Oaf looks to spice up the gluten-free category with new cheesy loaf and rolls

Gluten-free bakery brand Oaf has unveiled new loaves and rolls as it looks to bring on-trend flavours to the category.

The trio of cheese and spice-led products launch into Tesco on 28 April, including The Big Cheese Loaf (rsp: £3.50, 400g, unsliced), Super Soft ‘N Cheesy Rolls (£3.25, four-pack, 280g), and Jalapeno ‘N Cheddar Rolls (£3.50, four-pack, 280g).

These join Oaf’s existing gluten-free lines stocked at Tesco – White Softie Loaf (£3, 400g, sliced), White Super Softie Sub Rolls (from £2.75, two-pack), and Cheese & Herb Super Softie Sub Rolls (from £2.75, two-pack). The sub rolls have recently been launched into Asda as well, with the entire range also available via Oaf’s online shop.

The Oaf brand was launched by South Wales gluten-free food manufacturer Juvela last summer, and is reported to be on track to surpass £1m in retail sales within its first year. The company said this highlighted the strength of early demand, noting NielsenIQ data had fewer than 1% of products across UK grocery and convenience reaching that sales level annually.

Matthew Cain, head of sales at Juvela, told British Baker that the latest NPD from Oaf was aimed at tapping into “several converging trends that we believe are reshaping the gluten-free bakery category”.

The first, he said, was a clear shift in shopper profile with more young and time-poor consumers entering the category, including those not necessarily drive by medical necessity. “That changes what development looks like,” Cain commented. “These shoppers don’t want a compromise product; they want something that feels relevant and enjoyable.”

Cain also noted the underdevelopment of key eating occasions for gluten-free bakery – particularly lunch and food-to-go. “Gluten-free has historically been strong at breakfast but has left a lot on the table elsewhere,” he said, adding that Oaf’s sub rolls were designed to unlock sandwich and grab-and-go occasions not traditionally served well by the category.

Thirdly, and “most exciting from a development perspective” according to Cain, was flavour. “The category has focused heavily on replicating mainstream formats, but hasn’t kept pace with the broader consumer appetite for bolder, more interesting taste profiles,” he expressed. “Flavour gives people a genuine reason to choose a product, not just a reason to accept it.”

Underpinning all of these points was gluten-free bakery’s broader move from ‘function’ towards ‘choice’. “Shoppers increasingly want products that stand on their own merits — not just products that happen to be gluten-free. That’s the trend our entire development philosophy is built around,” said Cain.