Kettle launches modern take on traditional crisp flavour

According to Kettle, cheese & onion flavouring is currently enjoying a revival in the crisp sector with sales growing at 10 per cent year on year.

The Soulmate Cheeses with Onion flavour has been developed from a mix of Cheddar and Caerphilly cheeses.

Brand manager Norman Comfort told bakeryandsnacks.com : "This is our best ever cheese flavour.

It uses a blend of cheeses in a fantastic combination which gives a very clean taste with no additives."

In developing the flavour, Kettle embarked on consumer trials three months ago to judge consumer reactions to the new variant of the cheese and onion taste.

Soulmate proved the most popular in a test where participants were asked to sample two identically packaged crisps and indicate a preference.

The new Soulmate variety is also targeting the consumer trend for convenience with single serving 40g bags launched alongside the Kettle signature sharing 150g sizes.

The 40g snack sizes, designed to lure in impulse buyers and lunchtime snack consumers, were introduced last year across the Kettle chips range and, according to Comfort, the new packs have been a success with year on year sales growth of 93 per cent.

The Kettle chips 40g category is currently valued at £6 million (€8.8m) and has moved the snack manufacturer from its niche as a premium snack with an emphasis on sharing to the wider convenience-driven market.

Figures from market analyst group AC Nielsen and trade magazine the Grocer show Kettle chips is the UK's fastest growing bagged snack brand with sales up 29.7 per cent and year on year brand growth of £11 million (€16.2m).

The company is set to embark on a PR campaign in the coming months to target the lucrative Easter snack market.