New Forest Fruit Snacks were born from a genius idea of Sandy Booth, Owner of The New Forest Fruit Company and a fervent advocate of reducing food waste.
Where it all began…
Sandy Booth got the love of farming from his father and spent years learning essential farming techniques including plant propagation, irrigation set up, the nutritional needs of plants, and the use of tunnels to grow crops successfully and sustainably.
Over the years, since 2008, Sandy has invested in, and implemented, many changes and improvements to the business. One such improvement is the reduction of food waste on the farm. Not only is food waste a topic which is of global concern, but one that Sandy cares passionately about tackling head on.
And so, in 2023, New Forest Fruit Snacks was born in a bid to make something not only delicious, but also innovative and sustainable, from fruit that would otherwise be destined for waste.
The New Forest Fruit Company is also proud to be a LEAF (LEAF: Linking Environment And Farming) demonstration farm meaning that it promotes and supports more sustainable farming to create a resilient food and farming system for future generations. One event linked to this is Open Farm Sunday (https://farmsunday.org/) when Sandy and his team welcome the public to their farm to share the vital work that the farm does. In addition to Open Farm Sunday, the team welcomes groups to the farm throughout the year on educational and awareness visits.
What’s so special about New Forest Fruit Snacks?
Made from ‘wonky’ and misshapen strawberries and raspberries and created through the innovative food technology process of pulse drying, these award-winning and delicious, environmentally-friendly snacks are also gluten-free, vegan friendly, dairy-free, nut-free and made from 100% New Forest Fruit strawberries and raspberries with absolutely no added sugar, additives or preservatives.
All the fruit is grown, processed, packed and dispatched on the farm meaning that the company is also reducing food miles and their carbon footprint!
The process of ‘pulsing’ splits the cells in the fruit which removes any excess water. The berries are then freeze-dried producing a meringue like texture while retaining their nutritional value and burst of flavour.
These perfectly imperfect snacks are so much more that simply a snack, they represent the future of snacking and a wonderful example of using technology and innovation to tackle a worldwide problem.
Award-winning Snacks!
In 2024, New Forest Fruit Snacks were awarded ‘2 stars - outstanding’ by the Guild of Fine Food at the Great Taste Awards which is testament to the quality and innovation of the snacks. One of the judges commented: “These strawberry snacks have retained their attractive shape and colour, but, most importantly, they have an amazing texture that is crisp throughout but not hard or chewy, just meringue-like as described. The strawberries have retained all their flavour, and the judges think this would make a versatile ingredient for a variety of uses. Truly impressive.”
Last year, New Forest Fruit Snacks were also winners in the Vegan Choice Award and were awarded Gold in the NatureMade Food Awards.
For more information please visit www.newforestfruitsnacks.com
