Picky tea, unstructured eating, British tapas – regardless of the preferred term, Brits have developed something of a soft spot for the casual evening meal.
Savoury pastry specialist Higgidy has as well, thanks partly to the growing demand for its products such as dinky rolls, sausage rolls, muffins, and pastry lattices to fill a gap on the picky tea plate or grazing table. In fact, tapping into less traditional eating habits are a core part of its growth plans as CEO Rachel Kelley explains at the firm’s headquarters and manufacturing site in Shoreham-by-Sea.
“The way that we’re going to really generate growth into the future is to look at the sticky consumer eating habits that have remained post covid,” she says, noting that “unstructured eating” is one of them. “We saw it emerge as a ‘picky tea’, where nobody sits down and has a meal, but you’ve got some items of food out and people will graze on them. This has definitely stuck,” she adds.
So much so that this part of its range, known as snacking and sharing, is growing at 14-15% annually.
Higgidy, which is owned by Samworth Brothers alongside stablemates Ginsters and Soreen, is being smart about what it chooses to invest in. “We have made choices about where we’re going to play,” Kelley asserts. As such, the brand has “consciously slimmed down” its portfolio by stepping away from slices, cold pies, and even trimming its quiche line-up. It also “proactively” decided to reduce the price of its quiches to better compete with other options in the market.
These factors, Kelley notes, are a contributor to the loss reported in its latest accounts with a shift in the portfolio to items with a lower retail price, cost-conscious consumers trading down to own-label products, and investment to upgrade its production facility also playing a part.
Vibrancy, flavour, and interest
But, with category growth fuelled by inflation flattening, Kelley says the focus is “very much around how we can go back to what is fundamentally our role, which is to add value to the category”.
Much of this stems from continuous improvements in quality. “We want to create food that you’re proud to plonk on the table,” Kelly enthuses, highlighting the “vibrancy, flavour, and interest” it brings. The quiches, for example, are designed to be “generous” in terms of toppings and fillings, but still with a “homemade feel”. In the case of its Beechwood Smoked Bacon & Mature Cheddar quiche, this is accomplished through a generous hand-scattering of bacon on top.
Notably, its Garlic-Roasted Broccoli & Vintage Cheddar Quiche with Emmental Crumb has also been recognised by the 2024 Baking Industry Awards judges for the “generosity of its fillings” and “well balanced flavours”.
Higgidy’s quality journey has been aided by a £10m investment at its factory designed to help unlock future growth. Around a third of the money was used for new equipment, including a Rondo pastry line, with DC Norris kettles and more oven capacity also added.
It has also shifted its distribution to the Samworth Brothers supply chain to focus on “where Higgidy can add value” and changed up working patterns at the bakery to maximise efficiency.
“Anything we were going to do needed to step us up in a quality perspective and help our colleagues be as safe as possible,” the CEO says. “Naturally, what comes with those is we’ve been able to uplift our capacity and deliver output significantly more efficiently.”
A rethink of the layout has created more space to produce in-demand items, including rolls, and to separate allergens with the Smoked Salmon & Spinach Little Quiche (which Kelley confesses to being “an absolute massive fan” of) being produced in a room affectionately known as “the aquarium”.
The increased capacity for rolls comes at the perfect time for Higgidy as the CEO notes “the most explosive growth in our range is from twin-pack rolls”. The Cheese & Onion, Ham Hock & Cheese and Feta & Red Pepper rolls are being added to supermarket meal deals as a snacking component. “We will definitely play in food to go and food on the move much more in the future,” Kelley adds.
Another area of the portfolio driving growth at the lunchtime occasion are mini quiches, while the brand’s savoury mini muffins – which have performed “phenomenally well” since they were launched five years ago – are targeting the breakfast and snacking occasions. Notably, the muffins don’t have direct competition in the market as Higgidy has “figured out a way of making our fluffy, delicious little muffins that hasn’t yet been replicated” by other manufacturers.
However, even Higgidy has hit a stumbling block when it comes to taking the innovation into other formats. The brand’s culinary chef, Jordan Kerridge, had previously revealed to British Baker that ‘mega muffins’ had been put into development, but Higgidy couldn’t work out where to pitch them in the market. They’ve not been entirely written off though as Kelley suggests a larger eat format could work, possibly as an alternative to a sandwich, but “we haven’t quite cracked it yet”.
Laser focused on sustainability
While the viability of mega muffins is up for debate, one thing that isn’t is Higgidy’s commitment to sustainability. Kelley wants Higgidy to be “laser focused” on regenerative agriculture – a topic which will form an important part of its sustainability journey. “If we don’t do more to preserve the quality of our top soil, we will become less able as a nation to sustain crops here,” she says.
At present, it is using Wildfarmed’s regenerative flour in its mini muffins but will likely incorporate more lines in the future with the hope of expanding into other crops beyond wheat as well. “I want us to be really clear in consumers’ minds and help them understand that by eating Higgidy you can fundamentally support agriculture in the UK and help futureproof it,” Kelley explains.
To drive real industry-wide change though, collaboration is needed. “It’s wonderful what Wildfarmed are doing. They are pioneering but it will take the broader industry and all farmers. We are very proudly working with Wildfarmed and will take that as far as we can,” Kelley adds.
She’s a “firm believer” in the power of getting people round a table for the greater good, pointing to trade bodies such as the Food & Drink Federation as those which could help facilitate that. However, she recognises that many firms are “only just getting their heads above the parapet after a challenging few years”, so it may take a while to fully gain traction.
Looking forward, Kelley feels confident that in five years’ time Higgidy will “still be absolutely true to our purpose and values” but expects the growth profile to be “quite different” from the first 20 years of its existence. “I think we will continue to grow quickly through snacking and sharing and will absolutely lead on the less structured eating occasions. For sure, hot pies and quiche will always be part of our DNA but the growth is likely to be slower in those areas,” she notes.
“We’re sitting here feeling really good about the future and both Samworth and Higgidy have never been short term in their thinking.”
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