Richmond, a proud part of Pilgrim’s Food Masters, is bursting onto the meat-free snacking scene with its ready-to-eat, super convenient, Richmond Meat-Free Minis. The hotly anticipated launch transforms the great taste of the Nation’s Favourite Meat-Free sausage into a new, snackable format. The innovation will hit shelves in Waitrose on 19th April with further rollout across Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda nationwide.
Made to the classic Richmond recipe, with a focus on delicious taste and succulent texture, the new Richmond Meat-Free Minis have the added benefit of being suitable for vegans, matching this claim from the rest of their range and broadening their appeal with shoppers. Richmond Meat-Free Minis are also a healthier alternative to ambient snacks such as crisps or confectionary, being low in fat, salt and sugar, and high in protein, making them a satisfying as well as tasty snack.
There is a growing appetite amongst shoppers for meat-free, protein-filled snacks. Meat-free snacking has grown by 20% in the past two years and is now worth £30 million, growth that is only set to increase as demand continues to rise. What’s more, most of the branded growth, 61%, is driven by brands with both meat and meat-free offerings, as these brands are well placed to attract flexitarian shoppers. Yet there’s lingering consumer opinion that current meat-free snack options miss the mark on taste, texture and overall consumer experience. Richmond recognised this opportunity to offer better, tastier meat-free snacks.
Available in a resealable tub format, the 162g pack is perfect for grazing from the fridge, on-the-go snacking or summer picnics. With consumers spending more time working from home, there are more occasions to cater for creating huge opportunity. In fact, overall at-home consumption has grown by 6% since pre-pandemic, and it is snacking in particular that has seen significant uplift. Since 2019 the in-home morning snacking opportunity has grown by 9% and afternoon snacking opportunity 12%, equating to 1.1 billion more occasions in total. Not only this, but there is also now an 8% increased focus on quick bites at home than in 2019. This presents a huge opportunity that the NPD is catering to.
“We are thrilled to be adding yet another exciting addition the Richmond Meat-Free range, disrupting the status quo in meat-free snacking,” says Chris Doe, marketing controller at Pilgrim’s Food Masters. “Our loyal Richmond customers have been asking us for a meat-free snack that delivers on taste and texture – where our competitors often fall flat – because they trust us to deliver in meat-free. We’re confident Richmond Meat-Free Minis fit the bill for a snack that tastes great, looks delicious, is a healthy option and not only that, is suitable for vegans too. As the meat-free snacking category begins to flourish we want to be front and centre of that growth, catering to all meat-free occasions. And given our track record in this space, retailers can rely on us to deliver strong sales.”
The new launch follows the success of the brand’s pork cocktail sausage: ready-to-eat Richmond Minis, which debuted in Spring 2022. Now, Richmond is looking to replicate that success in meat-free. Richmond has a proven track record of driving growth in the category, as the third largest brand in meat-free, worth £9.1m. Despite already occupying the top spot for meat-free sausages, Richmond aims to deliver a tasty and satisfying meat-free swap for key occasions, leveraging the trust shoppers have in the Richmond name to entice more consumers to make the meat-free switch.
The launch of Richmond Meat-Free Minis will be supported by a digital OOH and targeted social campaign, running across June and July, alongside city centre sampling to drive purchase.
