Natural and organic tea specialist Only Natural Products – owner of the Higher Living, Kromland Farm and Dr Stuart’s brands – is set to see sales growth of 100% this year as exports boom and the company adds capacity at its Gloucester factory.
Taking time out on the company’s stand at Biofach last week, Only Natural MD, Keith Garden, told Natural Products he expected busy times ahead.
“We’ve got lots of NPD going on at the moment, and we’ve just launched two new white teas – White Tea and White Tea Strawberry – and three new green teas – Green Tea Coconut, Green Tea Lemon and Green Tea Berry – under the Higher Living label and introduced four new flavours to the Kromland Farm range – Rooibos Raspberry, Rooibos & Honeybush, Rooibos Cinnamon & Orange and Rooibos Caramel. There’s also a Dr Stuart’s Green Tea Ginger Seaweed out in April.”
Garden says the company – which also contract packs – has added 300% additional production capacity during the past 18 months, brining online new heat seal and fuso (pyramid) machinery. With contract manufacturing up 100% in 2014 and own brand sales by 70%, the factory has been “absolutely full with orders”.
A large of Only Natural’s growth is coming from export sales, particularly from Kromland Farm, which has seen a “stellar performance”. But Garden also “a fantastic opportunity” for UK indies in the specialist tea category. “It’s where the tea market is migrating – away from traditional, mainstream offers to specialist products. Organic is a big pull, and I don’t think there are plenty of people
