Page 9 - Food & Drink Business August 2018

“ Obela grew the hommus category from $42 million to an estimated $100 million in retail grocery sales.”
five years, making it one of the fastest growing categories in retail food. Obela now sells nearly twice as much hommus as its nearest competitor brand, and we’ve seen 30 per cent growth this year.
QObela has become Australia’s largest dips manufacturer in just five
years and doubled the size
of the hommus category in Australia. What are some
of your key strategies?
We push ourselves to have the best dips and hommus available. It’s in our DNA to
provide consumers with fresh, great-tasting dips
that are worth what they pay for them. As
a consumer myself, there is
nothing worse than spending
hard-earned money on something that’s
disappointing. So we never want
this to happen when consumers
choose Obela.
The biggest challenge
we’ve had is that there was 97 per cent awareness of hommus, but low household penetration in the early days because consumers hadn’t come around to it. It’s much more prevalent now – as the health and wellness trend has picked up, people are talking about hommus more and there’s been lots of momentum.
I think the trend is alive and well now, and shareholders are excited about opportunities with Obela. We have tail winds behind us. People like Obela
– especially vegans or
vegetarians, and those on dairy-free diets. People are now talking passionately about hommus – which is different to five years ago.
In terms of strategy, we focus on how hommus can work as a snack or spread alternative. Instead of cheese or margarine, we point to hommus as a better-for-you option. We’re all about surprising people with new ideas. Hommus with olive oil on top, for example, is delicious. And a lot of our dips come with a variety of garnishes to suit consumers who use them for entertaining. All of us here in the company are hommus- eaters – hommus is part of our DNA, and innovation comes from within.
Q
✷ AT A GLANCE
NAME: Chris Elliott
POSITION: Obela general manager
– Australia
TRENDS TO WATCH: Natural ingredients, better-for-you spread alternatives, on-the-go snacks.
BUSINESS GOAL: To double the number of new households enjoying Obela by 2023.
BLUE SKY
described as smooth, creamy, nutty, beany, and “melt-in- your-mouth”.
I fell in love with the Obela product when I tasted it – and others did too – and its launch really changed things for the category. Within the first 14 months of operation, Obela became market share leader of the hommus category and remains there today. Obela grew the hommus category from $42 million to an estimated $100 million in retail grocery sales in
innovation – such as the inclusions, the singles, and snack pots. What’s next for the product range?
Our dips range continues to grow, with many new flavours and formats coming out. We recently launched our doubles packs in a deli-style dip on one side and hommus on the other, so people can mix and match as they like or even double dip. In addition to dipping, we’re seeing a lot of growth in snacking. We recently launched, as part of our hommus range, a smaller version for those with a lighter appetite. To complement our range of snacking dips we launched ‘Veggie To Go’ and ‘Tzatziki To Go’ so consumers can have a wider choice of healthy snacks while on the go. In addition to all of this, I can guarantee more innovation is coming – all we need is good retail partnerships and interested consumers. Growth is inevitable. ✷
You’ve been big on product
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