A Scottish crisp brand has secured its first supermarket deal outside its homeland, around 16 months after it was relaunched with a new name.
Taylors Snacks has announced that its products, which are made from potatoes grown by the Taylor family in Perthshire, are now available in Aldi stores throughout the UK. It is the "first foray" of the brand, which comes in a range of flavours, into supermarkets outside Scotland.
The company has long held UK expansion plans and said the Aldi deal underlines the growth it has seen since its crisps were brought under the Taylors brand name last year.
READ MORE: Famous Scottish crisps brand disappears as product gets a new name
The crisps were previously sold under as Mackie’s of Scotland as part of a long-standing joint venture between the Taylor and Mackie families, Mackie’s at Taypack, which began in 2009. That deal was brought to a close in April last year, after the Taylor family bought out the Mackie family's shares in the venture.
Mackie’s of Scotland ceased to operate as a bagged crisp brand but remains the name under which the Mackie family sells its ice cream and chocolate products, which are produced at its farm in Aberdeenshire.
Taylors Snacks are made at the fourth-generation Taylor family farm at Errol in Perthshire. The firm employs 110 people and declared it is preparing for further growth in response to “significant” retail and customer demand. Its current contract with Aldi sees the business distribute nearly 220,000 packets of crisps to stores around the country.
The brand is also listed by other major supermarkets in Scotland such as Sainsbury’s.
READ MORE: Scott Wright: Name change is big step for famous Scottish crisps brand
James Taylor, managing director of Taylors Snacks, said: “We are confident that Taylors will be as well received around the rest of the UK as our snacks have been in Scotland, and look forward to bringing our unique, thick cut crisps to even more people around the country.
“We have enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Aldi for over 14 years since our days trading as Mackie’s Crisps, and we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with them in our first foray into supermarkets outside of Scotland.
“We will always be proud of our Scottish roots and will remain based in Perthshire as our company grows, bringing more jobs to the area. As our brand continues to evolve, we are excited to bring more and more of our ranges to a wider audience.”
Speaking at the time of its exit from the crisps joint venture last year, Mac Mackie, executive chairman at Mackie’s of Scotland, said: “We have enjoyed a great few years with the Taylors founding and building up a Scottish range of crisps and popcorn. We wish the Taylors team all the best and look forward to seeing more developments and new products as they continue to grow.
“In the meantime, we’re excited to keep making and developing Scotland’s favourite ice cream and our farm-made chocolate on the renewably powered family farm.”
Taylors’ core crisp range includes flavours such as sea salt, sea salt and vinegar, mature cheddar and onion, pickled onion, flame grilled Aberdeen angus, haggis and cracked black pepper, and chilli kick. The firm also offers lighter snacks including lentil waves and popcorn.
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