Free-ist expands sugar and gluten-free range
Free'ist, the Northern Irish specialist in free-from products has added popcorn, breakfast biscuits and marshmallows to its range that's now on sale in the UK, Ireland and, most recently, the United Arab Emirates.
Based in Belfast, the company is developing into one of the leading innovators in the fast growing free-from category.
The new product line-up features:
- Four popcorn flavours - sweet and savoury, caramel crunch, lightly sea salted and nacho cheese - all are free-from sugar and gluten, are low in calories and suitable for vegetarians and are in 130g bags;
- Two breakfast biscuits - hazelnut and chocolate and cereal and milk - both sugar-free and gluten-free in 300g packs; and
- Marshmallows which are free from sugar, gluten, eggs, dairy and fat.
The new products, the outcome of an extensive research and development programme by the company, join a portfolio that also includes other free-from foods such as jams, biscuits, cookies and chocolates.
Among customers of the existing product range are Tesco and Dunnes as well as Al Maya and LuLu, among the biggest retailers in the United Arab Emirates. The business in the Emirates was brokered by Invest NI's Food Business Development Director in the Republic of Ireland and International markets, Shane McArdle, who lined up a distribution arrangement with Pan Euro Foods in Dublin.
Gerard McAdorey, the managing director and founder of Free'ist, says: "The popularity of our initial range in the fast moving free-from category encouraged us to invest in the development of additional products to meet specific market opportunities that we've identified in discussions with key retailers.
"We've maintained our focus on offering customers products with exceptional taste that are also a healthier option. The new products have all being influenced by retailers which are expanding their free-from offerings to meet market demand from customers seeking sugar, gluten and fat free foods that don't compromise on taste," he adds.
Free'ist products, developed by GM Marketing in Belfast, a leading food distributor in the UK and Ireland, are aimed to meet the growing demand for tasty treats especially by consumers with conditions such as diabetes.
GM Marketing has experience over 15 years in the UK and Ireland as a marketer of a broad range of branded foods, such as Typhoo Tea, Tilda Rice, Vimto and cereals Shreddies and Cheerios, in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
The Free'ist product portfolio represents an investment of almost £2 million by GM, which currently employs 36 people in marketing and distributing established food brands. The new products are a significant diversification of the company's business into the development and marketing of its own branded foods.