UK gluten free brand coming to Australia

Posted by AFN Staff Writers on 26th June 2013

The UK’s largest gluten-free food company, Genius Foods, is launching across Australia after Melbourne-based Gourmet Gluten Free Bakery (GGFB) brokered a deal to bring the brand to Australia.

Genius Foods will launch 10 of its gluten-free products in Australia. The Australian product line-up will include the crusty white home-bake bloomer, sliced seeded loaf, original white sliced bread, original brown sliced bread, seeded rolls, short crust pastry, fruit loaf, pizza bases, croissant and pain au chocolate. The Genius Foods range will be available in Coles supermarkets across Australia.

“When we were looking to extend our existing Bellyhoo range, we wanted to build a gluten-free brand that was best in class,” said Dean Kruger, Co-Founder and Director of GGFB. “When we met the team behind Genius, we immediately knew that Genius was the obvious choice to expand our offering because of its innovative and great tasting product range and the team’s expert knowledge,” he said.

“The GGFB team worked really hard to bring Genius to Australia and its arrival in Australia is a transformation step for the gluten-free market. We’re excited to have the opportunity to launch the Genius range in Australia,” Mr Kruger said.

GGFB operates out of a new dedicated gluten-free manufacturing facility in Melbourne. The Company currently manufactures the Bellyhoo GlutenFree sweet and savoury pie range.

Genius Foods was started from the Edinburgh kitchen of its founder, Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, after she discovered her young son had a gluten intolerance. The Company launched in UK supermarkets in 2009, and is expecting turnover in 2013 to approach £50 million (AU$78 million). The Company said it has a 47.5 per cent share in the Free From Bread category in the UK.

“We wanted to bring our innovative gluten-free food to Australian consumers because demand for great tasting gluten-free food is rising, as are the numbers of people being diagnosed with coeliac disease and those consumers following a gluten-free diet as a lifestyle choice,” said Roz Cushcieri, Genius Food Chief Executive.

“We see a lot of potential within Australia’s free-from category, and we have successfully driven rapid category growth in the UK and are optimistic about doing the same in Australia,” Ms Cushcieri said.

 

Genius Foods gluten-free products coming to Australia