Food and Drink Industry 13 – 19 July: Ft Napolina and Mr Whippy
- Napolina has launched four premium pasta stir-ins inspired by traditional Italian recipes.
- Mr Whippy has appointed experienced bakery developer Jacqui Jackson to lead new product development.
Two established names are placing innovation at the centre of their growth plans as food manufacturers respond to changing consumer habits, increasing cost pressures and demand for more exciting products.
Italian cooking brand Napolina is moving beyond the traditional pasta sauce category with the launch of four premium pasta stir-ins, while Mr Whippy is strengthening its bakery expertise ahead of the opening of a new £15 million manufacturing facility in Sheffield.
Although the developments involve different parts of the food market, they share a common theme. Both companies are investing in product development, convenience and manufacturing capabilities as they seek to capture new consumer occasions and unlock additional value.
Napolina Introduces Premium Italian Pasta Stir-Ins
Napolina has launched four new pasta stir-ins designed to provide shoppers with a premium alternative to traditional pasta sauce.
The Princes Group-owned brand has introduced four recipes as part of the new range: Sundried Tomato & Black Olive Puttanesca, Sundried Tomato & Basil, Spicy Calabrian Nduja with Chilli, and Grilled Vegetables.
Each jar has been designed to serve a family of four and will be priced at £2.75. The Spicy Calabrian Nduja with Chilli and Sundried Tomato & Basil varieties are scheduled to arrive on Tesco shelves in July.
Rather than positioning the products as simply another cooking sauce, Napolina is targeting consumers who want to introduce stronger flavours and a greater sense of occasion to everyday meals without committing to lengthy preparation.
The range has been created in response to changing eating habits, particularly as households reduce the number of meals they eat outside the home while continuing to look for enjoyment, indulgence and variety.
According to Worldpanel data cited by Napolina, British consumers have reduced how frequently they eat out by 40% as they attempt to manage household budgets. However, the company believes shoppers remain interested in affordable experiences that can make meals at home feel more distinctive.
Italian food is well placed to meet that demand. It remains familiar and accessible to British consumers while offering the potential for premium ingredients, regional flavours and restaurant-inspired recipes.
Authentic Italian Flavours Made in Puglia
Napolina said the pasta stir-ins are manufactured in the Puglia region of Italy and bring together recognisable Italian flavours and ingredients in one convenient product.
Recipes including puttanesca, nduja, sundried tomatoes, black olives and grilled vegetables allow the brand to introduce shoppers to more specific Italian flavour profiles, rather than relying exclusively on traditional tomato and basil combinations.
The launch also reflects Napolina’s wider strategy of helping consumers recreate authentic Italian dining experiences at home.
Princes Group’s marketing director said the business sees an exciting opportunity to build on the UK’s established enthusiasm for Italian cuisine. Responding to evolving cooking habits and changing consumer requirements is considered an important step in generating new growth and value across the category.
The company’s innovation strategy is focused on combining convenience with quality, enabling households to prepare Italian-inspired meals without specialist culinary knowledge or complicated recipes.
Napolina described the stir-in range as the first step in that journey, bringing Neapolitan and wider Italian-inspired flavours into accessible everyday meals.
For a business with considerable heritage, the move also represents an attempt to modernise how consumers interact with the brand. Napolina was established in Italy before launching in the United Kingdom in 1965 and has since developed its position as the country’s leading Italian cooking brand.
The introduction of the stir-ins allows it to build on that familiarity while moving into a more premium, flavour-led part of the market.
Mr Whippy Recruits Bakery Expert for Sheffield Expansion
While Napolina is pursuing product innovation through Italian-inspired convenience, Mr Whippy is building the people and infrastructure required to support a significant expansion into bakery products.
The sweet treats company has appointed experienced bakery industry professional Jacqui Jackson as its new Head of New Product Development.
Jackson joins the senior team being assembled for Mr Whippy’s new £15 million manufacturing site in Sheffield, which will support the company’s plans to expand its product portfolio.
She has worked with some of the UK’s largest bakery businesses and has helped develop recognisable products including the Jaffa Mini Roll, Mars-branded cake bars and caramel shortcakes for Thorntons.
At Mr Whippy, Jackson will work closely with founder and chief executive Michael Corrado Jackson on new product concepts, recipes and what the company describes as inventive and fun ingredients.
Her appointment provides the business with additional technical and commercial expertise as it prepares to enter new categories and build relationships with major retailers and supply partners.
New Doughnut Range Scheduled for September
Mr Whippy is expected to launch its new doughnut range in September and has already secured a number of supply agreements.
The new Sheffield facility is expected to produce more than 104 million doughnuts annually once operations are fully established, demonstrating the scale of the company’s ambitions in the bakery and sweet treats market.
The site has been designed to provide end-to-end automation and direct distribution. Manufacturing, packing and dispatch will all take place under one roof, reducing the time required to move products from the oven to retail shelves.
This integrated production model should give the company greater control over product consistency, handling, speed and operational efficiency. It may also allow Mr Whippy to react more quickly to customer requirements and changing retail demand.
The company believes modernised production can create new growth opportunities in a retail market where consumers and buyers are increasingly focused on both price and quality.
Its investment covers automation, factory layout, specialist equipment and the recruitment of experienced personnel. Together, these areas form part of Mr Whippy’s strategy to maintain quality, improve consistency and establish more efficient manufacturing processes.
The business has described the facility as more than another production site, presenting it as an example of what can be achieved when innovation, category expansion, persistence and specialist skills are brought together.
Mr Whippy also believes the site has the potential to disrupt the market and establish new expectations for product quality and manufacturing performance.
Senior Team Assembled Ahead of Production
Jacqui Jackson joins a growing senior leadership and operational team responsible for overseeing the Sheffield site and Mr Whippy’s wider expansion.
The 10-strong senior team includes Joe Sealey as Chief Revenue Officer, Phil Kitchen and Kit Rogan in sales positions, Cheryl Fletcher as Head of Group Operations, Tom Hunt as Finance Director and Paul Macnish as Site General Manager.
Bilal Ahmad has been appointed Head of Technical, Lucy Brooke is Head of Engineering and Steven Page has joined as Head of IT.
The bakery operation will be led by Head Baker Jason Roome, supported by Site Operations and Bakery Assistant Arfan Ijaz.
Bringing together commercial, technical, engineering, financial and bakery expertise at an early stage should help the company manage the challenges associated with launching a large-scale food production facility.
The fit-out for specialist food production is due to be completed during the summer. Once fully developed, the facility is expected to create more than 50 new jobs on the site.
These positions will add to Sheffield’s food manufacturing workforce while supporting Mr Whippy’s transition from a widely recognised sweet treats brand into a larger and more diversified manufacturing operation.
What the Developments Mean for Food Manufacturing and Production
The announcements from Napolina and Mr Whippy demonstrate how food manufacturers are responding to a market shaped by tighter household budgets, changing eating habits and high expectations around quality.
Napolina’s range shows that convenience products do not necessarily have to compete on price alone. Manufacturers can create additional value by using regional ingredients, more adventurous flavours and stronger provenance to make meals at home feel more premium.
This could encourage further innovation across pasta sauces, meal accompaniments and ambient cooking products as manufacturers look for ways to introduce restaurant-inspired experiences at accessible retail prices.
For food production businesses, the challenge will be delivering these more complex recipes consistently while protecting shelf life, ingredient quality and manufacturing efficiency.
Mr Whippy’s investment highlights another important direction for the industry: the use of automation and integrated manufacturing to increase production capacity while maintaining consistency.
Producing, packing and dispatching products from one facility can shorten supply chains, reduce unnecessary handling and improve control over the complete manufacturing process. The projected annual output of more than 104 million doughnuts illustrates how advanced production systems can support substantial scale.
However, Mr Whippy’s recruitment strategy also shows that automation does not remove the need for experienced people. Product developers, bakers, engineers, technical specialists and operational leaders remain central to turning manufacturing equipment into successful commercial products.
The combination of automation and specialist expertise is likely to become increasingly important as food manufacturers balance cost control with the need to launch products quickly, satisfy retailers and maintain dependable quality.
Conclusion
Napolina and Mr Whippy are approaching food industry growth from different directions, but both are placing innovation at the heart of their strategies.
Napolina’s new pasta stir-ins respond directly to consumers who are eating out less but still want distinctive, indulgent meals. By combining Italian production, regional flavours and everyday convenience, the brand is seeking to unlock additional value within a familiar category.
Mr Whippy, meanwhile, is investing in the infrastructure and expertise needed to expand its presence in sweet bakery products. Its £15 million Sheffield facility, new product development leadership and planned doughnut launch represent a considerable commitment to automated, large-scale food production.
Together, the developments underline an important reality for the modern food industry. Growth increasingly depends on giving consumers more enjoyment and quality while also improving the speed, scale and efficiency behind the products.
Whether through a jar of Calabrian nduja pasta stir-in or a doughnut produced at a highly automated new facility, successful food innovation must ultimately combine imagination at the development stage with precision on the production line.
News Credits:
NPD: Prince’s Napolina brings out new pasta stir-in range
Mr Whippy strengthens growth plans with key hire
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