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Case Study:

The world's first roasted, HFSS-compliant potato crisp

In Spring 2021, Pilot Lite announced the launch of a game-changing snack product: Simply Roasted - a premium potato crisp that offers the great taste of a traditional fried crisp but with only half the fat and significantly less salt.

The challenge

A leading multinational CPG invested over $20m and more than 10 years of R&D to develop a breakthrough cooking process for crisps that resulted in a healthier nutritional profile producing crisps with 50% less fat and significantly less salt than traditional fried crisps. However, the company estimated it would take another $25m to scale the techhology. Deploying this new roasting process would also affect their current processing lines. So, despite being a truly transformative way to produce a great-tasting, better-for-you crisp, they put the technology on pause.

The solution

In 2019, Pilot Lite was able to acquire the innovative crisp roasting technology and in little over a year, we were able to validate and scale the manufcaturing process, spending about a fifth of that original estimated budget. Our crisp production facility is now operating near Norwich, England.

The Simply Roasted process begins with fresh, whole potatoes that are specifically graded, inspected and sliced for roasting. The slices are then transferred through the preparation and cooking stages, emerging as skin-on potato crisps with a hard, crunchy bite. In addition to delivering a great-tasting, better-for-you crisp, the Simply Roasted cooking method uses about 25% less energy than traditional crisp production. We fully expect Simply Roasted crisps to be category-disrupting and here's why: they takes like a permium, peel-on potato crisp but they have 50 percent less fat and significantly less salt than traditional fried crisps. 
 

Simply Roasted is launching in 4 core flavors (Sea Salt, Mature Cheddar & Red Onion, Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar and Black Truffle) which will be followed by an extended range of flavors for adventurous snackers. Customers can purchase ‘Impulse’ Bags (with just 99 calories) and ‘Sharing’ Bags at a variety of UK retailers or direct from the Simply Roasted online store.

“With the introduction of other healthy products across a range of categories over the coming months, we believe Mindful Snacker will become a market leader by offering delicious, category-disrupting snacks and meals,” said Pilot Lite Co-Founder and CEO Mike Anstey. 

For more information visit www.simplyroastedcrisps.co.uk