Finsbury Food Group gets into the spirit of innovation with extended collabs

By Gill Hyslop

- Last updated on GMT

Finsbury Food Group has ramped up its partnership with Diageo and Ferrero to create new contemporary offerings. Pic: Finsbury Food Group
Finsbury Food Group has ramped up its partnership with Diageo and Ferrero to create new contemporary offerings. Pic: Finsbury Food Group

Related tags Finsbury food group Diageo Ferrero Thorntons Cakes

Finsbury Food Group is ramping up its partnership with global drinks giant Diageo to launch one of its signature distilled gins in cake form; along with its 20-year affiliation with Ferrero to introduce a raft of new additions to the Thorntons range focused on seasonality and modern tastes.

Tapping into the ongoing trajectory growth of the gin market, Finsbury has partnered with best-selling gin brand to launch Gordon’s Premium Pink Cake, available in Asda supermarkets across the UK for an RRP of £12.

The cake is layered with pink and white sponge and a raspberry jam filling, along with a Gordon’s Premium gin-flavoured frosting in a contemporary pearlescent ombre effect, edible sugar pearls and dried raspberries.

Finsbury has worked with Diageo since 2018, when it introduced the first range of adult-only cakes – intended for enjoyment by people of legal purchase age for alcoholic beverages.

The Baileys range​ has since expanded to include Chocolate Treat Blondie Bars, Salted Caramel Cupcakes, Chocolate Yule Log and two celebration cakes, with listings in all major UK supermarkets.

“We are always looking for ways to bring innovation into the cake category, and excite the public with the launch of new products that they’ve never seen before,”​ said Emma Hamilton, brand manager for Finsbury Food Group.

'Hopefully, first of many'

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Gordon’s on their first cake, hopefully the first of many.”

According to Diageo, Gordon’s Pink Gin sold more than one million cases in its first two years on shelf. Distilled gins now account for approximately 40% of the total gin market by both volume and value, with lockdown sales soaring by 37% in the 12 months to 27 March 2021.

However, Declan Hassett, senior licensing manager at Diageo, said the brand is not sitting on its laurels and continues to work hard to stay ahead of the curve and even set the trends.

“We invest heavily in product innovation and following the hugely successful launch of our Premium Pink Gin in 2017, we wanted to create something really different and special for our customers.”

Bitesize moments

Finsbury Food Group has also revamped its Thorntons Cake Bites and Bars range with seven new offerings, stand-out packaging and brand messaging that conveys its luxuriousness.

According to speciality bakery manufacturer, the NPD sees the introduction of completely new ingredients never seen within the range before, such as Chocolate Orange Caramel Shortcake, Toffee Apple Caramel Shortcake, Hot Cross Bun Caramel Shortcake, Peppermint Crème Brownie and Strawberry Dream Brownie, along with two individually wrapped cake bars: Hazelnut Brookie and Salted Caramel Brownie.

Finsbury has also reformulated some of the existing products, such as a crunchier biscuit base and more chocolate and Thorntons toffee for its Caramel Shortcake.

“Thorntons cake bites have the highest impulse purchase rate throughout the category … The key is to never take our eye off the ball when ensuring the range fits changing consumer trends,”​ said Jordan McCann, brand manager at Finsbury Food Group.

“The Thorntons bites and bars are successful because they are perfect for sharing occasions and adding a bit of luxury to those moments.  We know the chances to get together and share a treat have been few and far between but hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, people will have more opportunities to spend time together and we’re making sure we have the perfect treats for those times.”

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