The UK’s only manufacturer of air-dried fruit and vegetable crisps has signed a supply deal with the Co-op – its first contract with a leading supermarket.
Nim’s Fruit Crisps will kick off its listing with three SKUs at over 60 Co-op stores across the South East, with a view to it going national if the products sell well.
Pineapple, Beetroot & Parsnip and Tomato & Cucumber crisps will all be available at the retailer, which will host in-store tastings of the product at branches in Kent.
It has been a major year of growth for Nimisha Raja, the entrepreneur behind the healthy crisp brand. She has also secured contracts with education and healthcare specialist Handmade Speciality Products, as well as hundreds of independent shops, online platforms and export agreements with distributors in Belgium, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy and Saudi Arabia.
“We have been in discussion with the major retailers for the last twelve months and there has been a lot of positive feedback,” Raja said.
“Co-op is a firm believer in sourcing healthier and locally sourced products and, with 70 per cent of Nim’s products being made using British ingredients, it was agreed that it would become the first supermarket to stock our crisps.”
“This is just the start. There will be three varieties on the shelves in 60 locations, but we are already talking about extending the range and the listing. We’re doing in-store tastings throughout Kent over the next few weeks to help promote the brand and support the launch.”
The crisps, which are free from fat, gluten and dairy, are manufactured in Sittingbourne, Kent at a facility capable of producing over 12 million packs of crisps a year.
Every pack, which contains between 39 and 76 calories, is made up of thinly sliced and air-dried fruit and vegetable crisps.
Nim’s is the only fruit and vegetable crisp brand currently licensed by the Department of Health as ‘1 of your 5 a Day’.
