Heck has unveiled a packaging revamp across its range as part of a £1m investment to grow the sausage and burger brand in 2024.
The North Yorkshire-based supplier’s updated packaging includes a reworked brand identity and accompanying species-led imagery, which will start rolling out on shelves next month, said co-founder Jamie Keeble.
The new packaging will see Heck go back to the core pink branding “which everyone recognises us for”, added Keeble. It was coupled with ‘colour-blocking’ for each species and designed “to improve standout on shelf and help us move into new categories”, through a glut of planned NPD from the spring.
New carbon labelling will also be included on pack for the first time, as will the Heck Care Code – an initiative to communicate the company’s commitment and action across environment and the local community.
“We are very much a family and friends’ business with our roots in the local community,” Keeble said. “Our family have farmed in this area for over three generations, so we’ll be working with the local parishes this year to see how they’d like us to support them.”
Additionally, Heck has invested in new machinery, including a new automatic sleeving kit, and will support its brand revamp with a major out-of-home campaign focusing on health and taste from this month.
Keeble added the brand was also planning targeted in-store advertising and a first attempt at guerilla marketing – kicking off with a nationwide gym tour over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the business had also recently won a number of new listings for its core and extended range, including a new Pork Chipolata in Tesco.
After a difficult two-year period where growth had “flatlined” due to challenges driven by inflation, the supplier now felt the dust had settled enough for it to “start gunning for growth”, Keeble added.
“The investment comes on the back of extensive consumer and market research that has identified trends and consumer needs in the category,” he said.
“We were the first innovators in the sector, and our customers have grown up with us. We’re now in a position where we can keep delivering on taste for them but create something new to meet 2024 lifestyles and to encourage new people to come into the sector.”
Heck posted a pre-tax loss of 518k in its most recent accounts, for the year to 31 July 2022. This fell from a profit of £116k in the previous financial year. Sales also fell marginally, from £27.7m to £26.2m.
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