The fresh fruit category is seeing strong growth, driven by trends and innovation. The first is an uplift in consumption in categories like grapes, fuelled by better quality, improved eating experiences and the introduction of new and exciting flavours. The second is the rise of healthy snacking, as consumers work to meet government healthy-eating ambitions, such as the UK’s 5-a-day fruit and veg targets.
However, while many shoppers may strive to adopt better wellbeing habits, the latest UK National Diet & Nutrition Survey continues to show that most people fail to meet the 5-a-day fruit and veg pledge, as well as many being guilty of not eating a rainbow diet of colour and hence missing out on nutrients, antioxidants and polyphenols such as anthocyanins. In fact, latest research shows that increasing the colour in our diets provides a simple pathway to improved health and wellness.
A new fruit, following a successful trial pilot in the summer of 2025, now has the potential to help consumers colour up their diets with the launch of the red berry grape category, sold under the brand BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes. This breakthrough combines the delicious eating experience of the very best table grapes and helps consumer’s to colour up their diets.
However, what makes BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes unique, is that they have a deep red, skin-to-centre colour throughout the whole grape, thanks to naturally containing anthocyanins. Analysis at the University of Murcia found that, when tested, the new red berry grapes have six times more anthocyanins than a traditional black-skinned table grape.[3]
Unlocking Incremental Value
The red berry grape category is poised to unlock incremental value for the fresh fruit aisle by recruiting non-grape buyers, re-engaging lapsed shoppers who want more from the category and trading up existing buyers to a premium tier.
Shoppers today are ‘snacking with standards’, seeking real food that is enjoyable, relevant and easy to fit into busy lives. BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes meet these demands with a taste-first experience, a striking visual point of difference, and credentials that give them clear relevance. The result is a fruit that excites discovery, broadens penetration and frequency, and delivers a higher-value mix for retailers.
The innovation backing BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes is the result of years of work by BLOOM FRESH™, the varietal innovation leader within AMFRESH Group. BLOOM FRESH has already redefined the grape category. BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes extend that journey by combining taste-first appeal with a value-driving proposition.
Josep Estiarte, CEO of BLOOM FRESH™ – notes: “The grape category is on a step change with the introduction of red berry grapes. BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes is an unparalleled range of innovation creating, both commercial and new category opportunities for retailers as well as delivering on taste, differentation and flavour that shoppers are hungry for. The opportunity to combine everything people love about grapes, with taste, colour and premium quality, is what makes this new category so exciting and what gives it broad appeal. This truly has the potential to pull all three core levers of category growth by driving penetration, frequency and value with a consumer proposition that is loved.”
One of the world’s leading experts in natural table grape innovation, Dr. Juan Carreño from BLOOM FRESH™ details further: “Globally, there is a trend towards healthier choices when it comes to daily food choices. While we have always been about bringing the very latest wellness innovation to market, we wanted to create a new grape category that not only delivered with the very best taste, quality and flavour profile, but had a different retailer market proposition. As a result, we have spent over a decade in Murcia, Spain creating the new red berry grape. By naturally crossing some of the world’s best table grapes which traditionally all have white flesh on the inside with old grape varieties that have red flesh fruit but were historically only used for wine production, we have been able to bring a new fruit to the world. As a result, BOOMBITES™ red
berry grapes are the first table grapes in the world to have a skin-to-centre colour with a deep red, vibrant centre pulp similar to that of a berry or cherry. This unique interior not only makes them visually distinctive but it also means they naturally contain anthocyanins. Plus, what makes BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes even more special, is that they are juicy on every bite and taste incredible, taking the flavour profile of a grape to a whole new level, not discovered before.”
BOOMBITES™ Red Berry Grapes Teams Up With Heart Research UK To Champion Heart Health
Alongside creating category innovation, educating consumers on healthy eating habits is also essential. That’s why BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes has teamed up with Heart Research UK in a partnership designed to raise awareness of the simple lifestyle choices – including the everyday dietary choices – that can help support heart health. Coupled with this, further publishing research around red berry grapes will also be emerging.
BOOMBITES™ red berry grapes is launching in the UK late summer, with exclusive distribution through M&S nationwide, Tesco and Ocado online for a limited time only.
