Global food producer and distributor General Mills has appointed UK based Red Star Brands as its agency sales and marketing partner, to support healthier snack bar brands including Lärabar and Nature Valley.

With a proven track record in launching innovative brands to the UK market, we are delighted to have been chosen to support the distribution of the two brands within the Out Of Home sector including Foodservice, Convenience and Forecourt, with a focus on building single bar sales.

General Mills brands including Nature Valley and Lärabar are growing value sales by £6.8m in the last year. As the number one driver of growth by £4m across the category, the company’s aim is to satisfy the growing consumer demand for on the go, convenient snacking.

We’re delighted to be appointed as an agency partner to support the distribution of two extremely successful and established brands in the UK.

The move to focus on single bar sales supports the consumer shift for on the go, healthier, impulse snacking as shoppers look for brands with more functional benefits that still satisfy taste. General Mills is one of the oldest and most successful food producers and distributors in the world, representing many of the UK’s best loved brands. It’s a great privilege to be working with them.

Red Star’s managing director, Clark McIlroy

Lärabar was founded by Denver born entrepreneur Lara Merriken and introduced to the UK market two years ago. There are now three flavour SKUs in the range, including Banana Choc Chip, Apple Cinnamon and Peanut Butter Choc Chip, which are stocked in major British supermarkets.

Launched in 2005, Nature Valley is the number one cereal bar in the UK and Ireland, offering four flavour SKUs across Protein, Crunchy, Sweet & Nutty and Popcorn – all available in major Mults across the UK.

Working with Red Star Brands will ensure that Nature Valley and Lärabar are more accessible to customers across the Out of Home and Convenience channels. As the UK sets to reopen in early 2021, and footfall in towns and cities returns to growth, we’re poised to continue to offer consumers healthy on the go snacking that delivers on functionality as well as taste. The team at Red Star understand this market and we are looking forward to the partnership as we move into 2021.

General Mills’ Clare Ryal, head of Convenience and OOH

Master of Mixes – America’s #1 Cocktail Mix Brand joins the Red Star Brands portfolio

Master of Mixes is crafted using only the finest quality of fruits, scoured from the earth’s premier growing regions and sourced using only renowned varieties of each fruit and blend with natural cane sugar for the same impeccable taste pour after pour.

Onboarding premium challenger brands is at the heart of what we do. Master of Mixes aligns perfectly with this approach and taps into the exploding trend in the UK of home cocktail consumption – further accelerated in recent months by lockdown restrictions. We’re excited to introduce America’s #1 Cocktail Mix Brand and hope it will bring the same enjoyment to consumers across the UK as it has in its domestic market.

Clark McIlroy, Managing Director at Red Star Brands states

The range comprises a delectable selection of flavours including Strawberry Daiquiri featuring Californian strawberries hand picked at peak ripeness and Mango Margarita which features premium Alphonso mangoes from a single growing region in India. The full range is proudly Non-GMO, Vegan, Kosher and Gluten Free

Learn more here

Removing all complexity from cocktail making and home entertaining, Master of Mixes simply requires the addition of an alcoholic spirit of choice and each bottle contains a QR code linking to the signature serve as recommended by the brand’s own mixologists.

Read more here: Master of Mixes Website

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