One of the big questions for today’s speciality food retailers is how much special diet-related products they should carry in store.  Today’s main food trends are gluten free and other free from foods, vegan, and organic food continues to grow too.  Of course, the various health food wholesalers have specialised in diet-related products for years, but how much should wholesalers, stocking so-called normal food, make free from foods a feature of their range?

 

We think that the key success is having a range as broad as possible with the key ingredient holding the whole range together being taste.  All the products Cotswold Fayre stock have this as a key criterion.  Take one of our organic and vegan brands – Tideford Organics.

 

Back in 2016 Mintel predicted that a preference for 'natural, simple and flexible diets' would be one of 2017's global food and drink trends. In September 2016, Tideford became the UK's first organic and vegan brand, and they are seeing a growing number of consumers looking to follow a flexitarian or plant-based diet.  Tideford’s retail soup sales are up 30% year on year, which is attributable to a new, environmentally aware, health-conscious millennial consumer.  Now in 2018 Veganuary has smashed all expectations, with over 165,000 people signing up to try a vegan diet for the month. 

 

The number of vegan consumers in the UK has grown by 360% over the last decade (Vegan Society, 2016), and almost half of all vegans are aged 15-34 (IPSOS).  This has prompted Cotswold Fayre to be a distributor of vegan foods and Tideford Organics has not only found a new home with a younger generation looking for delicious, healthy, environmentally-friendly plant-based food, but also with Cotswold Fayre. 

 

Tideford have always been focussed on making good food that everyone can enjoy - their nut-free pestos, for example, are particularly popular with consumers with allergies. But they are also seeing some exciting new research for people suffering with IBS: the low FODMAP diet is designed to help people eliminate certain foods and food groups which are now understood to be triggers for some digestive issues.  Tideford are pleased to be able to offer the first organic, fresh FODMAP-friendly soup available in the UK, and look forward to seeing awareness of the diet increase, and helping more consumers manage their symptoms. 

 

Whilst not purely an organic food wholesaler Cotswold Fayre is delighted to be bringing the UK its first organic, vegan fresh gravy, alongside a new Tideford soup range including High Protein and FODMAP-friendly recipes. Consumers are not only looking for quick solutions for 'al desko' dining, but also for delicious free-from and plant-based options for communal dining.

 

Cotswold Fayre expects that the UK will continue to see flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan diets and lifestyles becoming mainstream, with a much wider range of options available to consumers online and in bricks and mortar retailers. But this will also filter through to a widening range of outlets including food-to-go and hospitality: Tideford's catering and new 300g food-to-go ranges are expanding in anticipation of more plant-based options being sought out by younger, healthier and more informed consumers. 

 

Cotswold Fayre has increased its range of gluten free foods consistently over the past ten years.  One of these brands in Delicious Alchemy, and whilst Cotswold Fayre is not sole a gluten free wholesaler, brands like Delicious Alchemy are a core part of the Cotswold Fayre range.  Gluten free foods and free from foods need not be boring or unexciting and Delicious Alchemy has done a great job in making gluten free and free from foods fun.  After all, what is not fun about cake-making.  The look and feel of the brand makes the free from category look exciting and fun.

 

Having vegan, free from, organic and gluten free brands within the Cotswold Fayre portfolio means that Cotswold Fayre’s retail customers can make sure they are stocking the main UK food trends in 2018.