cape fruiteezi is being touted as the long-awaited solution to the modern need for healthy, convenient food-on-the-go, by co-developers Capespan and Superior Foods.
Launched last week, Cape Fruiteezi is an 80g stick of fresh pineapple, cut and wrapped in a thin plastic film, which allows it to be pushed up and eaten like an ice lolly.
Designed to be stored in the chill cabinet of retail and foodservice outlets, the cut pineapple products have a seven-day shelf life, despite being free from additives or preservatives.
The product is manufactured by Superior Foods at its new multi-million pound factory in Southall, Middlesex, using machinery designed to the company’s own specifications.
Capespan’s commercial director Alistair Phillipson and his acquaintance from Agribusiness, consultant Chris Grace, pitched the idea to colleagues more than a year ago, before approaching Superior Foods to make it a commercial possibility.
Superior Foods general manager Allan Robinson said pineapple sales are up 41 per cent a year but research shows consumers are often put off by the mess of eating it.
Marketed under the strapline “The new way to eat fruit”, Fruiteezi takes away the hassle, offering fuss-free and consistently ripe fruit, which can be eaten in any situation, from forecourts and leisure centres to airline catering, he said.
Capespan’s trading director Martin Dunnett said Fruiteezi will appeal to the changing needs of the consumer, adding: “Fruit has now overtaken chocolate as the number one snacking product.
“But the number of single-person households is expected to rise from 5.1 million to 8.6m in the next 10 years and they will want a different type of product.”
Fresh-cut produce is one of the fastest-growing sectors of retail and foodservice, and is worth £100m.
Capespan and Superior Foods are developing additional products under the Fruiteezi brand, with plans to offer consumers the ability to obtain their full 5 A DAY intake in an easy, ready-to-eat format.
