May 5, 2021
The chocolate giant, Mondelez Australia is looking to cash on the rise of healthy and nutritious savoury snacks via its recent entry into the local premium cracker category, a segment that seems to be leading this trend in the country.
According to the firm’s President for Australia, New Zealand and Japan Darren O’Brien, with the ongoing trend, the crackers industry in Australia is seeing a boost and this is because the overall rise of healthier savoury snacks that people are demanding locally, and consumer demands are getting bigger in terms of quantity, quality, and taste.
“Consumers in Australia [are] increasingly considering the ingredients and flavours they’re looking for in a savoury snack, and their demands are constantly changing,” O’Brien said.
“Within this category, we have seen premium crackers lead the way when it comes to meeting these evolving demands especially as these are anchored in health and wellness. This is why we have chosen to invest in Gourmet Food, as this has given us a significant presence in the premium cracker category which is crucial for us to meet consumers’ snacking needs” added O’Brien.
Gourmet Food comprises multiple well-known healthier cracker brands such as Olina’s Bakehouse, OB Finest, and Gullon. Additionally, Mondelez has also bought over the wafer and crispbread brand CrispBic as well as premium seafood brands Clearly Premium and Ocean Blue.
Currently speaking, O’Brien trusts that the purchase of Gourmet Food will mainly benefit Mondelez business and snack portfolio via its wide reach in the premium crackers market and savoury snack category.
“Olina’s Bakehouse and OB Finest, for instance, are premium crackers with wholesome ingredients you can see such as nuts, seeds, and fruits whereas Gullon is known for its no sugar added or sugar-free products,” he informed.
“This is a whole new space for us, but the category as a whole is growing strongly, which means that while the products are premium, they’re also widely available for consumers across Australia and New Zealand, and markets across the globe.”
Most of the Gourmet Food brands has its presence in both Australia and New Zealand, and several such as Gullon and OB Finest are available in foreign markets viz Singapore and Malaysia.
O’Brien added that Gourmet Food’s major strengths and the reason it had managed to achieve both quick growth and status as a category leader in Australia lay in its ‘innovative, agile and consumer-centric approach alongside ‘deep cracker knowledge’.
“We aim to complement these strengths with our geographic scale and coverage to build the current portfolio of brands to reach more consumers both locally and internationally,” he said.
“The firm also has a brand-new, state-of-the-art cracker production facility in Victoria, and this will add to Mondelez’s six manufacturing facilities across Australia”, informed O’Brien.
Mondelez Australia will be operating and functioning Gourmet Food as an independent business entity, retaining top leadership as directors or advisors.
“We recognize the strengths of the Gourmet Food business, which is why it will continue to operate as a standalone business. This includes the current CEO, Todd Wilson, staying on as an advisor, while the current Chief Operating Officer, Oliver Flint, has been appointed Managing Director,” said O’Brien.