FEATURE
DIWALI
32 ASIAN TRADER 17 OCTOBER 2025
“Innovation in world foods can
act as a traffic driver for younger
demographics and help build
loyalty.”
At present, there is limited or
no significant new product
development in mainstream
categories such as Indian,
Chinese, and Mexican.
These categories,
though well
established, risk
stagnation if
innovation is not
introduced.
Retailers therefore
have an opportu
nity to reassess and
refresh the current
category mix to
maintain shopper
engagement.
Ambawatta
explained to Asian
Trader, “At Empire
Bespoke Foods, we are respond
ing to the rise in demand for world
food authenticity with innova
tive new product development.
“We’re seeing a huge shift
towards more regional Indian and
Asian flavours than mainstream
dishes.
“Taking this into account,
we’re currently working on a
range of heat & eat Indian Dal +
rice kits under the Master Cook
brand which captures regional
Indian flavours that are some
what new to the customers.
“Our work with chefs to create
bold Asian flavours enables
consumers to add that splash of
delicious convenience to their
world food dishes. We’re also
currently developing a range of
fan favourite Asian sauces to
launch later in the year. These
include a Gochujang paste and a
Gochujang ketchup.”
Diwali time is a time to gather
around and feast. Friends, family,
extended family, even distant
relatives make it a point to visit
each other at home, bearing gifts.
Back-to-back dinner parties over
multiple days imply that
households are on the lookout for
more varieties of staple food to
suit everyone’s preferences.
Best is to stock a wide range of
standard staples such as pasta and
noodles, both from mainstream
brands as well as new emerging
ones.
Noteworthy here is Premier
Foods which is reducing the price
of its price-markedpacks (PMPs)
across selected lines for Ambrosia
and Batchelors.
Premier Foods is on a mission
to help convenience retailers
make the most of the growing
value opportunity which will see
the nation’s favourite noodle
block, Batchelors
Super Noodles
reduced from £1.45
to £1.09, and
selected Ambrosia
cans dropped down
from £1.95 to
£1.50.
One of the
smart ways to
stand out in the
market is to keep
organic or
healthier versions
of the pasta, rice
and noodles which
can be found in the multiples. It’s
always hard to beat them on price,
but you can beat them by selling
healthier, organic versions of
regular products.
Diwali is a perfect time to perk
up the otherwise somewhat
monotonous pasta section. And a
key name to stock is Biona
Organic.
Many consumers in the pasta
category often want more than
just basic carbohydrates and are
also looking for added healthy
ingredients too.
Carmen Ferguson, Brand
Manager at Windmill Organics,
says, “To meet this need, we’ve
recently introduced new Biona
Organic Wheat Matcha Taglia
telle Nests which pair premium
organic pasta with antioxidant-
rich matcha in response to this
rising demand for functional,
wellness-led food.
“Convenience is of course also
a key factor, with interest in
quick-cook or ready-to-eat pasta
options. There’s also growing
demand for pasta varieties that
cater to specific dietary prefer
ences or requirements, such as
gluten-free or plant-based
options.”
Biona Organic’s rice and
noodles are also gaining immense
popularity.
Ferguson from Windmill
Organics, says, “At Biona, we have
seen an eight per cent YoY
increase in our rice category sales,
driven in part by our Biona
organic Italian brown rice that
grew by 169 per cent in 2024 vs
2023, emphasising the demand
for healthy and fibre-rich
products that fit into consumer’s
busy lives.
“Other popular rice products
in our broad range include our
organic risotto rice, Wild Rice Mix
and Jasmine Rice.
“All the products in our rice
range come in innovative paper
packaging, which is unique in the
category and proves very popular
with consumers who care about
minimising their packaging
waste.”
As is the case in many
categories, consumers are
Light. Loyalty. Sales
Upuli Ambawatta, brand
manager at Empire Bespoke
Foods (EBF), dishes out key
facts to know:
Cuisine-curious consumers are becoming increasingly
adventurous, looking for bold, authentic flavours and regional
diversity, especially with the rise of at-home cooking
occasions.
Understanding customer shopping missions, planning
promotions around world food holidays like Diwali, and
effective block merchandising by cuisine can really boost
sales.
Ensure the brands you stock offer authenticity and top quality
ingredients and are accessible at competitive prices.
Innovation is key to keeping customers engaged with the
category and maintaining growth throughout the year.
Ready-to-eat options, heat-and-eat products, and a strong
range of world food ingredients can perform particularly well
in convenience channel.
Block merchandising by cuisine makes it easier for customers
to locate and buy all the items their shoppers need to replicate
the at-home restaurant experience.
Achieving on-shelf stand out is a must so enhance visibility of
the best-sellers by using suppliers’ planograms as well as
point-of-sale material, off shelf displays and rack end
promotions.