Hain Daniels plans to extend its recently acquired jam and jellies brand, Hartley’s, into fruit and fruit snacks and turn it into a “master brand” for the category.

The company bought the brand from Premier Foods as part of a £200m deal that included Robertson’s, Frank Cooper, Keiller, Gales and Sun-Pat, and the Histon factory where the lines are mostly made.

It would now look to leverage Hartley’s fruit expertise and stretch the brand into new ambient natural grocery territory, said chief executive Rob Burnett. “It’s a good group of brands we can grow and shape in a slightly different way. We will look to use Hartley’s as a master brand across fruit and fruit snacks, including products for children,” he said. “We might make the jellies more fruit-orientated so they offer one of your 5-a-day.”

Hartley’s worked well alongside Hains’ other interests, he added: “We’ve got fruit juice, fruit ingredients and fruit desserts so it all fits into the healthier agenda we see the consolidated group moving towards.”

The company also plans to extend Sun-Pat into other nut butters and is considering a dedicated gluten-free range.

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