Primula squeezy tubes are aiming for a more sophisticated market with the latest incarnation of the brand.

It has teamed up with specialist cheese maker Wyke Farms, using its extra mature Cheddar, to give the new spread an authentic Cheddar taste.

Craig Brooks, marketing director at Primula producer Kavli, said the cheese spread category was well-served with mild tastes, but there wasn't much to satisfy more grown-up palates.

"Cheddar makes up half the cheese category, with mature accounting for 40% of Cheddar," said Brooks. "It was a natural progression to develop a spreadable Cheddar for the Primula range."

The 150g tube has been changed from Primula's standard yellow to carry the purple and black colour scheme of the Wyke Farms brand, along with the Wyke Farms logo.

The cheese will be priced at £1.09, following an introductory price of 89p until the end of June.

The launch will be backed by trade advertising, consumer PR and sampling.

Somerset-based Wyke Farms is a family-run business and the UK's largest independent cheese producer and milk processor. Its award-winning Cheddars are available in the major multiples. The brand grew 49.8% last year [Nielsen Scantrack 52 w/e March 2007], making it the fourth largest in the category and the only independent company in the top 10 cheese brands.

"Kavli and Wyke Farms both have a strong family heritage and ethical practices behind their brands, so working in partnership seemed a natural fit," Brooks added.

Primula's previous innovations have included a tub of cheese spread containing Omega-3.

Other manufacturers have also given their mild cheese products a kick: Lactalis McLelland recently launched Seriously Strong Spreadable, while Babybel brought out a Cheddar variety of its popular mini waxed format. Despite this NPD, processed cheese's market share is dropping, down 0.1% to 11.7% [TNS, 52 w/e 10 September 2006].

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