UK health food company starts international push

Health food manufacturer Go Lower is gearing up to launch an assault on the Swedish and American markets, after weathering the low-carbohydrate fallout in the UK. It is due to start shipping products to Sweden in the near future, and plans to launch in the US before the end of the year.

The company, which launched just over a year ago, hopes to expand across Europe during the next three to five years and is eyeing the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Norway as potential markets.

Go Lower, which was founded by couple Hannah Sutter and Kevin Dorren, launched its first product, Carb Counters – a range of nut and seed bars, aimed at the impulse market – last summer (MW May 13, 2003). This was followed by a range of ice cream later the same year. The ranges are available through health-food shops and sandwich outlets such as Benjy’s.

Dorren believes that the company has done well despite the declining sales of low-carbohydrate products because its products contain natural ingredients. He says: “Our positioning was different from the start because we use natural ingredients. We have become an alternative for people looking for low sugar as well as low-carb.”

The low-carbohydrate craze spurred companies such as Unilever, which launched Carb Options last year (MW March 18, 2004) to cater to the market. However, as consumers began to spurn the low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet in favour of less controversial alternatives, demand fell. In March this year, Atkins Nutritional, the food product arm of the diet brand, went into administration after admitting lower than expected sales of its products.

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