The company is hoping greater investment will raise brand awareness and allow for expansion of its consumer base. Eat Natural aims to build sales by 30 per cent in the coming year.
Eat Natural specialises in dried fruit and nut snack bars made with entirely natural ingredients.
The Eat Natural brand is currently worth £22 million (€32m) with year on year growth of 48 per cent. According to a Mintel report published at the end of last year, the market for dried fruit, nuts, seeds and better-for-you snacking is enjoying a growth spurt with sales expected to hit £0.7 billion (€1bn) over the next five years.
And, Datamonitor figures suggest cereal bars are a particularly profitable niche with enormous potential for growth as consumers veer towards healthier snacking. Cereal bar products are expected to see annual average growth of around 7 per cent between 2005 and 2010.
Eat Natural plans to extend its range with new product flavours building on recently released varieties such as the Pear, Pecan and Ginger with Dark Chocolate bar and the Mile High bar designed for on-the-go snackers.
The company said it would be rolling out a new trade and print advertising campaign over the summer season which would incorporate sampling and the introduction of new recipes and categories to strengthen its market position and consumer base.
