Weetabix, the nation’s favourite cereal[3], has refreshed its look for its Original and Flavour[4] products, championing the locally grown British wheat used in the products and the community of farmers who are responsible for growing it.
With all of Weetabix’s wheat sourced from within 50 miles of the Weetabix Mills, the makeover shines a spotlight on farmers, allowing consumers to learn more about the amazing people and stories behind their favourite cereal. It comes as a result of extensive testing and development, and will change not only the way Weetabix looks on-shelf, but the way shoppers engage with the brand.
Much like convenience stores, Weetabix is an integral part of its local community. The iconic brand has cultivated a Growers Group of more than 350 local farmers, each proud to grow for the UK’s favourite cereal and sharing a common commitment to sustainable farming and production, both through the minimisation of food miles sustainable farming techniques.
Alongside the update to packaging in store is a brand-new traceability website, which features an interactive map of that will allow shoppers to explore the farms within the Weetabix Growers Group and learn more about the farmers and people working on them.
In a Weetabix first, this is supported at the point of sale with enhanced accessibility measures, with each new pack featuring a NaviLens code, produced in association with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). When shopping, blind and partially sighted people will be able to access packs more easily in-store, as well as visit an accessible[5] version of the traceability website.
Virginia Farbon, Brand Manager, Weetabix, said: “Since joining Weetabix as brand manager last year, I’ve been utterly fixated on our considered farming processes and how proud our farmers are to grow for the UK’s favourite cereal brand, and knew it was something that should be communicated to customers in shops across the nation!
“From our research, we knew that the new messaging and its execution and, especially, the interactivity of the traceability website would really resonate with customers, and the human element of showcasing our Growers’ Group provides consumers with an excellent insight into the provenance of our cereal.
“I’m incredibly pleased and proud of this new look and feel. It’s a fantastic opportunity to combine two of my passions – farming and food marketing – and an exciting time for us as a brand to really start talking about our impressive wheat sourcing credentials. We’ve made huge strides in terms of sustainability in the past year in general, and will be looking to continue this great progress, with more details in our 2023 Sustainability Report to be released in October.
“Minimising food mileage should be a sustainability goal for every food brand, but the way we do it here at Weetabix is unlike anywhere else – as soon as I learned about the 50-mile radius, I knew it deserved to be shouted about. We’d be nothing without the farmers who put the ‘Weet’ in Weetabix, and it is time for consumers to meet them (and their pets)!”
Marc Powell, Head of Accessibility Innovation at RNIB, said: “Collaborating with brands such as Weetabix is so important in our ongoing mission to highlight how the industry can raise its game and make packaging more accessible. Blind and partially sighted people should have the same freedom, independence and choice as sighted customers. We care about what products we use and which foods we eat.
“We’re delighted that Weetabix is bringing about more accessible packaging through the use of NaviLens and urge other brands to follow in their footsteps.”
New-look 48 pack Weetabix Original can be found in convenience stores now, with 24 pack Weetabix Original launching in October, and other Weetabix SKUs to launch by the end of the Year.
[3] Nielsen, 52 weeks to 22.04.23
[4] Weetabix Banana, Weetabix Golden Syrup and Weetabix Chocolate
[5] The website features maximum contrast, closely followed W3C in design and build, and will also be read by screenreaders. The site scored 95/100 on lighthouse testing.
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