Obtaining “free-from” correctly
NOMO exists to provide vegan and free-from consumers – as well as an increasing UK audience of flexitarians of 7.5 million (growing 27 percent within the last year)1 – with a mainstream plant-based chocolate that tastes as creamy and delicious as traditional milk chocolate.
NOMO is positioned as an affordable, adult brand with impulse, sharing and seasonal products. Launched in 2019, it has already revolutionised the free-from chocolate category and is the number one free-from chocolate brand in the UK.2 It has driven 25 percent of the growth within the category since 2020,3 which grew from £37.6 million in 2020 to £55.2 in 2022. And it is forecast to grow again in 2023 by 15 percent.4
The main growth driver has been penetration, as £13.1 million of the £16.1 million growth year-on‑year (YOY) can be attributed to penetration increases within the sector, as more shoppers enter the category. Frequency increases, bigger basket sizes and rises in average price have helped drive growth within the free-from chocolate industry, yet these factors have only collectively attributed to £3.0 million of the total YOY growth. Again, this highlights the importance that penetration has played within the category
The significance of being devoid of
People who follow a vegan diet or have dietary allergies or intolerances frequently lose out, particularly during special occasions. Our goal is to offer a NOMO product for every occasion, making sure that our chocolate is always vegan and devoid of dairy, gluten, eggs, and nuts. By offering the greatest mainstream products, we also hope to draw in non-vegan customers.
For NOMO, offering a product that is truly free-from is crucial. Large brands have started to enter the market, propelling its expansion and attracting mainstream customers. Some of these popular chocolate products, like Galaxy Vegan, have been featured on the free-from aisle but still have milk alibi statements, so they are not really free from.
While NOMO goods are actually free-from, not all vegan products are, and legally, a product need not be to claim to be vegan. To make it easier for customers to navigate, several businesses have made vegan fixtures that are located apart from the free-from aisle. Non-free-from vegan items have been transferred by other shops into mainstream confectionary, where they compete with non-vegan options.
Naturally, mainstream chocolate businesses with distribution, market penetration, and marketing budgets have an edge when they join the vegan industry.
Cadbury has sold £2.7 million since entering the category, but it’s unclear if mainstream consumers will stick with the brand given that the range’s unit return on sales has decreased from 11.9 units in the first 12 weeks of launch to 4.7 units in the most recent 12 weeks.
Even though the vegan and gluten-free candy markets are more competitive than ever, NOMO has a distinct advantage because its product lines and credentials are devoid of allergens. The delisting of some items, in our opinion, is a sign of retailers’ desire for delicious vegan chocolate brands that are truly free-from and clearly categorized in the free-from aisle.
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The flavor characteristics of NOMO
We think NOMO offers a tasty substitute that is on par with or perhaps superior to commercial chocolate. This is accomplished by consistently developing new product concepts and allocating annual testing funds to guarantee the greatest level of quality.
Our products have won numerous honors since we started, including gold at the Great Taste honors, gold at the Free From Easter Awards, gold at the Free From Awards, and most recently, gold at the Christmas Free From Awards last year.
Retailers and customers have given us excellent feedback on our items. Seeing how something so basic can affect people’s life is really heartwarming, especially for individuals who have felt excluded from mainstream cuisine due to dietary restrictions, dietary intolerances, or food allergies.
But more than simply accolades and customer comments attest to the uncompromising nature of our product. Our sales data further supports its attractiveness; in 2021, our Christmas range sales increased by 90.4 percent, outpacing the 38.4 percent market growth for free-from chocolate over the same year.9. In order to meet the demand for our products and fulfill our aggressive growth goals for the brand over the next five years, we are also investing more than £3 million to expand our production capacity.
Our entire approach is based on providing free-from customers with the same degree of choice and accessibility to delicious flavors and formats.
We are pleased to announce that NOMO was the catalyst for the change in the non-dairy chocolate market.