McCain Foodservice Solutions has launched Brew City hot bar snacks in the UK to provide pub and bar operators with an £8.1m incremental opportunity, helping them build on the growth of craft beer and snacking occasions.
This new brand of hot bar snacks has been developed to pair perfectly with premium and craft lagers and ales to evolve the market in response to consumer demand.
Following research into the category, Brew City discovered an appetite for operators to be branching out into new products within the snacking occasion. Research by NPD Group has shown that out of home snacking spend has increased by 11%1 in the last year, of which pubs have seen the strongest growth with snacking spend increasing by 28%2.
Similarly, craft ale has also seen a boom in out of home, leading to increased consumer demand; 24% would be more likely to visit a pub or restaurant if it had a good selection of craft beer.
Ideal for sharing with friends or family, the full range consists of eight new products for consumers to pair alongside their beer of choice; IPA Fries, Mac n Jack Bites, Salt & Pepper Potato Pops, Onion Straws, Herby Tomato Mozzarella Arancini Bites, Fiery Jalapeno Slices, Gouda & Mozzarella Bites and Frickles.
As part of its anticipated launch, Brew City conducted a consumer Twitter poll to discover just how important hot bar snacks are to consumers. 76% of those surveyed said they preferred hot bar snacks over cold, with 73% admitting their pub doesn’t have a wide enough selection of hot bar snacks4.
Discussing the brand’s launch into the UK, Robin Norton, Category Controller, McCain Foodservice Solutions commented, “Pub operators want to be able to give their customers a great experience and drive loyalty but, ultimately, they also want to be able to increase their spend.
'Brew City has been designed to do just that. The food with drink moment exists in pubs, however it is not being maximised by current hot food offerings; Brew City enables pub operators to tap into this space and capitalise on it.
'This is a very exciting time for McCain Foodservice Solutions and we are very proud to be launching a new brand into the UK market, elevating the bar snacks category and unlocking a new opportunity for operators, as we have done in the US.”
Brew City was originally launched in the US as part of a food and drink solution 20 years ago and continues to be a huge success across American pubs and bars to this day.
In the UK, the range can be found in all key wholesalers including Brakes, Booker, Bidfood, Hopwells and Sterling.