Foodservice Favourite Expands into Retail

Building on its success in foodservice, potato products supplier Aviko has launched a new retail range enabling consumers to recreate their favourite restaurant dishes at home.

With four frozen products available – Thick Cut Super Crunch Oven Chips, Rib Cut Sweet Potato Fries, Bite Sized Hash Browns and Herb Diced Potatoes. The range reflects current food trends – such as British cuisine and the popularity of sweet potato on pub and casual dining menus – that will arm the convenience channel with a real point of difference, yet one that will appeal to the masses.

Mohammed Essa, Aviko General Manager UK & Ireland, explains: “Our new range enables the convenience channel to offer high quality frozen potato products that are better than chips! It’s important to give retailers the opportunity to provide their customers with restaurant quality food that can be prepared quickly and conveniently in their own homes. Not only does our range support them with this, it’s also entirely gluten-free, helping retailers tap into a market worth £210m^.

“We’re passionate about potatoes, having supplied the foodservice industry for over 50 years – in fact, most people will have enjoyed a portion of our fries or hash browns without realising it – so we’re excited to launch this range into retail.”

Bringing a new chef’s standard to convenience, Aviko’s Thick Cut Super Crunch Oven Chips enable retailers to meet the growing demand for frozen fries, which have recently increased in household penetration to 60%*. The chips feature an innovative coating for a crispier, crunchy texture and work perfectly with fish for an authentic Friday night favourite.

The vibrant and crunchy Rib Cut Sweet Potato Fries are a side with a difference, tapping into the consumer demand for more premium options – a demand that will see retailers reap the benefits with the growing popularity of sweet potato fries out-of-home. They work perfectly as an alternative to rice with chilli con carne rice but can also be extended to desserts by harnessing the fries’ natural sweetness and teaming with dips such as salted caramel, chocolate and fruit puree.

For an innovative twist on a traditional side dish, Aviko’s Bite Sized Hash Browns are a must stock product for retailers targeting the popular breakfast occasion, particularly as hash browns are the third most popular item for a great British breakfast**. There is no need to limit them to breakfast though, the Bite Sized Hash Brown Bites can work hard for consumers throughout the day, increasing the opportunity for retailers. They work equally well as a dinner option – as a topping for fish pie for example – or as a snack.

To complete the range, Aviko’s Herb Diced Potatoes are seasoned with basil and parsley for a side that is full of flavour. The versatile product can be used as an alternative to chips, an addition to salads or stews.

Better than chips, each product in Aviko’s new convenience range is made using heart-healthy sunflower or canola oil and can be cooked in the oven from frozen or fried. Consumers will also be able to access a selection of delicious and easy recipes through the new website – www.avikoathome.co.uk – to create restaurant standard dishes in their own home.

Retailers can choose from standard packaging or price marked packs for extra stand out in the freezer cabinet. Full product information, background on Aviko – one of the biggest potato processers in the world – and details of how to order are on the new dedicated retail website http://retail.aviko.co.uk/.
* http://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/market-information-0/retail-market#sthash.7hcdhI4n.dpuf **Aviko/Toluna 2014 ^Mintel 2015

For more information on Aviko’s new retail range call 0800 633 5611, email info@avikoathome.co.uk or visit http://retail.aviko.co.uk/
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