Butter brand Kerrygold is branching into branded Cheddar in a bid to boost the quality credentials and sales of named Irish cheeses in the UK.
Kerrygold Cheddar, which is already available in other parts of the world, hits UK shelves on the 28th.
The cheese, which comes in two variants mature (rsp £3.49 for 400g) and extra mature (rsp £3.99) is the second BSM brand to launch a Cheddar in two months, following Milk Link's I Can't Believe It's Not Cheddar made under licence from Unilever last month.
It was a natural evolution for the butter brand, said the Adams Foods-owned company, and would tap into both the 2% growth the Irish Cheddar market saw last year and the 4% growth enjoyed by the wider Cheddar sector.
Consumers were looking for foods with provenance and a Kerrygold Cheddar was an obvious way to add value to the category, said Alastair Jackson, marketing director for Kerrygold UK. "If retailers are to have an Irish Cheddar offer, then why not have this iconic, global brand," he said.
He would not be drawn on sales expectations for the new range, but said Kerrygold wanted to take a "significant" share of named Irish Cheddar.
He was confident it would not befall the same fate as Anchor Cheddar, which Arla axed in 2008 after 36 years in UK supermarkets, claiming it did not see the cheese producing a long-term return on investment. "Kerrygold is different from Anchor in that there is already an established market for named Irish Cheddar in the UK," said Jackson.
Kerrygold had opportunities to extend into a number of other dairy categories, he added, although he would not reveal whether any launches were in the pipeline. He also rejected suggestions the launch would cannibalise sales of Pilgrims Choice Cheddar, also now owned by Adams.
The cheese will compete for shelf space with other Cheddars, particularly Irish brands Wexford and Kerry Low Low.
Kerrygold Cheddar, which is already available in other parts of the world, hits UK shelves on the 28th.
The cheese, which comes in two variants mature (rsp £3.49 for 400g) and extra mature (rsp £3.99) is the second BSM brand to launch a Cheddar in two months, following Milk Link's I Can't Believe It's Not Cheddar made under licence from Unilever last month.
It was a natural evolution for the butter brand, said the Adams Foods-owned company, and would tap into both the 2% growth the Irish Cheddar market saw last year and the 4% growth enjoyed by the wider Cheddar sector.
Consumers were looking for foods with provenance and a Kerrygold Cheddar was an obvious way to add value to the category, said Alastair Jackson, marketing director for Kerrygold UK. "If retailers are to have an Irish Cheddar offer, then why not have this iconic, global brand," he said.
He would not be drawn on sales expectations for the new range, but said Kerrygold wanted to take a "significant" share of named Irish Cheddar.
He was confident it would not befall the same fate as Anchor Cheddar, which Arla axed in 2008 after 36 years in UK supermarkets, claiming it did not see the cheese producing a long-term return on investment. "Kerrygold is different from Anchor in that there is already an established market for named Irish Cheddar in the UK," said Jackson.
Kerrygold had opportunities to extend into a number of other dairy categories, he added, although he would not reveal whether any launches were in the pipeline. He also rejected suggestions the launch would cannibalise sales of Pilgrims Choice Cheddar, also now owned by Adams.
The cheese will compete for shelf space with other Cheddars, particularly Irish brands Wexford and Kerry Low Low.
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