Your Questions Answered
What’s so special about Crips?
Crips are oven-baked wheat and potato snacks that have almost four times less fat than traditional fried potato crisps, yet have been rated even tastier than conventional snacks during independent tests. They come in eye-catching, dare-to-be-different packs which stand out from the crowd…just like the product.
Why wheat and potato?
The mixed grains give us higher protein and the best crunchy but delicate texture.
Is this really the UK’s first wheat and potato snack?
To our knowledge this is the first baked product of its kind.
How are Crips different from, say Walkers Baked?
Walkers contain no wheat and DO NOT claim to be monosodium glutamate and genetically modified FREE.
Can you explain a little more about the process?
Great care and attention is required to get the correct consistency of the dough base. This enables us to create an incredibly thin sheet of dough, which is essential to achieve the unique qualities of Crips.
You say Crips are made in small batches – what does that mean?
The technical team spend an intensive few days closely supervising each production run in accordance with our sales forecast.
What flavours do you have?
Crips come in five fabulous flavours - Natural Sea Salt, Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper, Thai Sweet Chilli, Mature Cheddar Cheese & Spring Onion, and Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar. All are in 35g packs.
How were Crips developed?
The idea for a healthier, low-fat crisp-style snack was devised by global food technologist Brian Smith, who runs Booth Smith Food Technology from Ingleby, Derbyshire. The product was perfected over a number of years, trialled during 2007, and launched with a five-strong range in 2008.
What’s the shelf-life of Crips?
Six months. Crips, like many baked foods such as biscuits and crackers, are very stable and have a long shelf life. They do not pick up moisture or become rancid, as fried potato crisps do.
Who sells Crips?
It’s a premium product well-suited to delicatessen, farmshops, select grocery chains, cafés, pubs, bars, leisure outlets and places that serve up top quality snacks.
Who buys Crips?
We’ve discovered that Crips appeal to health-conscious snack and crisp lovers because they’re so much lower in fat than traditional fried potato crisps.
Who is your target consumer?
Anyone who doesn’t want to eat a full-fat fried crisp and can’t find a decent-tasting baked alternative. That’s a lot of people.
What has feedback from the trade been like?
Excellent. We have over 250 enthusiastic independent stockists who are real champions of CRIPS. We have recently become suppliers to Waitrose are proud to supply British Airways with its Club Class snack.
What has feedback from consumers been like?
In independent tests conducted in four different geographical locations using unmarked coded samples, Crips came out top for taste.
How was the test arbitrated?
We employed a consultant who carried out all the tests and had no vested interest. Data was captured by a second independent IT expert.
How did you stack up against full-fat crisps?
While we tested against other lower fat brands, we were surprised to find a large number of tasters thought CRIPS was a full fat product.
Are you competing with low-fat baked category directly?
Yes and no. We beat rivals in the lower-fat baked category on taste and know we offer a distinctive alternative to fried products. Many avid crisp eaters say they like Crips as well.
Why leap into the increasingly competitive crisp market?
Crips have many unique characteristics that set us apart from the rest. Retailers have spotted the difference – and so have the general public.
Have you had any interest from the supermarkets?
Yes - but we have chosen to follow a different distribution strategy at the moment.
What are your sales ambitions/ forecasts for next year/ three years?
To have retail sales value at the rate of £1.5 million within 12 months, growing to £5 million within 3 years.
What is your recommended retail price?
Our retail price falls in line with current gourmet crisp prices and is from 65p.
Can you describe your brand personality?
We are a family business, we love what we do and we are highly individual. We have put a lot of personal effort into developing Crips. We dare to be different. This is reflected in the individuality of our design and the taste of our product.
Corporate
What is the operating company called? Marbran Ltd
Who owns it? Brian Smith, Gareth Smith, Karl Traae, Wendy Nuttall, Martin Read, Kevin Wrathall, Richard Fisk, John Hings, Ben Hings, Ruth Sisley.
Who is the MD? Gareth Smith
Who can I contact for more information?
Please give Marbran director Gareth Smith a call on 01332 865220, 07860 376521 or email gareth@cripsnacks.com You can find more information and downloadable photos on our website www.cripsnacks.com |
