British food & drink: National pride

Last year was certainly great for Britain, with the success of London 2012, Sir Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. And this year’s been none too shabby either, with Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, Chris Froome emulating Wiggins’ Tour de France victory and the birth of a certain royal baby, all helping to keep Britain a major player on the world stage.

Food-wise, last year you couldn’t move for products with the Union flag boldly emblazoned upon them - whether they were made in Britain or not. But earlier this year the ‘horsegate’ scandal broke, hitting many of the grocery multiples and certain frozen food brands where it hurt.

However, the shocking revelations did, strangely, do the British food industry a favour, as it put the spotlight firmly on sourcing and provenance.

Mintel research before and after the scandal found that in December 2012 four in ten (40%) Brits agreed that British food was better quality than imported food, but in just three months, post-scandal, this figure had risen to one in two (49%).

Mintel discovered that although traceability was of concern to only 14% of British shoppers, it had risen from just 6% three months before.

Not only is British origin growing in importance, but consumers are also becoming more passionate about supporting British farmers and growers. Three-quarters of all consumers believe it is the duty of retailers to support British farmers and growers, and a third of the nation say they are willing to pay more for food and drink with a “made in Britain” label - a figure which has risen from a quarter (24%) last year.

One brand that makes a big deal of its British credentials is Ginsters, which recently refreshed its packaging and extended its range. Redesigned packs feature icons highlighting Ginsters’ British sourcing message - which head of brand marketing Andy Valentine says is more important than ever as UK consumers become more focused on where the meat they are eating is sourced from.

“At Ginsters, we are really proud to be British because, although it’s only a small island, we are extremely self-sufficient, growing everything from the best-quality vegetables, chillies and spices, to having some of the best meats available.

“We have a long-standing relationship within the Cornish community, getting meat, eggs and root vegetables from local businesses. Working with farms as close to home as possible means we can keep a close eye on the quality of our ingredients, and get them delivered straight to our bakery in peak condition.”

Another firm that delights in its Britishness is Yeo Valley, an independent, family-owned farming and dairy business in Blagdon, North Somerset. It is the largest organic brand in the UK, purchasing organic milk from OMSCo, a co-operative of organic farms, as well as from its own herd of pedigree British Friesian cows.

It began making yogurt in 1972 and now has four production dairies at Blagdon, Cannington, Crewkerne and Newton Abbot. The company employs more than 1,500 people and holds the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.

To celebrate this year’s British Food Fortnight (running from September 21 to October 6) Yeo Valley is adding the slogan ‘Buy British’ to some of its most popular yogurts, to encourage shoppers to “discover the diverse and delicious range of food that Britain has to offer”.

So, from September 21, the company’s top products will have their familiar logo replaced with the patriotic slogan along with some Union flag bunting.

Heritage

Family-run Warburtons has a strong British heritage of more than 135 years of baking expertise. Established in a grocery shop in Bolton in 1876 by Thomas and Ellen Warburton, today the business is run by the fifth generation of the Warburton family - Brett, Jonathan and Ross - and has grown to be the UK’s most chosen fmcg brand (Kantar Brand Footprint Study) and the country’s biggest baker.

The company found inspiration for its advertising strap-line ‘Warburtons - From Our Family To Yours’ from consumers writing to Jonathan Warburton. He receives thousands of quirky letters from consumers saying just how much they love Warburtons products. Each ad therefore starts with a TV voiceover narration, which begins with ‘Dear Jonathan Warburton’.

While it’s all well and good selling British products, you’ve got to get your customers excited about them, too. Warburton category strategy controller Martin Baptie recommends linking British foods with events such as the recent Ashes series, and reflecting this in merchandising and display, which he says could then open new sales opportunities. “Retailers should make sure they have a strong range of relevant products stocked in preparation for displays tying in with such events.

“Cross-category promotions are key to unlocking additional sales and by merchandising key British products together alongside relevant items for these events - such as bunting, paper plates and plastic cups - you will encourage purchase and drive growth.”

But Ruth Griffiths, marketing director at Karro Food Group, one of Britain’s leading pork producers, strikes a word of warning, saying that communicating British provenance is not as simple as putting a Union flag on the packet. “Packaging, shelf strips, barkers, header boards, vertical bus stop signs and so on all help. Ideally, shops need to put out the bunting to get the message across clearly to shoppers, but that requires all products in that part of the fixture to be British or the store risks incurring the wrath of shoppers and lobby groups.”

So, if you say something’s British make sure it is, and if you can pinpoint exactly where it was made in Britain, even better.

Even with its exotic sounding flavours, Pipers Crisps takes great pride in the provenance and ‘Britishness’ of its products. The company works closely with independent farmers who have generations of experience producing GM-free potatoes.

The crisps are flavoured using ingredients sourced from artisans who use traditional skills. These include Kirkby Malham chorizo, Lye Cross Cheddar & onion Anglesey sea salt and Biggleswade sweet chilli.

Pipers is keen to support retailers by making sure its crisps offer a point of difference - for this reason the firm has pledged never to sell through the major mults. It also believes that retailers are best placed to determine their own margins so has made a commitment to never offer pricemarked packs.

Toast of the town

Drinks brands, too, have been cashing in on ‘great’ Britain. Earlier this year, Gordon’s gin introduced two quintessential British flavours: Gordon’s & Tonic with a hint of cucumber and with a dash of elderflower.

There’s nothing more British than cricket and Westons Cider’s Stowford Press is reinforcing this link by being the Official Cider of England Cricket.

Westons Cider managing director Helen Thomas says: “It is important to us to promote our British credentials as consumers are becoming more and more focused on provenance.

“Westons Cider is based in the West Country, which has always been a cider stronghold. We find that our consumers are very concerned with where our cider is produced and this is a big selling point for us. All our cider is produced on the same site in Herefordshire and has been since the business was founded in 1880. As much as 80% of our fruit is sourced from Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire and we only use original recipes.”

With such a wealth of home-grown talent on our doorstep, and shoppers keen to buy, it may be time to flag up national brands a little more and show off the best of British to a greater effect.