Leading gluten free producer, Juvela, has launched a disruptive NEW brand and range, supported by a state-of-the-art £1.5M allergen-free bakery, to breathe new life into the Free From category.
The new brand, named ‘OAF’ is a fun, character-led challenger entity, designed to attract a broader healthy foodie shopper in the free-from aisle. The playful persona illustrates how ‘stupidly simple’, and ‘ridiculously good’ gluten free bread can be. OAF will operate as the company’s strategic retail-facing range, whilst the Juvela brand will continue to occupy its position as a leading coeliac prescription-led offer.
OAF lands in Tesco stores this week, with a four-strong NPD lineup, which includes White Softie, an everyday white loaf, White Sour D’oh and Seedie Sour D’oh sourdough loaves that deliver real bread texture, taste and nutrition, as well as a 2x pack of Pizza Base Slices to ‘top, heat and eat’ as a convenient snack.
OAF leverages Juvela’s 30-year history as a founding UK pioneer of gluten free foods. The new brand will benefit from recent investment in the company’s new allergen-free site, in South Wales, and Juvela’s unrivalled baking innovation in gluten free.
Unlike other gluten free brands, which tend to use rice flour, OAF and Juvela products are made using a specially formulated wheat starch with the gluten removed, meaning it is completely safe for a gluten free diet whilst making the taste and texture as close to conventional bread as it gets. Until now this unique process has mainly been used in prescription-coeliac bread offers, but OAF’s mainstream personality-driven brand proposition will open this innovation up to a broader healthy foodie, who may be omitting gluten for lifestyle choices, as well as coeliac consumers.
Sourdough is one of the fastest-growing sub-category in Speciality Bread, up +56% YoY, which is being driven by young healthy lifestylers, but over a third of these consumers feel that existing gluten-free brands aren’t for them and only 4% rate them as cool or interesting*. What’s more, 75% of consumers perceive gluten free bread to be inferior to conventional bread*.
Matthew Cain, head of sales at Juvela and OAF, said: “Gluten free consumers – especially the younger, health-conscious segment – aren’t connecting with brands on the shelf, perceiving them as second best to conventional bread. This presents a massive opportunity to engage this audience with a vibrant, characterful brand that resonates with them, whilst showing how tasty and simple gluten free bread can be through our product innovation.”
“By combining Juvela’s historical quality, craft and expertise with OAF’s vibrant brand personality, we’re on a mission to inject new energy, relevance, taste and enjoyment to the retail free-from space, starting with a line of high-quality bakery goods, in the fastest growing areas of the category.”
Available in Tesco
- OAF White Softie 400g – RRP £3.00
- OAF White Sour D’oh 370g – RRP £ 3.75
- OAF Seedie Sour D’oh 370g – RRP £3.75
- OAF Pizza Base Slices 220g – RRP £2.75
