The stars of 2022!

ShelfLife looks at the products old and new that made their mark over the past year and have become must stock items for this year ahead

Brand Central

22 December 2022

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As we near the end of another year, we take a look at some of the favourite products of 2022 across a range of segments. Whether they are new innovations or essential icons, we want to celebrate their unique positions and offerings in the Irish market. Of course, 2022 was not without its challenges, and many of the products that consumers gravitated towards this year reflect the impact of grocery price inflation. Despite this, we’ve still seen many brands achieve impressive sales results, and generate ample excitement and renewed interest in their respective categories through innovative and big-budget marketing campaigns. Make sure you have these products front and centre!

The ultimate in pasta perfection!

Ottimo takes fresh pasta and freezes it and it’s made in Ireland

There is a new product in your local supermarket freezer that will make your life a whole lot easier, whilst also tantalising those pasta-loving taste buds! Ottimo is the ultimate in pasta perfection, taking fresh pasta and freezing it, good to go at any time of the day or night – and it’s made right here in Ireland! With three varieties for you to choose from, it’s ready in four minutes – so you can serve it up simply, or get saucy!

If cheese and pasta are enough to make your mouth water, then Fantastico Four Cheese Ravioli is the choice for you! These not quite square ravioli pockets are filled with a creamy mix of four cheeses! Looking for a hint of veg with something indulgent? Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni ticks all of those boxes! These little pasta parcels are filled with fresh spinach and a creamy ricotta cheese. Fancy some mushroom? The Non Quadrato Mushroom Ravioli is the one that is sure to satisfy those taste buds – the ravioli pockets are filled with mushrooms and simply seasoned with salt and pepper.

Research has shown that many people purchase fresh pasta and later freeze what they do not use. Why not freeze it at its freshest and cook from frozen for optimum quality and flavour? This Italian inspired frozen filled pasta is the perfect answer for busy people who want a delicious, convenient meal without the effort. The fresh frozen production process allows Ottimo to maintain the fresh pasta texture and keeps all of the nutrients locked in, meaning you can have a high-quality convenient meal without compromising on taste. It cooks straight from frozen in four minutes and doesn’t leave you with any waste – only use what you need and put the remainder back in the freezer!

Ottimo is priced at €3.50 for a 300g pack and is brought to you by Green Isle.

Curry lovers rejoice!

McDonnells has been making food taste great since the 80’s! Loved by Irish families for generations, McDonnells is one of Ireland’s most iconic food brands.

McDonnells sauce transforms food – the humble chip becomes a delicious curried chip; chicken goes from bland to a taste explosion! McDonnells has made it even easier for your shoppers to enjoy their favourite curry sauce anytime, anywhere. Containing 350g of pure curry heaven, with McDonnells Squeezy Original Curry Sauce, your customers are only ever one squeeze away from curry heaven. Just squeeze over whatever you like and eat: job done!

High in protein, low in fat

In July Müller shook up the rice segment with its first ever rice protein product range with two new variants of vanilla and chocolate, containing 14g of protein per pot and low in fat.

Müller customers will continue to benefit from first class marketing campaigns, customer service, industry leading capabilities and product innovation.

Breakfast for every taste

Rudd’s offers a number of ranges including the Favourites Range, Eat Well, Plantiful and Chef’s Table

The Rudd’s brand has long stood for breaking ground within the artisan food world in Ireland. In 1973, Rudd’s embarked on a culinary adventure and the creativity continues to this day. Rudd’s has recently revealed a new look, giving the brand a more modern refreshed feel, as well as an updated range of products to meet all customer needs.

The Rudd’s mission has always been simple; to bring creativity and versatility to the dinner tables across Ireland, providing an option for everyone in the family. These values are embedded in the brand and nearly 50 years on have not changed. With the new look making it easier to navigate the customer’s needs, whether it be the Favourites Range for your quality traditional breakfast products, a lean and functional option in Eat Well, some plant-based alternatives in Plantiful or just something a little bit unique in the Chef’s Table range.

Simon Rudd, Rudd’s commercial manager said: “When my parents started to produce the Rudd’s range of breakfast products from our own pig farm, they had a simple mission and that was to be adventurous with what they created. Being the first was not a new thing for the Rudd’s brand, whether it was our original dry cured rashers, low salt with no added water or our high-quality meat sausages without any preservatives or additives. This creativity to push the boundaries is reflected in our new refreshed range.

“We have created innovative sub-categories to help our customers navigate the range, with Favourites delivering the traditional Irish breakfast, Chef’s Table giving us a platform to showcase our exciting innovation, Eat Well offering a range of more functional products for a more health and fitness conscious customer, plus of course our Plantiful range giving a plant based alternative option for the changing consumer landscape.

“We believe in good food for a good life and with ever changing lifestyles and demands, we believe this new refreshed range is offering these choices, but never compromising on the quality and consistency that Rudd’s is recognised for,” he says.

The Rudd’s range includes:

Rudd’s Favourites – A range of traditional award winning breakfast meat products, adapting to the changing consumer requirements, whether it be on pack size or format, but retaining the tried and tested traditional recipes and quality the Rudd’s brand was built on.

Rudd’s Eat Well – A range born from a true understanding of people’s changing consumption habits. People are eating healthier these days and are eating for functional reasons to achieve their individual goals. Rudd’s have designed a range to help people eat the foods they love without the compromise or the guilt. These are forgivable sins!

Rudd’s Chef’s Table – This range showcases the unique and exciting products from Rudd’s. This range offers consumer something that extra bit special, whether it be a seasonal treat or an all year-round favourite.

Rudd’s Plantiful – Sausages and puddings, but plant-based. Rudd’s have turned the tables on the traditional breakfast and have made it meat free and totally vegan. Rudd’s are Ireland’s only brand to offer a full range of plant-based breakfast meats.

Ireland’s favourite crisp

Tayto, Ireland’s number one crisps and snacks brand*, launched Tayto Lentil Chips in January 2022. Tayto Lentil Chips contain 40% less fat**, are a source of fibre*** and have no artificial colours and no added MSG. Tayto Lentil Chips are available in two mainstream flavours; Cheese & onion and Sour Cream & Onion and available in both sharing and multipack formats. The brand has been extremely well received by consumers since launch and has now delivered over €1million RSV in the market*.

Tayto lentil chips was supported throughout 2022 with a heavyweight marketing campaign with particular focus across January and February including TV, radio, out of home, digital, social and PR. In 2023, the brand will continue to be supported ATL with TV, VOD, radio, digital, social, PR all combined with a strong in-store presence to dive both physical and mental availability for the brand.

Make sure to stock up on Tayto Lentil Chips in 2023 as the brand is showing no signs of slowing down and is sure to only grow the market further in 2023.

*(Source: Nielsen Value Sales YTD 06.11.22)

**(40% less fat per 100g compared to Tayto Cheese & Onion fried potato crisps)

***(Contains 3.5g of fibre per 100g)

Taste above all else

O’Donnells Sour Cream and Onion are available in 50g single serve and 125g share bags

O’Donnells Hand Cooked Crisps are the leading hand cooked crisp brand in Ireland and currently hold 48% value share of this market and the brand has seen growth of +10% year to date*.

Earlier this year O’Donnells launched a new flavour – Sour Cream and Onion. The impeccable measure of tangy sour cream and mild onion seasoning is perfectly balanced to bring you a true taste sensation.

Siblings behind the brand, Ed and Kate O’Donnell said “We’re always listening to our customers and looking for exciting new flavours that will deliver the premium taste and experience fans of the brand know and love. We spent a long time perfecting the recipe to ensure we delivered the best tasting sour cream and onion crisps on the market, and we think we’ve nailed it. We hope everyone enjoys them as much as we do, they’re our new favourite and we think they’ll be your new favourite flavour too.” O’Donnells Sour Cream and Onion are available in 50g single serve and 125g share bags.

O’Donnells is currently live with the ‘Taste Above All Else’ campaign across TV, radio, digital, social and in-store throughout the month of December, driving awareness for O’Donnells through the festive period.

*(Source: Nielsen MAT Value Sales Nov 6th, 2022, Hand Cooked Crisps)

Double chocolate: Double bliss

€1 in every €6 spent on a box of chocolates in Ireland is spent on a Lindor box

Lindt Lindor has strengthened its position as the number one boxed chocolate brand in the Irish market. €1 in every €6 spent on a box of chocolates in Ireland is spent on a Lindor box* proving that Lindt Lindor continues to be a must stock for retailers in 2022.

With a wide range of exciting and delectable flavours as well as formats, Lindt Lindor is the perfect chocolate gift for any occasion. Lindor success comes not only from the much-loved classic Lindor milk recipe but also through their continual innovations to the market that are guaranteed to excite and delight your shoppers.

The Lindt master chocolatiers combine expertise and the finest ingredients to create the perfectly round milk chocolate truffles with an irresistibly smooth melting filling with dark chocolate. Double chocolate. Double bliss.

Supported by a strong national campaign, Lindor TV advertising will return to your screens this spring with increased support and activity both in and out of store.

Bring some bliss to your shoppers this year with the Lindor range!

Lindor 200g retails at €6.99.

*(Source: Nielsen, Total Scantrack ROI Data to 02.01.22)

Cork craft beer celebrates 25 years

Franciscan Well has launched a new visual identity and refreshed brand positioning as it celebrates 25 years of the Cork based craft brewery in 2023. From this month, customers enjoying their favourite Franciscan Well craft beer, either at home or in the pub, will begin to see the new look reflected on cans, beer taps and pint glasses.

Franciscan Well will invest significantly in the brand across 2022 and 2023, helping to refresh and renew its offering as it marks a quarter of a century of brewing. A launch campaign, which embraces and celebrates the craft brewer’s Cork heritage, will run for the remainder of 2022 and continue into 2023.

The rollout of the campaign will include an above-the-line media campaign that will run across trade media, social media and a national billboard campaign highlighting the new look. Customers will also begin to see Franciscan Well’s new visual identity and refreshed brand positioning on its newly designed cans, packaging and in-store branding in the off trade, and on pint glasses and beer taps in the on trade over the coming weeks and months.

To celebrate the launch of this new brand offering, Franciscan Well will hold a launch event on Wednesday 23November in Cork, which will feature talented Irish comedians and musicians.

The new visual identity for Franciscan Well is inspired by Modern Ireland and the brewery’s Cork home, with the new designs capturing Modern Irish life and community through the inclusion of people, buildings and culture with references to Cork and the brand’s heritage.

As part of the brand refresh, Franciscan Well is also launching Well Hazy Pale Ale, a brand new hazy beer to complement the brewery’s existing range of ales and beers available across the on and off trade.

The 4% ABV hazy beer offers customers low bitterness with a fresh tropical taste. Hazy Pale Ale will offer even more choice from the Franciscan Well range and also appeals to the rapidly growing hazy beer market, which has seen sales grow by over 110% since 2019.*

The new beer is available now in the Irish on-trade with an off-trade launch planned for March 2023.

Speaking on the launch of the new brand look, Franciscan Well founder, Shane Long said: “Franciscan Well has come a long way since we founded the brewery back in 1998 and I am delighted to support Molson Coors as they introduce our new visual identity and refreshed brand positioning, which is going to lay the foundations for the next quarter century. Established on the site of the old Franciscan Monastery in Cork, which dates back to 1219, we are proud of our Cork roots and have worked hard to reflect that heritage in our rebrand, while also embracing Modern Ireland.”

Also commenting on the new brand look, Shane O’Sullivan, sales director, ROI on and off-trade, Molson Coors Beverage Company said: “We are delighted to share our new look for Franciscan Well with our customers. We have invested significantly in this rebrand to celebrate Franciscan Well’s first quarter century, with the new look and feel helping to refresh the brand and bring new meaning and relevance for consumers, as we head into our second quarter century.”

*(Source: NielsenIQ Off-Trade Total Market Craft Ale Value vs 2YA 12 w/e 14/08/2022)

Refreshment at its best

New Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% offers the same superior taste experience of Peroni Nastro Azzurro, with a crisp and refreshing Italian taste and 0.0% alcohol. Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% responds to consumer demand and aims to serve occasions and social moments where beer lovers are seeking a superior tasting alcohol-free beer with 0.0% alcohol.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% is recognisable as it is crafted with superior Italian ingredients including the signature Nostrano dell‘Isola maize – grown exclusively for Peroni Nastro Azzurro in the north of Italy – to create the same uplifting Italian taste, with 0.0% alcohol.

The trend of drinking beer is changing^.Thanks to its effervescent, refreshing taste and 0.0% alcohol, consumers can live every moment fully. This Christmas whether meeting friends at a bar or relishing time at home there are no limits to when, and where consumers can enjoy Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%.

‘Creamiest Plant Based Chocolate’

Made with just five natural ingredients and with 50% less sugar than traditional milk chocolate, the full Nobó range is also packaged in an environmentally friendly compostable flow wrapper

Started by husband and wife duo Rachel and Brian Nolan, and established as one of Ireland’s best loved home-grown brands, Nobó is now disrupting the entire confectionery category by bringing its ‘Creamiest Plant Based Chocolate’ into mainstream impulse and coffee adjacency.

With key listings going live across Junction 14, the Ennis Group and Tesco nationwide, the customer and consumer reaction since launch has been exceptional, validating that the demand and market opportunities are real.

Nobó’s new reimagined “Creamiest Plant Based Chocolate” range includes a fresh new look and new formats including an impulse 25g bar,10g Nuffles and 80g bars.

The brand built its reputation on a belief that treats must deliver on taste and quality ingredients first and foremost, and has now developed a unique proposition with their plant based chocolate. Made with just five natural ingredients and with 50% less sugar than traditional milk chocolate, the full range is also packaged in an environmentally friendly compostable flow wrapper.

2022 also saw the opening of the Nobó Treathouse, their flagship store and cafe in Dublin 6. This was recently awarded Best Store Design at the IDI awards, and is the heart and home of Nobó NPD.

The Nobó team have done an amazing job in designing, developing and bringing to life a truly magnificent offering and are one to watch in 2023.

For enquiries on stocking ‘The Creamiest Plant Based Chocolate’, contact Sales@Nobo.ie.

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