Ella’s Kitchen is expanding into the chilled market with the launch of yoghurts, fromage frais and rice puddings.

The organic baby and toddler food specialist - which holds a 15.7% share of the UK wet babyfood market [Nielsen 12 w/e 24 December 2012] - said it had developed the range following research that showed parents were often confused about the best time to introduce children to dairy.

In response, the new products have been matched to stages 1, 2 and 3 of the weaning process. The stage 1 product is Smooth & Scrummy fromage frais in mango and banana flavours (rsp: £1.89 for six pots) stage 2 is Teeny Creamy rice pudding with a hint of vanilla (rsp: £1.09 for two pots) while stage 3 is Chilled Out Thick & Fruity yoghurt in strawberry & pear and pineapple & mango flavours (rsp: £1.79 for four pots).

This was the first time the weaning stages had been applied to a chilled dessert product, said Ella’s Kitchen founder Paul Lindley. “This will be the launch I am most proud of since we first rolled out our pouches because it is such a new venture for us,” he added.

The products, which are being distributed by food and drink logistics specialist Culina, roll out to Waitrose and Ocado next month and will go into other retailers in coming months.

Ella’s Kitchen will be spreading word of the launch to its database of consumers and through social media.

The brand’s international expansion, which kicked off in 2009 in Scandinavia and the US, continued with a launch in Australia in March.

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