forest feast - Neighbourhood Retailer

Kestrel Foods launches Just Live a Little gluten free granola

Caroline Rainey — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:21:54 +0000

Kestrel Foods, the owner of snacking brands Forest Feast and ACTI-SNACK has launched Just Live a Little, a new gluten-free granola brand, into the breakfast category.

Just Live a Little was created to offer a healthier option for those who want to enjoy a breakfast they can feel good about. The range is gluten free, as well as supporting good gut health, and is free from refined sugars.

Bronagh Clarke, Marketing Director said: “There are over 4m consumers in the UK who are actively choosing to reduce or avoid gluten in their diet for many reasons. Sometimes the choices are restrictive in terms of taste and variety. In addition, the average granola has over 20% refined white sugar and with low nutritional quality.

“We believe better food makes you feel better, so we only use wholegrain gluten-free oats, mixed with fruit, nuts and seeds and finished with a generous dollop of nut butter for a creamy taste. Everything is batch-baked at our own gluten-free facility in County Armagh.”

The range has four flavours, with an RRSP of £4 for 360g – Maple & Toasted Pecan Granola, Raspberry, Coconut & Cashew Granola, Cocoa & Hazelnut Granola and Peanut Butter & Apple Granola.

The range launched into Tesco, SPAR and online stores on 6^th November, with other retailers launching in the new year. The launch is being supported by instore media, consumer press, sampling and social media.

The post Kestrel Foods launches Just Live a Little gluten free granola first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Forest Feast helping plant trees to protect environment

Linda Stewart — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 11:12:43 +0000

Armagh-based Forest Feast is backing a campaign to protect the environment by planting millions of trees.

The successful snack brand, which is owned by family business Kestrel Foods at Carn Industrial Estate in Craigavon, has teamed up with Ecologi, a Bristol-based initiative to promote positive climate action.

Kestrel is supporting Ecologi to plant a tree for every order received for its range of gourmet dried fruit and nut snacks and ACTISNACK healthy foods for active pursuits.

The Armagh company is a major supplier of snacks to top retailers such as Sainsbury, Waitrose, Ocado and Tesco. Products are exported worldwide.

It has also recently acquired Just Live a Little, a successful Northern Ireland granola brand, to expand its portfolio of healthier crafted products.

Owner Michael Hall said: “Climate change affects everyone, in every country, on every continent. We all need to act now to protect our beautiful world. We were thoroughly impressed by the leadership and positive action provided by the Ecologi team and decided to join the many other businesses helping with funds to plant millions of trees everywhere to help counter climate change.”

Ecologi was founded by Elliott Coad, wife Lucy Jack and their friend Alex Price in Bristol in 2019 with the ultimate dream to plant “a million trees an hour”.

Ecologi, which uses subscriptions to pay for environmental projects, received funding from the investment group General Catalyst towards its objectives. The climate activists describe their business as a “subscription service for the planet”. Ecologi, for example, has been paying for millions of mangrove trees to be planted in Madagascar to help absorb carbon.

Mr Hall said: “The focus on creating a more plant positive country is completely in line with our own ethos on addressing climate crisis by implementing our own measures to help preserve our precious environment.

“Our entire product range is inspired by our world’s forests, orchards, groves and wetlands. Their abundance and diversity of fruits and nuts is clearly a reminder to us to look for ways to preserve, reserve and revive these important resources.”

The post Forest Feast helping plant trees to protect environment first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Forest Feast snacks acquires Just Live A Little Granola

Linda Stewart — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:05:17 +0000

The Live Just A Little Granola brand will join Kestrel Food’s award-winning portfolio of Forest Feast, ACTI-SNACK and Private Label to continue its growth within the plant-based arena.

The Just Live a Little brand was founded in 2012 by David and Jill Crawford, who began making and selling artisan granola at local markets.

The granolas became a firm favourite in homes, hotels, and cafes across the country, and the brand has continued to flourish, with listings in Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco NI, as well as many Fine Food retailers. The range includes healthier non-HFSS granola such as Whole Almond Granola, Low Sugar Coconut & Chia Granola, and Bramley Apple & Cinnamon Granola.

The deal is expected to enable Kestrel Foods to offer delicious and healthier crafted products across more categories, and it signals the business’s ongoing commitment to becoming an innovative leader in the plant-based snacking market.

Over the last 24 years, Kestrel Foods has seen impressive and consistent annual sales growth, continuously adapting to changing markets, and pioneering new products, processes, and technology.

The business has recently invested £2.8m in its world class manufacturing facility, which now employs 80 people at its headquarters in Portadown, Co. Armagh.

Michael Hall, owner and MD of Kestrel Foods said, “The acquisition of the Just Live a Little brand is aligned to our ambition of creating an innovative snacking and granola business with a strong portfolio of brands, brilliant products, and world class capability. We are delighted to have the opportunity to build on the legacy of the Just Live a Little brand for wholesome artisan granola and snacks.”

Kestrel Foods own flagship brand, Forest Feast, has fared extremely well throughout the pandemic with retail sales +26% YoY. Known for its high quality, crafted snacks that are both tasty and better for you, Forest Feast has recently launched ranges of Slow Roasted & Seasoned Nuts, Belgian Chocolate Coated Nuts and Chocolate Coated Dried Fruit.

The post Forest Feast snacks acquires Just Live A Little Granola first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.