Taunton’s npd team folds as chief goes

Taunton Cider is to lose Liz Broadbent, its key executive for new product development. She is leaving to set up her own npd consultancy.

She will act as an adviser for a number of clients including Taunton. The cider companyis now without a new product development team, and future work will be split between the research and marketing departments.

In October, Taunton decided to move npd away from developing packaged premium products, and made npd brands manager Tim Roper redundant (MW October 28).

However, Taunton commercial director Andy Nash says: “We have put on more volume with new brands this year than any year since the launch of Diamond White. We are going to launch a new draught cask-conditioned cider called Somerset Leveller.”

But he accepts that the focus for new products had moved away from premium package ciders.

“After concentrating on niche brands, the market is less receptive to new niche brands in the premium packaged sector,” Nash says. “However, there is still room for premium draught products.”