In this issue of Food & Drink Matters, we are delighted to select PEPPADEW® as our Company of the Year.
PEPPADEW® Bites has taken the food sector by storm last year, winning silver at last year’s Casual Dining Innovation Challenge and winning at the prestigious Quality Food 2023 Awards in the Party Food & Buffet category.
The Quality Food Awards have been highlighting premium food products for the last 44 years. The awards are judged by leading industry experts, who consider all aspects of the products from packaging, presentation to taste. Food & Drink Matters wants to pass on its congratulations for this remarkable achievement and can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for the dedicated PEPPADEW® International team.
PEPPADEW® International is synonymous with proud South African heritage and signature pepper favours, through its truly pioneering, premium pepper range. The story began over 25 years with the exciting discovery of a bright red pepper in the heart of South Africa. The unique Piquanté Pepper was hailed as a new type of fruit and over time, was lovingly crafted into Sweet Piquanté Peppers. The Yellow Sweet Piquanté Peppers were exclusively launched by Waitrose last year.
The PEPPADEW® product range has enjoyed exponential growth and is now supplied to leading world retailers and food manufacturers across 25 countries. Throughout this period of growth, PEPPADEW® International has always stayed true to its roots in the Limpopo hills in South Africa. The north eastern province consists of the large Lowveld plain, interspersed by mountain ranges across the Highveld plateau. The picturesque Soutpans Mountains run for 80 miles and the majestic Water Mountains extend to more than 6,500 feet. The Lowveld has mopane (mopani) trees and the iconic Baobab Tree (known affectionately as ‘the tree of life.’) The Limpopo River runs across the northern and western areas, with the climate ranging from hot, subtropical to the north, to more temperate across the southern mountain region.
“We have been supporting rural water projects in the Limpopo area for over a decade, which is vital to substantial farming and peoples’ livelihoods. There is a local orphanage which we have supported too and we do this because we want to, not because it’s expected or to boost our corporate social responsibility. It’s good to give back.” outlined Simon Harris: Brand & Marketing Manager.
In addition to the South African Tzaneen factory, PEPPADEW® International has its UK head office in Leatherhead, Surrey and a factory in Weston Super Mare.
“Last year has all been about PEPPADEW® Bites we have been showcasing them at trade shows, pub tastings, as part of our B2B route to market. We are of course delighted by the overwhelmingly positive feedback we have received and of course our silver at last year’s Casual Dining Innovation Challenge and winning the prestigious Quality Food 2023 Awards in the Party Food & Buffet category,” continued Simon.
PEPPADEW® Bites are ready in three-four minutes, from frozen to deep-fry and our proud Made in Britain cheesy, pepper delights produce no food waste. As a frozen product, they are portion-controlled – but as they’re so delicious, they won’t last long! The bites are vegetarian and free from artificial colouring and preservatives.
These moreish bites fast-track menus to taste sensation and are loved equally by customers and chefs/food operators. The no-fuss, no waste bites are quick to cook, from zero to three/four minutes and customers adore the cheesy, peppery taste. Perfect for shared platters, in salads or part of a tapas feast or even part of a larger main meal, these bites won’t disappoint.
Famous YouTubers: The Sidemen have PEPPADEW® Bites on their menu and have declared them ‘delicious,’ enjoying the sweet, tangy flavour combo. An independent study by Toluna Insight with 1,000 consumers during March 2022, found that over half would be prepared to pay more for PEPPADEW® Bites than standard Jalapeño Poppers+. Furthermore, in a separate study, 73% classified the bites as a premium-quality menu item (Source: Lumina Intelligence Menu Tracker Tool, Spring/Summer 2017-2021.)
“PEPPADEW® Bites are perfect all year round: whole, sweet piquanté peppers, layered with smooth, full-fat soft cheese and lovingly topped with crispy, golden-brown panko-style crumbs, keep hunger at bay. They are also ideal for Christmas menus and by this year, we’d love to see them on offer at pubs, restaurants and food outlets across the country.
Imagine the cheesy, peppery flavours making an entrance next to eclectic festive buffet dishes like chorizo slices, prawns, sausage rolls and brie and cranberry tarts: it would certainly hold its own.
PEPPADEW® Bites are perfect for: catering managers, foodservice buyers, chefs, restaurants, pubs and independent cafés. It is a naturally versatile product and can be customised to any in-house signature style.
On the industrial side, our PEPPADEW Piquanté Peppers were used as an ingredient, alongside Nduja sausage, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce to make the legendary, frozen Dr.Oetker Chicago Town Chilli Pepper Deep Dish: Picante Nduja pizzas. The pizza won 2023 Product of the Year in the pizza category, as voted for by The Consumer Survey of Product Innovation. We are delighted that our PEPPADEW Piquanté Peppers have been recognised for the true potential and made their way to pizza glory!
Looking to the future, we are looking to launch into retail this year with an oven ready version of the PEPPADEW® Bites, which are perfect for Air Fryers. We have four new flavours – Original (West Country Cream Cheese), Mac ‘n Cheese, Mozzarella and Herb. It will be ready to launch in February and we have lots of interest and the consumer study results have been really positive.
Our website has lots of tantalising menu ideas for our pepper varieties, from braised beef stew, roasted butternut squash, focaccia to a quirky chocolate truffle! We truly believe that our product range offers versatility to the nth degree across our whole customer base,” added Simon.
PEPPADEW® International truly is a narrative of passionate pepper cultivation: a gourmet desire to transform the sweet pepper from the temperate Limpopo hills, by the Limpopo River to award-winning products.
“We are delighted to be selected by Food & Drink Matters for the sweet, piquanté pepper Company of the Month Award and it is testament to the combined hard-working effort of our South African, Leatherhead and Weston Super Mare teams,” concluded Simon.
PEPPADEW will be at following trade shows in 2024:
- Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show (HRC): 25th-27th March 2024, ExCeL, London – Stand Number H311
- Casual Dining Casual Dining Show: 18th-19th September 2024, ExCeL, London – Stand Number CD421
- European Pizza & Pasta Show: 26th-27th November 2024, Olympia National Hall, London. Stand Number is still TBC.
For further information, please see the details below:
T +44 (0)1372 502143
sales@peppaco.co.uk
https://peppadewfoodservice.co.uk/peppadew-bites
Foodservice website:
https://peppadewfoodservice.co.uk
Consumer facing website:
https://www.peppadew.co.uk