McCain Foods is hoping to cash in on the UK’s craft beer explosion with the launch of new frozen brand Brew City – backed by a £6m push.
A range of nine sharing SKUs is set to roll out from late September, each “specifically developed to pair perfectly with craft beer” according to their manufacturer.
Snacks such as Cheesy Brew Bites, Onion Straws, Halloumi Fries and Fiery Jalapeno Bottle Caps (rsp: £2.79/150g-400g) are designed to accompany the likes of red IPA and golden ale.
McCain said the launch of Brew City would tap Brits’ love of craft beer, which saw its take-home value in the mults soar by 16.4% over the past year to £178.2m [Kantar 52 w/e 24 March 2019].
The new brand was also ideal for “social eating”, a trend “popular amongst millennials looking to connect with each other informally over food and drink”, the frozen supplier added.
Brew City made its debut in the US about 20 years ago exclusively to foodservice companies, in response to the rise of craft beer in the Midwest.
The UK range, which features no McCain branding, has been designed especially for the local market. It will be available initially in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Co-op, with plans to roll out to c-stores in coming months.
The launch will be backed by a £6m, multichannel campaign including TV, OOH, print and online. It has already sponsored Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park food festival throughout the summer.
“Now is the ideal time to launch Brew City,” said Mark Hodge, marketing director at McCain. The range combined “bold, on-trend flavours with a satisfying crunch to create the best-tasting experience”.
It comes amid a sales slowdown for McCain’s core portfolio of frozen potato products in grocery. Value grew by just 0.8% last year to £319.7m as volumes dipped by 2.6% [Nielsen 52 w/e 29 December 2018].
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