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New Style of Apple Juice

I came across a new style of apple juice in the chiller cabinet of my local Waitrose this week. It's called Cold Press, and its point of difference is that (apart from no preservatives, no added sugar and no concentrates) they don't use heat pasteurisation. Which means (according to the label) that the juice retains the pure taste nutrition and antioxidants of fresh fruit.
I quite liked the idea of this, and the packaging is quite attractive - modern and simple - so I decided to try the Pink Lady variant. And it was actually quite delicious. It did taste clean and pure. In my experience it's quite rare that the product actually lives up to the promise of the blurb on the label, but in this case it did!  My only gripe is that there just wasn't really enough of it in the 250ml bottle. There are 8 variants, but only 3 were stocked in Waitrose.Braeburn Apple, Valencia Orange, Apple & Raspberry, Apple & Lemon, Apple & Passionfruit, Apple & Strawberry, Granny Smith and Pink Lady apple. And from their website, it looks like they produce 750ml bottles, but I didn't see these in the chiller.
For more information on their range and the benefits of the cold press technique, visit their website http://www.cold-press.co.uk     

We want your reviews.
If you've come across any great tasting new products recently that you want to tell us about please let us know. And if you've been disappointed in anything you've tried recently, post your comments on the site and let other people know about your experience.


To see some of the projects I've worked on for food and drinks companies, go to www.sa-marketing.com

Product Review - New Covent Garden Patatas Bravas Soup

I'm a real fan of tapas, and Patatas Bravas in particular. So when I came across a soup version in my local Waitrose, I couldn't resist. I've found the quality of New Covent Garden Soups quite patchy, but the lure of spicy potato and chorizo soup was enough to override my scepticism. Big Mistake.
What a disappointment! This was little more than mediochre tomato soup with a handful of diced potatoes and chorizo thrown in. Not spicy, and definitely nothing like the flavour that Patatas Bravas deliver. It was really, really dull.
New Covent Garden pioneered the chilled soup category, with really interesting recipes and big chunky soups. But there's now quite a bit of competition - own label and smaller brands such as Yorkshire Provender, and New Covent Garden certainly aren't doing themselves any favours with this product. At £2.20 for a pot, I certainly expected more than this.

We want your reviews.
If you've come across any great tasting new products recently that you want to tell us about please let us know. And if you've been disappointed in anything you've tried recently, post your comments on the site and let other people know about your experience.


To see some of the projects I've worked on for food and drinks companies, go to www.sa-marketing.com

What's This All About Then?

As a committed foodie and a marketing consultant specialising in food and drink products, I thought I'd set up this blog - to share interesting and original new products I've found, highlight issues facing the food industry and to discuss industry news and developments. I'm always on the lookout for new brands that could be interested in marketing assistance - it's always a challenge for smaller companies to get themselves noticed when they haven't got the big budgets of the multinationals.
It's a tough old time out there for food producers at the moment - costs of raw materials have soared, and they're talking about an extra 5p on a loaf of bread because of the poor wheat harvest. But I do believe that the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive in the food industry, and there are many small companies out there, coming up with delicious new products to tempt us.
The first new product I'd like to bring to your attention is On The Pulse. This is a great idea, baked beans in pouches, and in 3 different sauces that are bound to titillate the tastebuds - like the tomato and chilli version shown below. Sounds scrummy. Unfortunately I haven't been able to taste them as yet, so I can't vouch for their flavour. But I'm hoping to come across them some time soon!

The company hasn't been established very long and their website doesn't have any stockist details as yet. But if you're interested in learning more about them just click on this link.


Sue Aitken is a Marketing Consultant focusing on food and drink brands. She has worked with a number of companies on a range of marketing projects. To see examples of some of the work she's done, just visit www.sa-marketing.com