A First for New Forest Fruit Company
The New Forest Fruit Company have launched a first for the UK snack market. Brand new New Forest Fruit Snacks have been four years in the creating and combine two specialist processes to achieve dried fruit pieces that retain their shape, flavour and nutrients for a delicious and healthy treat.
New Forest Fruit Snacks is a ‘plant to packet’ product as it is grown, processed and packaged on the New Forest Fruit Company’s farm in the New Forest, Hampshire. This is a sustainable approach to production involving zero food miles. In addition, the fruit snacks are sold in 100% biodegradable packaging, so any empty bags can go straight into the compost.
The journey to produce New Forest Fruit Snacks started four years ago when Sandy Booth CEO, New Forest Fruit Company, came across the cutting-edge technology of pulsing. Sandy Booth is the driving force for developing innovation on the farm and he is always looking for new ideas that reduce waste and promote sustainability. New Forest Fruit Snacks is the result of two processes being combined in what Sandy Booth believes to be a first for the UK snack market.
Sandy says: “The processes were around, but they hadn’t been put together. Combining these two specialist processes has enabled us to produce a brand new fruit snack with all the sweet flavour and nutrients of our fresh strawberries, but with a longer shelf life and in a handy packet.
“This new product has also helped us significantly reduce waste. It improves crop utilisation as we can process seasonal gluts and any fruits that are too large, small or misshapen to meet retailers’ specifications as New Forest Fruit Snacks.”
Pulse drying the fruit pieces first removes all the water from the fruit, so that the freeze-drying process does not shrink and shrivel the fruit pieces. Not only do the fruit pieces retain their shape, but the pulse drying locks in all the flavour and nutrients including vitamin C. These are simply the New Forest Fruit Company’s own super sweet, delicious fruit with nothing added and nothing taken away.
This brand new product can be added as a healthy snack to children’s lunch boxes and in family picnics for days out over summer. New Forest Fruit Snacks are, however, surprisingly versatile and can be used as ingredients and garnishes in dishes and drinks.
The four-year development period allowed time for a testing process with samples supplied to chefs, among them Luke Holder, Head Chef, Hartnett Holder & Co, Lime Wood. He has become a fan of the fruit snacks, crunching them up and using the crisp fruity crumb to add colour, texture and bursts of intense sweet aromatic flavour to cakes and desserts. They can also be used as a topping for ice creams and milkshakes.
Sandy and the team have enjoyed playing with the fruit pieces as garnishes in summer drinks including soft drinks as well as gin and tonic, sparkling wine and Pimms – particularly as the strawberry pieces rehydrate, soaking up the flavour of the drink.
Sandy comments: “We are very excited about our new snack product and its possibilities as they are so versatile and are already receiving a lot of interest from retailers, chefs and customers. Our intention is to develop a range of fruit snacks using different fruits and produce grown on the farm. This is the start of a New Forest Fruit snack revolution!”
From July New Forest Fruit Snacks will be available to purchase direct from the New Forest Fruit Company’s website.
Image: Sandy Booth with New Forest Fruit Snacks - picture credit The Electric Eye Photography