Baker Nicholas & Harris - part of Finsbury Food Group - is hoping to spearhead the creation of a new speciality sector with the launch of a ‘low- carb’ loaf.
LivLife Seriously Seeded will launch into Waitrose this month (rsp: £1.99/500g), before rolling out to Ocado and Budgens.
The loaf contained 14g of carbs per 100g compared with the 38g to 43g in standard bread, said Nicholas & Harris, which cut the carb content by replacing some of the wheat flour with starch-free proteins derived from wheat.
The launch would tap growing consumer interest in low-carb diets, it added, citing in-house research showing that 40% of adults were trying to cut carb consumption.
Nicholas & Harris managing director Simon Staddon said he hoped the brand would emulate the growth of low-carb breads in Germany, where the market was worth around €75m.
Sales of LivLife bread could be worth as much as £16m, with half that incremental to the bread category, he predicted.
The launch is being backed by an £500,000 marketing push under the strapline ‘Bread’s back’, with further advertising planned for the autumn to coincide with new listings.
Nicholas & Harris is also looking to expand the brand into low-carb pasta by early 2014.
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