Troy Foods has seen its branded 's:a:l:a:d:s' range grow by 50 per cent to a value of £5 million over the last 12 months, following the launch of a number of new lines in 2016.
Since launching its first 's:a:l:a:d:s' products eight years ago, Troy Foods has extended its lines to meet growing demand for food-to-go.
Originally, the food manufacturer supplied the range exclusively to Heron Foods, but it now serves retailers throughout the UK, with further product launches planned in 2017.
Made at Troy Foods’ British Retail Consortium-approved salad site in Leeds, the latest products in the range include Italian pasta, coleslaw, chicken and bacon pasta, potato salad, fruity couscous, tuna and sweetcorn pasta, and beetroot salad.
“Our salads range was developed by our talented NPD team after spotting a gap in the market for making branded, potted prepared salads, which retailers could purchase for the ‘food to go’ consumer market,” said Troy Foods commercial manager James Kempley.
“Increasingly, people’s busy lifestyles mean they want tasty, freshly made snacks which can be easily consumed wherever they are.
“We regularly review our product base and have further developed and extended it as new customers have come on board and the market has continued to grow.”
The manufacturer, which has added sporks to the pots, has found that the range has proved particularly popularly with outlets that may not have enough volume to justify their own bespoke packaging.
Kempley added: “We have ambitious plans to further grow our sales in 2017 with both existing and new customers as we launch yet more new products and build on the five million packs of our s:a:l:a:d:s brand products sold annually.”
Based in Leeds where it has three premises and employs 600 staff, Troy Foods is a third-generation family business that supplies prepared vegetables for ready meals and retail packs to leading supermarkets.
In recent years, it has diversified into processing value added lines such as dressed salads including coleslaw, potato salads, pasta salads and dips as well as mayonnaise and dressings to retailers and food service groups.
