Heinz Beanz is making the leap from cupboard to fridge with a new format that it predicts will be as big a success as Snap Pots though it doesn't spell the end of the humble can.
The Fridge Pack (rsp: £1.79 for 1kg) is a plastic jar containing the equivalent of two and a half cans of beans and is resealable, allowing it to be stored in the fridge for up to five days.
Following its roll-out in September, Heinz forecasted first-year sales in excess of £10m, and predicted it would be as big as Snap Pots, which have notched up sales of £35m since launching three years ago.
Heinz will target the NPD at families and "heavier users" who currently use more than one can or only part of it and waste the rest.
"It's about tapping into family life and different eating occasions throughout the day," said Paula Jordan, marketing director, beans, meals and kids. "We're responding to where people keep their beans once opened and which part of the kitchen is visited the most the fridge."
The launch will be supported by a £3m TV push later this year, and Heinz hoped the NPD would increase the variety of snacking occasions for its beans. "The NPD allows bean fans to enjoy Heinz Beanz as they like and in portions that suit," added Jordan.
Moving beans from the cupboard to fridge was "a great move", said Martin Bunce, principal consultant at structural packaging design agency Tin Horse.
"It will change people's perception of what beans are about," he said. "It starts to imply freshness. The first place people visit for meal ideas is the fridge and the challenge for a lot of ambient brands is being out of sight in a cupboard."
A 415g can of Heinz Beanz was priced at 64p, meaning that at £1.79 the Fridge Pack was a premium product, added Bunce.
"For people buying into convenience, but not feeding a family or eating beans two or three times a week, it would be a challenge to get through a kilogram of beans," he added. "I'd hate to think this pack means beans means bins."
Although the Fridge Pack could cannibalise sales of cans in the short-term, as shoppers responded to the new format, the launch may drive sales of cans in the longer term, said Clare Simpson, senior consultant at Dragon Rouge. "More people might realise how versatile, healthy and tasty beans can be." There was "always a role" for cans as an instant meal standby and for people looking for value, she added.
"It's a great idea," said Chris Etherington, CEO of wholesaler Palmer & Harvey. "I hope we're going to see this as an innovation across other categories."
The Fridge Pack (rsp: £1.79 for 1kg) is a plastic jar containing the equivalent of two and a half cans of beans and is resealable, allowing it to be stored in the fridge for up to five days.
Following its roll-out in September, Heinz forecasted first-year sales in excess of £10m, and predicted it would be as big as Snap Pots, which have notched up sales of £35m since launching three years ago.
Heinz will target the NPD at families and "heavier users" who currently use more than one can or only part of it and waste the rest.
"It's about tapping into family life and different eating occasions throughout the day," said Paula Jordan, marketing director, beans, meals and kids. "We're responding to where people keep their beans once opened and which part of the kitchen is visited the most the fridge."
The launch will be supported by a £3m TV push later this year, and Heinz hoped the NPD would increase the variety of snacking occasions for its beans. "The NPD allows bean fans to enjoy Heinz Beanz as they like and in portions that suit," added Jordan.
Moving beans from the cupboard to fridge was "a great move", said Martin Bunce, principal consultant at structural packaging design agency Tin Horse.
"It will change people's perception of what beans are about," he said. "It starts to imply freshness. The first place people visit for meal ideas is the fridge and the challenge for a lot of ambient brands is being out of sight in a cupboard."
A 415g can of Heinz Beanz was priced at 64p, meaning that at £1.79 the Fridge Pack was a premium product, added Bunce.
"For people buying into convenience, but not feeding a family or eating beans two or three times a week, it would be a challenge to get through a kilogram of beans," he added. "I'd hate to think this pack means beans means bins."
Although the Fridge Pack could cannibalise sales of cans in the short-term, as shoppers responded to the new format, the launch may drive sales of cans in the longer term, said Clare Simpson, senior consultant at Dragon Rouge. "More people might realise how versatile, healthy and tasty beans can be." There was "always a role" for cans as an instant meal standby and for people looking for value, she added.
"It's a great idea," said Chris Etherington, CEO of wholesaler Palmer & Harvey. "I hope we're going to see this as an innovation across other categories."
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