Tell us about the new Mature Cheddar & Caramelised Onion Chutney flavour – what demographic are you targeting with this launch?
The launch of Burts’ new Mature Cheddar & Caramelised Onion Chutney Ridges was inspired by a desire to meet the growing consumer demand for bold, unique, and premium flavours in snacking. With approximately 33% of global consumers intrigued to try new, unique and different flavours1, this product offers a fresh and exciting choice.
The deep ridges of the crisps are designed to capture intense flavours, delivering a richer, more indulgent taste experience. Sourcing high-quality ingredients like cheddar from Devon’s Quicke’s Cheese and blending it with sweet, caramelised onion chutney, Burts is offering a substantial and indulgent snack that stands out in both flavour and quality. This product continues Burts’ commitment to innovation, providing consumers with something new and encouraging repeat purchases. Given its premium flavour profile, the launch is expected to appeal to consumers who appreciate high-quality, indulgent snacks.
While there is overlap between Hand Cooked Chips and Hand Cooked Ridges consumers, our Ridges range tends to resonate particularly well with slightly younger snackers aged 35 and over within the ABC1/C2 demographic2. These consumers are seeking indulgent, high-quality snacks that deliver bold flavour and a premium experience. We’re seeing a clear trend within this group toward flavours that feel both familiar and elevated offering a sense of comfort while still delivering something new and exciting.
How did the partnership between Burts and Quicke’s Cheese come about, and how has it evolved?
The partnership between Burts and Quicke’s Cheese naturally evolved over time and has been growing for more than a decade. Stemming from our shared passion for high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, we’ve always admired the incredible work that Mary and Jane Quicke do by crafting premium, high-quality cheddar that truly captures the taste of our region.
As a fellow Devon-based company, Burts places great importance on supporting regional producers, and Quicke’s Cheese, just a short distance from our headquarters, was the ideal fit. Quicke’s has been providing the cheddar for our best-selling Mature Cheddar & Onion potato chips for over 10 years and their reputation for producing premium cheddar made them the natural choice when expanding our product range.
What makes Quicke’s Cheese the ideal partner for Burts?
Burts takes pride in sourcing the finest ingredients, often from local suppliers in the South West. By choosing Quicke’s, Burts ensures the quality of the cheese in every batch of crisps, while also supporting a local economy that shares their dedication to sustainability. This partnership allows Burts to offer a truly indulgent snacking experience, where every bite reflects the rich culinary heritage of the South West.
Quicke’s Cheese has long been recognised for its superior quality, which makes it a perfect partner for Burts. Their expertise and dedication to craftsmanship align perfectly with Burts’ commitment to delivering authentic, rich flavours. Their commitment to quality, traditional methods, and local sourcing mirrors Burts’ own values, making them an ideal collaborator.
What is the concept behind the new packaging refresh?
Our bold and fulfilling Ridges range grew 56% in value sales year-on-year (FY24 vs. FY23), showing the growing demand for our premium ridge-cut format. The new packaging for the Ridges range, including the Mature Cheddar & Caramelised Onion Chutney and Beef & Mustard flavours, has been designed to enhance the growth trajectory further and boost stand out on shelf and grab consumers’ attention. The refreshed designs are modern and eye-catching, showcasing the bold and premium flavours Burts is known for. With vibrant visuals and enhanced flavour cues, the packaging reflects the high-quality, indulgent experience inside the bag.
This refresh not only reinforces the premium positioning of our crisps but also ensures strong shelf appeal, making it easier for customers to spot their favourite Burts flavours. It’s an exciting step forward, bringing the entire Ridges range to life while continuing our tradition of delivering exceptional snacking experiences. The new pack designs also highlight the ‘ultimate hand cooked ridge’ and bold flavour combinations, an update that’s resonating well with shoppers, with 65% of consumers saying they would purchase the new pack designs3.
Where are Burts crisps sourced from?
At Burts, the journey starts with harnessing what Devon has to offer via local ingredients with artisan suppliers. We source our potatoes from a network of trusted British farms and a strong focus on the South West region, including long-standing relationships with growers such as Trenowth Farm and Splattenridden Farm.
This commitment to local sourcing not only ensures we use the finest and freshest potatoes, but it also allows us to maintain complete control over quality and consistency. All of our potatoes are Red Tractor-assured, offering full traceability and assurance that they’ve been grown to the highest UK farming standards. By keeping our supply chain close to home, we are able to deliver exceptional crisps while reducing food miles and supporting sustainable agriculture.
What are the reasons for using local farmers
Provenance lies at the heart of the Burts brand. Our commitment to using local ingredient partners goes beyond convenience, it’s a deliberate choice that reflects our dedication to quality, sustainability and regional authenticity. By collaborating with renowned suppliers across the South West, we support the communities around us and ensure every ingredient meets the high standards our customers expect.
This local-first approach reduces transportation distances, enabling us to trace every crisp back to its roots. It’s also a key part of our environmental responsibility and helps us lower our carbon footprint while strengthening regional food networks.
We’re proud to work with celebrated South West producers like South Devon Chilli Farm, whose bold flavours define our Spicy Sweet Chilli chips, and Quicke’s Cheese, whose award-winning Devon cheddar adds richness to several of our premium ranges. These partnerships bring authentic regional character to our snacks. Our ingredient partners are chosen for their expertise and shared values. Creedy Carver, with over 30 years of experience producing the finest free-range chicken, provides the exceptional poultry featured in our Herb Roasted Chicken hand-cooked chips. Eversfield Organic, an award-winning, Soil Association-certified family farm, supplies the grass-fed beef used in our Devon Roast Beef chips and Beef & Mustard Ridges. These partnerships are an extension of our commitment to crafting snacks that celebrate the best of the South West while supporting producers who uphold the highest standards.
What marketing support do you have for the brand this year?
To support Burts’ growth, we are working on a PR campaign targeting both trade and consumer audiences, aimed at building awareness around our core range and the exciting new product developments.
From June, our commitment to doing better for the planet also takes a bold step forward. We’re unveiling our most environmentally friendly crisp packaging yet, made with 55% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic – the highest level used by any UK hand-cooked crisp brand. These new packs will roll out across a selection of our most popular flavours including Devon Roast Beef, Mature Cheddar & Onion (made with Quicke’s cheese), and Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar all in both 40g and 150g sizes. A green flash on the pack helps shoppers spot the switch.
This packaging update alone is projected to save around 8,000 tonnes of virgin plastic and forms part of a wider push to reduce our environmental impact while continuing to support our brilliant South West suppliers.
We’ll be highlighting this to shoppers’ through a regionally-tailored shopper marketing campaign launching later this summer. Digital plays a big role here with geo-targeted mobile promotions, influencer partnerships with trusted local ambassadors and social content all designed to inspire and engage shoppers in the South West and beyond.
These marketing efforts are all part of our wider strategy to maintain Burts’ strong momentum.
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