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CHANNELLING THE PUSH FOR HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY As consumers increasingly opt for healthy options that are quick and convenient, Convenience World takes a look inside the P&C channel to find out what’s trending and what’s here to stay, and how store owners can meet consumers’ rising health demands. By Margaret Mielczarek. Choose better Launched in 2019, the Better Brands Group’s main aim is to “build and develop brands that are better for you and better for the environment”, says owner and Director Luke Driver. “Our focus is to work with brands \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\[as well as\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\] develop our own that have at least one or more of the following attributes: carbon neutral, clean ingredients, plant based, gluten free and preservative free,” he said. When asked about a better-for-you product that the Better Brands Group supports, Mr Driver says its Greenback plant protein bars are currently sold in the convenience channel across the flavours of hazelnut, salted caramel, peanut butter and choc mint. He adds that the bars, which “taste like a chocolate bar”, are not only dairy free and vegan but also gluten free, preservative free and all natural and “have less than one third of the sugar \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\[compared with the average confectionery bar\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\] and are packed full of plant-based goodness”. “We’ve managed to tick all these \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\[health\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\] boxes, and more, and still produce a bar that tastes amazing,” Mr Driver said. “Vegan protein bars don’t need to taste like cardboard, after all. Taste is what brings our customers back, and they can’t believe we’re plant based, because we taste so good.” In terms of product uptake, Mr Driver says that since its launch last year, “Greenback bar sales have exploded to 4500-plus outlets in multiple channels throughout Australia and New Zealand”. “The uptake of our range has been incredible,” he said, adding that as many as 10 store groups in the channel feature the product and “our objective is to be ranged in every P&C customer by August 2021”. The positive uptake of the Greenback bars is possibly not surprising given that, as Mr Driver says, “there’s certainly been a move towards healthy snacking” over the past 12 months, “and the category has seen strong growth”. “Retailers are doing a great job in this space and penetration has increased due to retailer focus and drive,” he said. According to Mr Driver, some of the key health and consumer trends influencing this category within P&C include snacking, the increasingly health-conscious consumer, veganism, and taste/flavour expectations. “Modern life has redefined mealtimes,” he said. “The on-the- go crowd has led to an onslaught of consumers seeking high protein snacks as their meal replacement.” TO PAGE 42 HEALTHY OPTIONS MAR/APR, 2021 ONVENIENCE WORLD 41