PREMIUM ice cream maker Mackie’s of Scotland has a spring in its step after confirming a huge hike in listings with the UK supermarket chain across hundreds of stores in England and Wales.
The fifth-generation Aberdeenshire family run firm has secured a distribution deal with Sainsbury’s to supply its Honeycomb ice cream and new flavour, Strawberry Swirl to 500 stores south of the border.
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It comes after Mackie’s appearance on the BBC’s ‘Inside the Factory’ programme in which Gregg Wallace toured the farm and made his own batch of Honeycomb ice cream – the farm’s best-selling flavour after Traditional.
The new listings will build on recent market growth in England and Wales, with the 2021 financial figures revealing a growth of 40%.
An estimated two million people tuned in to watch Mackie’s on ‘Inside the Factory’; and the programme encouraged an increase of sales for Honeycomb ice cream by more than 200%.
On top of the Aberdeenshire brand’s primetime BBC feature, it has undergone its first brand refresh in 30 years, having invested significantly in market research, digital advertising and summer promotions with guidance from brand agency Curzon marketing.
Stuart Common, Sales Director at Mackie’s of Scotland has hailed the listings as an important milestone, as it means that fans of its widely available Traditional Real Dairy ice cream will be able to easily access more flavours.
He said: “We are delighted with both the take-up and feedback from Sainsbury’s who have decided to add our newest flavour and a well-established favourite to its portfolio.”
“This is a really encouraging start to the year and securing these new listings and extending existing arrangements is building on a trend which saw us grow sales in England and Wales by more than 40% in 2020/21.”
“While always very happy to see our established flavours finding their way to more consumers over a wider geographic spread, we are especially pleased that our investment in developing new flavours has received a warm welcome by one of the UK’s leading retailers.”
“For so long fans of our ice cream have looked on enviously at those in Scotland who can try a broad range of our products. It’s great to be getting second and third flavours into English and Welsh stores.”
Always keen to source locally and to minimise food miles, Mackie’s is using strawberries in its new Strawberry Swirl ice cream from fellow Aberdeenshire farming business Castleton Farm near Laurencekirk.
The new flavour was chosen by the 70,000 strong Friends of Mackie’s members club and evolved from consumer feedback, numerous development trials and benefited from a £50,000 investment in a new sauce machine.
This Summer Mackie’s is launching its biggest ever media campaign to drive penetration for the family brand across the UK, which will include advertising across digital channels, an on-pack promotion and extensive social media promotion.
Mackie’s is one of the UK’s top ice cream brands, with its 1 litre Traditional tub being the 4thbest-selling premium ice cream product in the UK. As the brand grows, Mackie’s has gained a cache of awards in the process, and still produces all its ice cream using fresh milk and cream from the dairy herd on the family farm in north east Scotland.
