Mackie’s releases pudding-inspired snack
A cult classic pudding has been recreated in popcorn form, as a proud Scottish brand launches its latest flavour.
‘Sticky Toffee Pudding’ popcorn will become the latest launch from Mackie’s Crisps with consumers able to get a first taste at the Great Outdoor Cinema event this week.
The flavour, set to hit supermarket shelves late winter, will be sold in 170g share bags across the country, retailing from £1.00- £1.75 and available via wholesale channels from mid-August.
Unlike other world-first flavours sold by the family brand, the new popcorn line will be sold year-round due to its moorish and seasonal flavour.
Melissa Hack, wholesale account manager at Mackie’s at Taypack said: “Our customers rely on us to bring excitement to the category, so I am confident they are going to be very happy with our latest addition.
“We are launching Sticky Toffee Pudding Popcorn to be ready for this year’s festive season, as last Christmas saw our biggest ever year for festive crisps and popcorn sales with total sales up 27% from 2019 and sales within our convenience channel up a whole 109%.
“Seasonal NPD plays such a big role within the convenience channel, driving those all-important impulse purchases and incremental sales to the category.
“However, due to the incredible feedback we have received we have already decided to make it a permanent addition with a limited pre-launch this August.
“It is available now to order from Cotswold Fayre, Cress Co, Glencarse, Diverse Fine Food, Springvale, along with a variety of other fantastic wholesalers.”
The exclusive pre-launch will be paired with a week of family loved film screenings by the Great Outdoor Cinema, hosted at Pollock House from Monday 16 August to Thursday 19 August, and then at Knapps Loch Kilmacolm from Friday 20 August to Sunday 22 August.
Shelley Reid, brand manager at Mackie’s at Taypack said: “Initially the popcorn was going to be part of a limited edition Christmas launch so we wanted to create a flavour that would act as a dessert to our classic Turkey & Stuffing pack.
“We trialled around six different popcorn flavours, with a good amount of them being very promising. When we tasted the Sticky Toffee Pudding, we knew it was the one – it is one of our few recipes that didn’t need much tweaking from the initial creation.
“It’s a flavour that works all year round. We felt it was a great opportunity to try something new and expand our popcorn range with a flavour everyone loves so much.
“This launch has to be one of, if not my favourite NPD projects since joining the company 2 years ago.
“We’re really excited to hear what people think of our newest flavour as we launch at Great Outdoor Cinema this week.”
Eager consumers can get their hands on a sample of the new Sticky Toffee Pudding popcorn on arrival.
Callum Campbell, managing director at Great Outdoor Cinema said: “It’s a really exciting time for us as we begin our film festival at Pollock House this month.
“We are always keen to work with local producers at our screenings so we’re looking forward to establishing this partnership with Mackie’s.”
Produced at the fourth-generation Taylor Crisp factory in Errol, Perthshire, Mackie’s Crisps has become the leading Scottish crisp brand with a dedication towards making high quality, delicious crisps and snacks.
James Taylor, managing director at Mackie’s at Taypack, runs the family-owned business alongside his father, chairman George Taylor. It employs a team of 50 staff – and recently became Scotland’s third best-selling premium crisp brand following growth that bucked wider market decline.
For more information on Mackie’s of Scotland’s crisps and popcorn, visit: www.mackiescrisps.co.uk
