The Food Doctor is ditching medicinal for mainstream and adopting a new licensing model as part of a root-and-branch overhaul of its portfolio.
The 11-year old company expects the changes to help it quadruple annual sales to £50m by 2012 and catapult The Food Doctor from being "a niche player to a mainstream brand."
From later this month, the portfolio will be revamped with The Food Doctor's new apple logo made prominent, after the old packaging was deemed "too medicinal". Livery will also carry the company's new strapline "Eat Better Forever".
The existing 35-strong range, which grew sales by 7% in 2010 and includes pitta breads, bagels and ready meals, will be extended to 52 lines by June.
Among the new products will be six new granola and muesli cereals and four single-sachet soups, arriving later this month.
At the same time, it will target on-the-go female snackers with three new pot snacks, to give consumers a healthier alternative to Pot Noodles, and is also rolling out four tubs of seed and nut mixes.
In addition to the new products, The Food Doctor is handing over the distribution and sales of the ranges to the licensee that manufactures the lines. Without such overheads, the company said it would be able to lower its prices although rsps have not yet been decided and place more focus on marketing and promotion.
The Food Doctor was already working with Kerry Foods, Rivermill and Maple Leaf but has now also linked up with Bokomo for breakfast cereals, Humdinger for seeds and nuts and Symington's for the soups and pot snacks.
Over the next year, it expects to partner at least three further licensees.
Each branded product will also display the name of the manufacturer on the packaging a unique concept compared with other licensed business models, claimed the company.
"We are committed to democratising the health food business and this licensee route enables us to introduce unique products at competitive prices, to help this brand make healthy eating accessible," said managing director Michael Da Costa.
Others adopting a licensing model in recent years have included Duchy Originals and Jamie Oliver's Fresh Retail Ventures.
Da Costa explained that his company's model was different. "FRV's manufacturing licensees were mainly smaller in size and didn't have existing relationships with retailers. We benefit from having established partners who already enjoy strong relationships with these customers."
The 11-year old company expects the changes to help it quadruple annual sales to £50m by 2012 and catapult The Food Doctor from being "a niche player to a mainstream brand."
From later this month, the portfolio will be revamped with The Food Doctor's new apple logo made prominent, after the old packaging was deemed "too medicinal". Livery will also carry the company's new strapline "Eat Better Forever".
The existing 35-strong range, which grew sales by 7% in 2010 and includes pitta breads, bagels and ready meals, will be extended to 52 lines by June.
Among the new products will be six new granola and muesli cereals and four single-sachet soups, arriving later this month.
At the same time, it will target on-the-go female snackers with three new pot snacks, to give consumers a healthier alternative to Pot Noodles, and is also rolling out four tubs of seed and nut mixes.
In addition to the new products, The Food Doctor is handing over the distribution and sales of the ranges to the licensee that manufactures the lines. Without such overheads, the company said it would be able to lower its prices although rsps have not yet been decided and place more focus on marketing and promotion.
The Food Doctor was already working with Kerry Foods, Rivermill and Maple Leaf but has now also linked up with Bokomo for breakfast cereals, Humdinger for seeds and nuts and Symington's for the soups and pot snacks.
Over the next year, it expects to partner at least three further licensees.
Each branded product will also display the name of the manufacturer on the packaging a unique concept compared with other licensed business models, claimed the company.
"We are committed to democratising the health food business and this licensee route enables us to introduce unique products at competitive prices, to help this brand make healthy eating accessible," said managing director Michael Da Costa.
Others adopting a licensing model in recent years have included Duchy Originals and Jamie Oliver's Fresh Retail Ventures.
Da Costa explained that his company's model was different. "FRV's manufacturing licensees were mainly smaller in size and didn't have existing relationships with retailers. We benefit from having established partners who already enjoy strong relationships with these customers."
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