Children’s food brand Gnome Rangers, founded by The Jamie Oliver Group’s co-CEO Louise Holland, has entered the sauces category with a tomato ketchup made from what it describes as “simple, natural ingredients”.
The tomato ketchup, which was developed with sauce brand The Foraging Fox, will land exclusively on Ocado this month in a 285g glass bottle (rsp: £3.75) and a 555g squeezy bottle. A 980g format will follow in August.
Made in England using ripe surplus tomatoes sourced from across Europe, the recipe combines tomatoes, vinegar, a touch of sugar and a blend of savoury spices.
The NPD contained “lower sugar and salt levels than mainstream branded ketchups”, claimed the brand, with no artificial ingredients or sweeteners. It also makes use of surplus produce to help reduce food waste and support more sustainable manufacturing practices.
Gnome Rangers was built around a “magical world designed to inspire kids to connect with nature, food and cooking”, said the brand. Each bottle features a QR code linking families to ‘Gnomeland’, where children can access animations, songs and activities featuring the Gnome Rangers characters.
From September, the animated characters will feature in Jamie Oliver’s 10 Skills nationwide primary schools programme, which aims to reach 5,000 of the UK’s 15,000 primary schools by 2027. A percentage of profits from every bottle sold will also support the programme.
The Gnome Rangers characters will appear across worksheets and teaching materials, encouraging kids to discover different foods and learn about nutrition through planting, cooking and tasting their own food. Early pilot data showed 60% of children try something new through the programme.
“We believe families shouldn’t have to choose between great taste and better ingredients, and a household staple like ketchup was the perfect place to start,” said Holland.
“We wanted to create a ketchup that genuinely tastes of tomatoes using simple, natural ingredients. By lowering the sugar and salt without relying on artificial sweeteners, we’ve created a delicious ketchup that’s a great addition to the family table.”
Gnome Rangers looks to expand into a wider range of everyday family foods. Future launches would “continue to focus on natural ingredients, great taste, strong nutritional credentials and affordable pricing, to create a family food brand that extends well beyond sauces”, the brand added.
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