Linwoods

Spain's super appetite for Linwoods' super foods.

UK food and drink producers are leading the world in the development of ‘Superfoods’ and other wellbeing food and drink products. Armagh-based bakery, dairy and health food manufacturer Linwoods is riding this wave with its first trial listing in El Corte Ingles, Spain’s largest department store and fifth-largest grocery retailer, for its Milled Organic Flaxseed and Goji Berries blend and its Whole Sun Dried Goji Berry product.

An O-mega opportunity

Sales of Linwoods Flaxseed, billed as ‘Nature’s richest source of Omega 3’, and goji berries, which are packed with nutrients, have grown steadily since their launch in Spanish health foods stores in 2007. The company began work with FFB Spain in November 2006 to develop their market after research suggested that there was a strong interest in Omega 3 in Spain. The interest of Spain’s mainstream retailers was really caught, however, following the massive interest in Linwoods’ products at the national Biocultura heath food show in Madrid in November 07.

A growing market

Joanne Hayden, Sales & Marketing Manager at Linwoods, describes what happened: “We were amazed at the attention we received at Biocultura and how well all the products sold, particularly those with Goji Berries in them. The show resulted in our distributor listing a further three products in our range. Working with FFB has enabled us to build our reputation and grow the market in Spain and the El Corte Ingles listing is a fantastic result. There is a growing interest in functional foods in Spain, and as we are unique in the market with milled and blended variants, there is huge potential to grow.”
 
Chris Brockman, Research & Consultancy Manager at FFB, commented: "British food and drink companies are at the forefront of product development in the health and wellbeing categories. Our research shows that we are at the start of a huge trend towards healthy foods and functional foods in overseas markets, and British companies, through their market leadership in this sector, are ideally placed to take advantage of this.”