addition to the Uncle Ben’s sauce family is the ‘Stir Fry’ range which provides consumers with high quality stir fry sauces that can be prepared with minimal effort, meeting consumers needs for speed and convenience without compromising on taste. With five varieties to choose from across the Oriental and Thai cuisines, Uncle Ben’s Stir Fry has a variety to suit everyone.* Source: AC Nielsen Value Share MAT June ’10.

Dolmio fuels growth

Dolmio from Mars is Ireland’s leading pasta sauce brand with 65% market share and continues to grow at 7%, fuelling growth in the category overall. Dolmio owes its success to the strength of its extensive portfolio, which provides consumers with a wide range of nutritious, tasty and easy-to-prepare pasta sauces.

Bolognese sauces are at the core of the Dolmio brand. The entire Dolmio Bolognese range was re-launched in late 2007 and now contains only good, honest, kitchen cupboard ingredients with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Meanwhile, Dolmio Lasagne meal kits have driven growth in the lasagne category very successfully – Dolmio now has 75% of the lasagne ambient market.

The premium segment of the Italian sauce market has grown significantly over the last number of years and Dolmio has responded to consumer needs and changing trends by introducing a range of premium, ready-made pasta sauces, Taste of Italy. The Taste of Italy range consists of five pasta sauces that capture the authentic flavours of five Italian regions; Calabria, Tuscany, Sorrento, Rome and Sicily.

Offering a complete meal solution in a matter of minutes, Dolmio Express is perfect for those occasions when consumers want a quick and easy to prepare meal, without compromising on taste or nutrition. The Dolmio Express range consists of a wide choice of pasta sauces and pasta.

The Dolmio range also includes an innovative range of microwaveable pasta and pasta sauces for kids. The My Dolmio range offers a complete meal solution for parents who struggle to find convenient, healthy food that children will also enjoy.

The entire Dolmio brand continues to be supported with heavyweight TV and other media, using the highly successful puppet campaign which has become a firmly established favourite with Irish families.

Blue Dragon

According to Blue Dragon the ambient Oriental food category is primarily comprised of Chinese and Thai cuisine products, while Japanese cuisine is increasing in popularity.

Blue Dragon has grown its presence in the stir-fry category through a successful relaunch with updated packaging design and recipes in line with FDA’s salt guidelines for 2010 and 2012, and all products are also Blue Dragon’s authentic range of ingredients offers scratch cooks everything they need to cook Chinese, Thai and Japanese food at home.

To engage new and existing consumers, Blue Dragon has added more vibrancy to its ambient Oriental stir-fry portfolio with the addition of two new variants to the standard stir-fry sachet range – Blue Dragon Sweet Soy with Garlic & Ginger and Blue Dragon Thai Basil & Lemongrass – and two further additions to its premium stir-fry sachet range – Blue Dragon Sweet & Sour with Coriander and Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli & Kaffir Lime. The re-vamp also includes improved packaging design.

As consumers’ tastes evolve, Blue Dragon recognises the importance of continuing to improve and extend its Oriental offering to reflect this. December 2009 saw Blue Dragon become the first Oriental food brand to pioneer the emerging consumer trend for Japanese cuisine by launching an authentic tasting range to the masses. Blue Dragon placed considerable investment behind its Japanese launch and, by demystifying what is perceived as a challenging cuisine, the brand’s aim is to attract new consumers into the ambient Oriental food category whilst still maintaining authenticity.

The new Japanese portfolio consists of eight new innovative products including three noodle variants, three yaki sauce variants, a katsu curry sauce jar, and a key component to the range – a katsu curry meal kit.

Sacla’ for food lovers

Sacla’ is run by the third generation of the Ercole Family, all of the products come from rich hinterland of Piemonte in northern Italy. Sacla’ is for food lovers passionate about transforming an every day meal into a quality family experience. Pesto is at the core of the range and Sacla’ is the Irish market leader. The Sacla’ Pesto range has lots of flavours from Classic Basil to more recent additions to the family like Wild Garlic & Fiery Chilli. Pesto is an amazing convenience food. It transforms mash potatoes and livens up salad dressing. It is great on a sandwich, stirred through pasta or used to top meat or fish before grilling.

Sacla’ recently launched a national sampling campaign to talk about the benefits of pesto to a wider Irish audience. As well as the extensive pesto range, there are sauces and antipasti to delight everyone. Some of the best selling lines include the Whole Cherry Tomato range of sauces which are made from a traditional sofritto base of sautéed celery, carrots and onion in extra virgin olive oil and include whole cherry tomatoes in each jar. For more information and convenient summer recipes go to www.sacla.ie

The true taste of Italy

Roma’s recent launch of new tasting bolognese sauces have become a major hit among consumers. The sauces are made with the finest tomatoes, herbs and vegetables in order to deliver the true taste of Italy direct to Irish consumers. Great for spaghetti bolognese or just simply added to pasta, the sauces are sure to be a hit among families who are looking for a quick and tasty meal solution.

The new look, new taste sauces are available in 500g and 700g family size jars and the range consists of Original, Light Chunky, Garlic & Onion, and Spicy!

Roma is supporting its brand this year with a major outdoor and PR campaign, and sponsorship of Catherine’s Roman Holiday; a popular cooking programme on RTE1.

Made with love and Lakeshore

Savour the flavour of Lakeshore Salad Dressings this BBQ season. Using only the best ingredients and made to traditional recipes, Lakeshore accompaniments bring your food to life. Dress up salads with the range of Lakeshore Salad Dressings – the ever popular Honey & Mustard dressing, a premium Caesar dressing, Italian dressing, French style Vinaigrette, Thousand Island and for the weight conscious there are two Low Fat Dressings – Low Fat Caesar Dressing and Low Fat Balsamic & Red Pepper Dressing.

All Lakeshore products are made with the finest ingredients and come in an eclectic range of flavours. For that perfect barbeque, Lakeshore will help to make a lasting impression in an instant.

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