Jerky brand founded by rugby union stars savours success
A manufacturer of dried meat snacks headquartered in York, which was founded by international rugby union players, is set to achieve record sales this month with the launch of new product ranges and the signing of an exclusive deal with Lidl.
Kings Elite Snacks, which manufacturers biltong and jerky and was founded by England rugby union players Charlie, Mark and James Simpson-Daniel and rugby world cup winner Mike Tindall in 2014 before being acquired by global snacks group New World Foods in 2015, is launching three new product ranges and has secured a two-year contract to supply own label lines to Lidl in the UK, Ireland and Europe.
The expansion follows a £1m investment in the company’s manufacturing capabilities at the beginning of this year which aims to make Kings the UK’s number one biltong and jerky brand.
This growth will be driven by the launch of three new lines in Tesco, seven in Asda and six in Sainsbury’s with new ranges including Wagyu Beef Biltong and Jerky, a vegan range and a refrigerated flexitarian offering which includes vegan, vegetarian and free-range chicken snacks.
The company also supplies own label lines to Aldi and the Co-op.
Charlie Simpson-Daniel, managing director of New World Foods (Europe) said: “I’ve been on an incredible journey with the brand and I am delighted with the progress we have made in major retail. The most rewarding aspect of this is the number of new consumers entering meat snacking for the first time through Kings. We are very ambitious and we are here to turn this category into a £100m space with our new consumers and our new ranges being pivotal to achieving this goal.”
New World Foods (Europe) manufactures its snacks on the outskirts of York and employs over 50 full-time staff with this number expected to reach 60-70 employees in the next six months.
