Snacks focus: Sssh... theyre healthy

AS ANY publican knows only too well, the average bar is full of people with strong opinions, most of which they are only too happy to express.

This can be a tad wearing when it comes to being told for the thousandth time where the government is going wrong. But for pub group the Orange Tree, it provided the ideal opportunity to test its planned new snack range.

As reported in The Publican in June, the East Midlands-based chain, with five outlets in Leicester, Nottingham and Loughborough, launched a range of five flavours under the Crips brand earlier this year.

It can now be revealed that during the previous 12 months, Crips were trialled in the group's pubs under top secret conditions.

Customers took part in blind tastings, and voted Crips ahead of other low-fat snacks Walkers Baked, Kettle Baked, Snack-a-Jacks and Ryvita Minis, based on taste, texture and appearance.

Regulars also suggested the flavours they'd like to see developed, input which helped to shape the final range - Natural Sea Salt, Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper, Thai Sweet Chilli, Mature Cheddar Cheese and Spring Onion, and Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar.

"Our customers were a fantastic help when it came to developing Crips," says Gareth Smith, who runs Orange Tree with business partner Ben Hings. "They tasted our cheese and onion flavour last year, and rated it very highly. We also asked them which flavours, apart from the traditional ones, they liked best, and this helped us to develop the Thai Sweet Chilli flavour. Around 150 customers were involved in the trials - a reasonable cross-section of the target market for the brand."

Gareth's father, Brian Smith, a food technologist with 40 years experience in the business, came up with the idea for an oven-baked wheat and potato snack with almost four times less fat than traditional fried potato crisps.

Having realised the product could be a success, the business gathered a team to develop Crips.

Gareth says: "Pub-goers very often don't like to think about diet products or low-fat options, and the fact that Crips don't overtly shout about being so much lower in fat than some other snacks works well for us.

"Customers buy Crips because they're a gourmet snack, not because they're healthy. It just so happens that they are healthier than a lot of other snacks."

The brand is now appealing to pubs and bars that are keen to offer their customers something different. One such recent customer is the newly-launched Hamiltons bar in Edinburgh - "the packaging and product is the perfect fit", adds Gareth. "Apart from the traditional flavours, Thai Sweet Chilli seems to be the number-one best seller in pubs," he adds.

Crips are also now sold in Selfridges, independent delis and farm shops, and at tourist attractions including the Tate Modern and the British Museum in London. They are also exported to Japan, Sweden and Spain.