A SIMPLE SOLUTION FOR FRUIT SNACKS

Following a major refurbishment and enhancement of its production facilities in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, Orchard County Foods, the leading producer of branded and own label freshly cut fruit on the island of Ireland, is focusing on cementing its position in the booming ready-to-eat fruit snacks market with the launch of its own Simply Fruit brand. Initially the Simply Fruit range encompasses snack packs, including apple, grape, apple and grape, pineapple fingers, orange, cherry and melon and grape, but the company has ambitious plans to extend the range and its customer base. Central to this growth plan is Orchard County Foods' recent acquisition of the fresh cut fruit business of Wilson's Country. That has increased production capacity and will enable the company to expand its product range to suit the needs of a very diverse customer base throughout the retail and food service sectors. ???Research shows that some 1,200 million lunch boxes are made up each year in the UK, with 55 per cent of these containing fresh fruit. Our goal is to make that 100 per cent - preferably Simply Fruit snack packs!??? stated Liam Lynch, General Manager of Orchard County Foods. ???Consumers do want to eat healthier and to get their recommended ???five-a-day' of fruit and vegetables, but they also want convenience and our Simply Fruit range meets those market drivers, combining pure, natural fruit products in a handy single serving to eat as part of a lunch box or as a delicious and refreshing alternative snack between meals.??? The company already supplies many leading retailers and foodservice operators with product in single-serve packs, pots, trays and 2.5kg and 5kg bulk containers, including Tesco's own-brand fresh fruit snacks across the UK and Ireland, for whom Orchard County's melon and grape is the retailer's best-seller. The company also supplies own-label fresh fruit snacks to SuperValu stores in the UK and Ireland and Freshways fruit snacks for Kerry Foods, to name but a few of its blue-chip customers across the independent and multiple retail, food service, airline catering and public body sectors. ???While supplying own-label fresh fruit snacks has been and will remain a key part of our business, we feel that there is tremendous opportunity to establish and grow our own Simply Fruit brand throughout the UK and Ireland's retail sector,??? continued Liam. ???With the increased capability and newly acquired processing plant and equipment from the Wilson's fruit division acquisition, we are now able to offer more exotic fruit snacks to retail as well as to foodservice, such as kiwi, mango and pomegranate. ???Similarly, before we were only producing pineapple fingers, but now we are also able to offer pineapple chunks, which are especially popular in the UK market. And, of course, our R&D department is always looking at predicted trends to ensure we are ahead of the field in introducing the latest ???in' fruit. We source and use only the finest quality ingredients and our committed staff have a real ???can do' attitude that ensures we deliver customer satisfaction.??? With its roots in the famous apple producing county of Armagh in Northern Ireland, Orchard County Foods has grown and diversified significantly since the business was originally established by Patrick McCann some 20 years ago to supply processed bramley apples to major UK bakery and condiment manufacturers. However, modern living and the growing demand for healthy but convenient food products has opened up a wealth of opportunities for innovative and progressive companies like Orchard County Foods. ???We believe the whole of the UK and Ireland's fresh fruit snack market is ripe for development and, through a combination of organic company growth and acquisition, Orchard County Foods is well placed to meet that growing opportunity,??? continued Liam Lynch. ???We recently exhibited at the Food & Drink Expo in Birmingham and the response from new clients was very positive. In fact, we are currently in negotiation with several companies. All in all, with our enhanced capabilities, extended product range, the launch of our Simply Fruit brand and our commitment to customer satisfaction, we look forward to seeing our business growth plans come to fruition!???