West Sussex salads producer Natures Way Foods is going national with its innovative Lasting Leaf bagged salad brand.
Launching in Tesco and Morrison, alongside its existing Waitrose partnership, the brand is now available nationwide in a selection of five different salad combinations.
First introduced into the UK market in Spring 2010, Lasting Leaf is a totally unique concept that combines freshness and convenience with genuine extended shelf life. Once a bag of lettuce has been opened, it can often only last a day or two before it starts to go pink or brown. Lasting Leaf stays fresher for longer because the leaves are ‘blanched’ in hot water and then refreshed in cold. This guarantees freshness in the fridge for at least two days, once the bag has been opened.
This special process has been developed by Natures Way Foods in response to growing consumer demand for leaves that don’t ‘pink’ quickly. The new bagged salad combinations that are being introduced use a variety of fresh leaves that respond well to ‘blanching’, including Iceberg, Romaine, Radicchio, Green Batavia, Frisee and Carrot.
Feedback from consumers and Waitrose has been very positive for Natures Way Foods and sales of Lasting Leaf have grown consistently. Particularly encouraging for the company is that the vast proportion of these sales have been incremental and have not been stolen from existing products. Distribution in Waitrose stores has also increased – including availability in the newly-opened Channel Island stores.
Winter sales patterns have also been particularly gratifying. These have remained strong throughout the colder months, when traditionally salad sales dip down. Natures Way Foods believes that the brand’s unique longer-lasting-life and freshness proposition, and quality product delivery, have helped to sustain and grow these sales. Consumers now understand that they can buy lettuce in the winter, use it at a low level rate and not see it go ‘off’ quickly in the fridge.
Sarah Baldock, Head of Sales & Marketing at Natures Way Foods comments:
“We are delighted with the success Lasting Leaf has had so far. It has exceeded all our expectations and has helped to revitalise the category. This is a very exciting time for Natures Way Foods with expansion and investment in a new plant and packaging facilities. Lasting Leaf will become one of the cornerstones of our business as we believe it offers an innovative but genuine consumer benefit which will add true category value to the bagged salad market. We look forward to reviewing its impact in six month’s time.”
Three new varieties have been added to the existing range:
• Sweet Leaf and Carrot Salad (containing Iceberg, Radicchio, Carrot and Romaine Leaves)
• Crispy Crunchy Salad (containing Frisee, Radicchio and Green Batavia)
• Green Leaf Salad (which combines Iceberg and Romaine Leaves).
For further details log onto www.lastingleaf.com.
