Fife food company Sephra has secured the rights to produce giant Nutella dispensers for hotels and restaurants.
The landmark deal will see the Kirkcaldy company distribute the popular hazelnut spread in huge pump-handled tubs exclusively for the UK and Irish commercial food markets.
Nutella sells more than 12 million jars a year, a rate of one sold every 2.5 seconds.
And Sephra will be responsible for distributing manual and automatic dispensers — shaped to look like the iconic table-top jar — for use in hotel buffets, bakers and dessert parlours.
They will sell Nutella dispensers and the spread-filled cartridges through its website and product brochures.
The firm hopes to sell around 5,000 of the dispensers in the first year, with units retailing for as much as £299 — which could result in sales just shy of £1.5m.
Nutella dispensers produced in Fife
A manual pump and electric dispenser are offered for commercial sale.
The devices will take a 1kg pod of spread, and dispense it in consistent 15g servings.
Sephra operations director John Laughlin said food businesses would be able to save on packaging and plastic costs, as well as overall purchasing costs associated with having to buy individual tubs.
He explained how the deal had taken around two years to finalise, which was secured for an undisclosed fee.
“We are forecast to sell 5,000 with Ferrero in the UK and Irish market within the first twelve months.
“The hotels or commercial enterprises will buy the kit, so the dispensers, then they will purchase the Nutella product.
“We are extremely excited about this announcement, and working closely together with Nutella and Ferrero over the coming years.”
Sephra in growth year
Sephra is a food and ingredient supplier to bakeries, hotels, cafes and dessert restaurants.
The company started in Fife in 2003, through the manufacture and sale of chocolate fountains.
And growth has been on the agenda for Sephra over the last 12 months, John adds.
“Sephra is on track for a very good 2024, on par for 40% growth on last year. It has been a good year for chocolate, we have sold more this last year than we ever have before.
“We’ve sold about 400 tonnes of it this year.
“And working with larger distributers across the UK, the year has gone great. With sales, staffing levels and contracts.”
Nutella dispensers
Nutella was launched in Italy by the Ferrero company after the Second World War.
Zareen Deboo, foodservice channel operators manager at Ferrero UK & Ireland said: “Shaped like our iconic jars, our dispensers give operators a new way to drive those impulse purchases while consumers are out-of-home, and benefit from the big brand power of the Nutella name.
“We know that customers will pay more for the delicious taste of a well-known brand like Nutella, so with our innovative new products, we can help operators boost their business and appeal to consumer demand.”
Conversation