Dairy Crest has joined the increasingly easy battle to attract olive oil lovers with its first spread based on the oil. Argento is a combination of olive oil and buttermilk and will throw Dairy Crest into the same arena as Unilever Bestfoods which currently dominates the fixture with its £30m Olivio brand. However, Richard Tolley, Dairy Crest's marketing director of spreads, insisted there was now enough room in the sector for several players as it looks set to steal market share from the flagging sunflower and low fat spread fixture which is showing double digit decline. "From a category perspective this is a very positive move," he said. "I have no doubt that we will be adding incremental value." Argento, priced at between £1.29-£1.45 for a 500g tub, is rolling out to stores now with all the major multiples having signed up the newcomer, added Tolley. The launch will be supported by a three-month Italian-themed sampling programme targeting more than 600,000 people, while a television campaign will hit screens from September as part of a £2.5m push for the brand this year. {{P&P }}

Topics