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This week Paul looks at how we can use this time in lockdown to change our behaviours and move a new normal post COVID-19.

It may not come as a surprise that as an office of foodies, the team here at Cotswold Fayre love a snack, there are a few sweet teeth but the majority of us are all about something crunchy, salty and savoury.

In these unprecedented times, the perfect time for a snack is basically anytime you want one. Some of us need a mid-morning snack, some get the 3pm munchies, but most of us just can’t stop raiding the cupboard for something to nibble on. When we’re browsing the supermarkets, most of us are impulse buying snacks, if I’ve popped to the shops for one thing, you can guarantee that I’ll walk out with arms full of delicious snacks (must stop going shopping when I’m hungry). 

The Snacking Category is really important for our customers too, us impulse buyers are doing them a massive favour! Snacks can act as a pick-me-up when you’re hungry on the go or a treat to reward yourself and once consumers find their favourites, they will keep going back for their fix. We’re quite proud of our Snacking Category, with everything from crisps, popcorn, vegetable crisps, to meaty snacks, to protein balls and nuts, we’ve got everything covered.

Now if your curious about what our favourite snacks are, there’s almost too many to mention but here are some of the most popular:

Proper – Proper Chips (all the flavours got a mention, so these are definitely number one in the office!)

Lapsnacks – Chilli Puffs

Mr Filberts – Moroccan Spiced Almonds

Brown Bag Crisps – Rosemary & Sea Salt

Truffle Hunter – Black Truffle Crisps

Manomasa – Serrano Chilli & Yucatan Honey Corn Chips

Just Crisps – Apple Balsamic Vinegar & Sea Salt Crisps

Made for Drink – Mangalitza Salami Chips

Aarne & Elsa – Sour Cream & Spring Onion

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Crisps are undoubtably the king of snacks, but now people are becoming more conscious of what they put in to their bodies, your average potato chip just isn’t going to cut it any more. We saw popcorn rise in popularity a couple of years ago thanks to its low calories and being able to lend itself to sweet or savoury flavours, and crisp alternatives are still proving popular. Vegetable crisps have been around for a while, but now we are seeing innovation; Wholesums are ‘popped’ vegetable crisps which are packed full of fibre but with fewer calories are a great option.

Salt may be the most common flavour for our savoury snacks, but we live in a global society which means trying interesting new flavours and textures is still important to us. Expanding flavour ranges or bringing something that’s not be done before is a great way of standing out on the shelf. Sankofa do plantain chips, Lotus Bites use popped lotus seeds and Shore are bringing seaweed to the masses. Innovative flavours and ingredients are key for a fresh offering.

With our lifestyles getting busier than ever, more and more people are looking for a snack that can keep them going all afternoon between meals, a quick fix meal on the go, or a pre/post workout hit, which has seen the rise of protein bars and balls. Kate Percy’s Go Bites take this to the next step by being totally vegan, gluten free and sugar free too. The Protein Ball Co also uses a mixture of vegan and high impact protein for their products. ‘Clean’ ingredients are high on the agenda for consumers in 2020.

Whilst there has been a huge rise in the popularity of vegetarian and vegan snacks, meat-based snacks such as pork crackling and jerky are still a good reliable source of protein. Wholesome Wolf have brought us delicious flavours of jerky as well as including alternative meats just as pheasant and venison and use no artificial ingredients, making it a great option for those still looking for a ‘clean eat’.

For 2020, people are looking for a snack that really packs a punch, hits a multitude of criteria, and still feels just that little bit indulgent.

Top 10 Snack lines September2019-March2020:

1. XOC01 – Xochitl – S

This week Paul looks at how we should be more creative now we have the space to do so.

This March we are focusing on soft drinks. We well as publishing our Top 10 bestselling lines, we also thought it would be nice see what some of our favourite drinks are in the office!

We like to think ourselves as quite a healthy bunch here at Cotswold Fayre, but it would seem that we are quite partial to a fizzy drink. We also enjoy a flavoured sparking water with several members of the team saying they have this as a guilt-free alternative to alcohol at the end of the day or even mixing it in with gin for a lower calorie option.

As the weather warms up, soft drinks will gain in popularity as people look for cool refreshment, and we’ve taken on some great new suppliers to get your taste buds tingling, including 0 calorie flavoured waters from Dash and Radnor Hills, delicious juices from The Berry Co and still lemonades from Hullabaloos amongst others.

See a list of some of our favourites below!

LA Brewery – Ginger Kombucha

Belvoir – Elderflower & Rose Presse

Dash Water

Radnor Hills – Lemon & Mint

Cawston Press – Sparking Cloudy Apple Juice

Cawston Press – Sparkling Rhubarb Juice

Dalstons – Cherryade

Trip

Fentimans – Rose Lemonade

Crafted – Mango & Passionfruit Juice

Qcumber – Cucumber with Mint

Soda Folk – Cream Soda

It’s a challenging time for all businesses and Cotswold Fayre has seen unprecedented demand for our products, up to 300% increase on certain lines.
Our main priority remains our service to our customers and the safety and security of our people and your people. 

This week Paul writes about the impact of Covid-19 and how to turn crisis in to opportunity.