Healthier jams and premium fruit chutneys are the focus for L'Epicurien, says export director Xavier Gandon.

The company produces a range of condiments - including chocolate, wine and flower confits, as well as spreadable savouries that can be used with meat, fish or pasta - but is targeting the UK with two of its newest ranges - one jam, one fruit confit.

These two ranges were chosen as they both tap into developing consumer trends in the UK, particularly the new jam range, Confi'Fruit.

Confi'Fruit is made using natural fruit sugar and no added cane sugar, which

enables the company to aim at the "healthy alternatives" market, Gandon says.

"The UK requires quite a different approach from other countries as it is quite a crowded market already when it comes to jams and chutneys," he says. "You therefore need to have an even more innovative approach than usual, which includes genuinely exciting products."

The company has also chosen not to target the multiple retailers for this reason, finding more margin and opportunity through small shops and wholesalers.

"We are not going for a mass-market approach," he says.

"These are products that command a high price and to make the most of that we need to look at routes to market outside the big chains."

New for the company is the seven-strong fruit confit range, each of which is matched to a specific cheese - fig & walnut confit for goats cheese, for example, or white wine and William pear confit with Roquefort.

The range is already doing well in other export markets, says Gandon, who has high hopes for the brand in the UK.

"We are going in and emphasising the French elements of the brand, as consumers tend to see French products as automatically of a higher than average quality," explained Gandon. "We would be foolish not to make the most of the advantage that being a French company gives us.

"France has a good image in most markets but this is particularly true of the UK, I think."

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