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SNACKS FROM PAGE 48 out at cafes, snacking has a terrific opportunity to capitalise on the trend. “While we all look forward to the Covid-19 period passing, we need to offer our customers products that will give them both comfort and sustenance as they navigate stressful situations. This isn’t just a short passing phase. “With children learning from home in some states, developing special products and offers to cater to their needs, again thinking healthier and fun options, will be an opportunity.” A chance to reset Tucker's Natural has experienced inconsistent demand for its snack products during the pandemic, Managing Director Sam Tucker tells Convenience World. “After a demanding couple of weeks in March, sales contracted as a result of the lockdown and retailer supply chain priority driven by consumers for items such as toilet paper, pasta, UHT milk and eggs,” he said. “The convenience market was also down, in particular the petrol/ retail channel, which declined when petrol sales dropped with everyone staying home.” He says food sales in this channel “took a direct hit”. However, Mr Tucker sees the upside of the pandemic as giving everyone a chance to reset and think again about what’s important – such as buying locally manufactured products. “When we reach the other side of the pandemic, I have no doubt people will once again seek snacks from P&C outlets with the same fervour as before,” he said. “The whole offer in convenience hinges on people being out and about and getting on with their busy daily lives.” The challenge to be noticed and accepted Tucker’s Natural brands at P&C stores include Gourmet Crackers, Gourmet Bites and Gluten Free Bites, Gourmet to Go, Crackers & Dip, Snack Bites, and Sam’s Cookie Snacks, which are available at BP, On The Run, Caltex, AA Petroleum, independent and IGA stores. Mr Tucker says the company has invested significantly in new production capabilities, with new products set to come soon. “We’ve got some exciting options to produce a wide range of sheeted and filled products, shape them and pack them in individual portions as well as multipacks, so we’re on the cusp of having a wave of new products tailored to the convenience market,” he said. “Now I don’t want to give too much away, but we’re loving some of the new plant-based ingredient innovations coming from our local farmers.” Sam’s Cookie Snacks, a recent launch from Tucker’s Natural, is a sweet snack with “visual inclusions” portioned for young teenagers through to adults. “The snacks provide a source of fibre and protein, so they fall into the ‘something better for you’ offer, but they’re still full of flavour and contain the natural goodness of butter and full cream milk,” Mr Tucker said. “Delicious, and in both fruit and chocolate flavours, they’re what people are looking for in terms of a guilt- free treat – made evident by the way my three young boys devour them, and they’re particularly fussy with their snacks.” Mr Tucker says his kids were “the motivators” for the Sam’s Cookie Snacks range as it gives them a healthier yet treat-oriented option for their lunch boxes “that they actually eat” and even trade with their mates at school. “It’s all about finding that delicate balance, because while people do want a nutritionally better product, they don’t want to forgo taste \\\[or the occasional\\\] indulgence. “It’s a really interesting space for food producers in that it’s difficult to deliver products that tick all the boxes for consumers, because snacks are usually going to have some sugar, fat or salt in them to give them the flavour consumers are conditioned to tasting. It truly is a challenge for manufacturers to provide the nutritional benefits that are genuinely healthier options but still deliver on the promise of taste and convenience.” Mr Tucker points out that that while many people are concerned about their health, there is also a tendency to want to indulge when they treat themselves. “Just look at the indulgent products cafes and bakeries now have on offer,” he said. “Recently I saw doughnuts bedecked with marshmallows and sugar lollies and loads of cream – bigger than Ben Hur – and a queue down the street to get hold of them. This trend for super-indulgent snacks seems to be here to stay, with more extravagant creations appearing in bakeries and cafes across Australia. “Food manufacturers are straddling the lines between healthy-for-you products and indulgent, delicious treats. Either way, the product needs to taste good, as consumers will reject poor-tasting products no matter how good they are for you.” He emphasises that trial by consumers is one of the biggest obstacles companies face when introducing new products or launching a new brand to market. “This is especially the case for SMEs with limited marketing budgets,” Mr Tucker said. “There are a lot of great new products that hit the market but simply don’t get trialled by consumers and therefore fail – and definitely not because they’re not good enough, but because they can’t attract attention and secure the momentum required to clinch a position in the market.” This, he says, is because consumers are faced with many decisions when shopping, and often habit overrides trial. “This is both a producer and retailer barrier that needs to be shared, so we can all benefit as well as the consumer with new innovative products,” he said. Mr Tucker highlights that the younger generation is more adaptable, engaged and interested in trying new products and brands. “The important thing about new snack 50 CONVENIENCE WORLD SEP/OCT, 2020