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Tilda,
the UK's number one Basmati brand by volume and value, is steaming
ahead in the £253m ambient rice category with the introduction
of four new variants to its award-winning Tilda Steamed Basmati (TSB)
range. The innovations build on the £115m Ready To Heat,
Microwaveable Rice category, the fastest growing sector in rice.
The four new
variants are:
* Butternut
Squash Steamed Brown Basmati Rice
* Mushroom
and White Wine Steamed Brown Basmati Rice
* Coconut and
Lime Leaf Steamed Basmati Rice; and
* Oriental
Stir Fry Steamed Basmati Rice.
These
new varieties will be available in Sainsbury's from 29th June, and
the other multiples in the autumn. The existing Tilda Steamed Basmati
range is stocked in all major multiples and has a RSP of £1.69.
Kate Barnett,
Senior Brand Manager, says: "The new recipes give consumers
rice dishes that will complement a variety of meals and have been
inspired by current health trends. Brown Basmati sales have grown by
over 80% in the last two years. Our consumers have requested more
brown recipes and with the new Butternut Squash recipe we're also
feeding their interest in superfoods."
Since the
launch of Tilda's Steamed Basmati range in May 2007, Tilda's Ready To
Heat products have grown 29%, well ahead of the Microwaveable
category growth of 15%, and is now worth £11 million. As the
leading importer of Basmati rice, Tilda has sold over 9 million packs
of TSB with over 1.5 million UK households purchasing the product.
Over 50% of those who've tried the brand have bought it again,
showing that Tilda has successfully overturned the poor perceptions
of microwave food that historically existed among 'quality-conscious' consumers.
However, one
in three households has still not tried Ready To Heat rice, giving
the market plenty of potential for future growth. Tilda estimates
that this category will be worth at least £165m by 2010. Tilda
Steamed Basmati will play a key role in reaching this target by
offering a product range which meets the needs of today's and
tomorrow's quality and health conscious consumers.
The existing
Tilda Steamed Basmati range has scooped a number of awards, including
Winner of The Grocer 2008 Branded Excellence Award for Rice, Noodles
and Pasta, Winner of Asian Trader's 'Best New Product 2007' and it
was short-listed for The Checkout Convenience Awards 2008. Tilda
Steamed Basmati Lime and Coriander recently received a score of 43/50
in an independent taste test by Cambridge Market Research - setting a
new highest score for the category.
Jon Calland,
Head of External Affairs explains: "Basmati rice is known as
the Prince of Rice because of its unique cooking properties, which
give consumers a delicious, light and fragrant rice. Basmati is at
the heart of every product in our Steamed Basmati range and ensures
the finest quality product, every time.
"By
partly steaming the recipes we are using a gentle yet effective
method of cooking our Basmati rice, giving consumers a healthy
product which they can finish off quickly and conveniently in the
microwave or wok in just two minutes. Steaming is recognised by
nutritionists as the purest, most unobtrusive form of cooking."
The recipes
also tap into the trends for more international cuisines. The Coconut
and Lime Leaf flavour is a Thai inspired recipe, which can uniquely
be used as a soup base for dishes like Tom Yum. The Oriental Stir Fry
recipe can be added straight to the wok to make a delicious and quick
meal, or eaten on its own.
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