Own label seafood supplier Labeyrie Fine Foods is making a major pivot into branded fmcg.
The business, which owns Lyons Seafoods and Farne Salmon, is bringing L’atelier Blini, an upmarket chilled dips and olives brand it currently sells in France and mainland Europe, to the UK next year, The Grocer can reveal.
Its debut range, set to roll out in spring 2020, includes several flavours of houmous – plain, red pepper, Indian spiced, sun dried tomato, and basil – which will be sold in 175g pots (rsp: £2.50).
These will be accompanied by tzatziki and guacamole dips, and a trio of olive packs: Italian style with pecorino, Greek style with feta and Mediterranean style with garlic & herbs.
The brand had been “very successful in France”, said Labeyrie Fine Foods commercial director for brand Sandy Sewell. “But there is a big opportunity in the UK where the market is growing and doing well but a lot of that growth is being swallowed up by the discounters.
“Some retailers have over 20 different varieties of houmous but there’s nobody pushing the premium of the category. You will go into Tesco and buy a pack for £1.30/£1.40 but there’s nothing above that.”
The brand uses no artificial additives, and its dips come in 100% recyclable pots, which Labeyrie said allowed “the product to speak for itself”. Downes said the range was finalised after 18 months of research spanning 3,000 consumers.
Those surveyed “really bought into the idea of ‘Frenchness’ as a byword for superior quality and culinary savoir faire”, added Labeyrie Fine Foods MD Mark Newton.
The launch of L’atelier Blini will be backed by a £1m marketing splash, a “massive sampling programme” in-store and at events such as food festivals.
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