Spotlight on the top Scottish food and drink brands of 2022 (excluding alcohol) from 20-29
20. MacB
With more than 200 years of Scottish heritage bottled in, MacB flavoured water continues to be recognised as one of the nation’s leading brands.
Sourced from the Well of Tarlair spring in Macduff – which was first discovered over 250 years ago – the brand has established its vibrant personality through its range of fruit-flavoured water products.
The Refresco brand currently has six variants made up of Strawberry & Kiwi, Lemon & Lime, Apple & Blackcurrant, Peach, Cranberry & Raspberry and its most recent addition to the line-up, Watermelon.
The brand also launched new sparkling additions in time for summer 2021 in its Strawberry & Kiwi and Lemon & Lime flavours with a stint on TV to help kickstart the new innovation.
From athletes to parents and children, MacB reckons it encompasses a wide demographic across the country with flavours that will appeal to plenty, as well as offering a sugar-free, hydrating, soft-drink option.
Michael Tough, operations manager at MacB, said: “For Macduff, the MacB brand is part of our community, and we all feel part of the brand; supporting and participating in its success as one of Scotland’s best.”
21. We Hae Meat
Rising up one place from last year, We Hae Meat continues to show the strong demand Scottish consumers have for home-grown produce.
Operating from a family farm in Cairnhill, in Ayrshire’s Girvan Valley, We Hae Meat is owned and managed by husband-and-wife duo Alex and Carlyn Paton, with its operations powered by green energy from its renewables plant located next to the production facility.
The brand’s range can cover Scottish consumers from sunrise to sunset, with a selection that would suit any Scottish fry-up, such as the firm’s Steak Slice square sausages and its Skinny Brekfast range.
For those looking for more ‘Fake-away’ options in the house, there’s the brand’s Lamb Donner Slices or its Garlic and Chilli Stir Fry.
Recently, the butcher brand also expanded its range across Asda stores. The supermarket now stocks We Hae Meat’s Oriental Salt and Pepper Chicken Stir Fry, Garlic and Chilli Stir Fry, Chip Shop Style Chicken Curry Stir Fry and the Aberdeen Angus Slice across its stores in Scotland as well as for its online store.
22. Rowan Glen
The Scottish farmer-owned dairy Rowan Glen once again makes it into Kantar’s top 50 countdown.
Following a rebrand and relaunch for the yoghurt brand in 2019, Rowan Glen has certainly managed to keep the brand relevant across the sector in the years since.
It offers a variety of flavours such as Strawberry, Raspberry, Peach Melba and Toffee as well as a selection of Greek Yoghurt variants, too. Run under the dairy farmers co-operative firm Dale Farm, Rowan Glen’s yoghurt range is made at the foothills of Galloway Forest Park, using fresh and locally sourced milk across its wide range of award-winning yoghurts.
Rowan Glen also claims that its yoghurts contain 100% of an adult’s daily Vitamin D requirement, as seen across packs of its Low Fat Bio Yoghurt range.
23. Bliss
As one of the newest brands to make it on to Kantar’s list last year, healthy snacking brand Bliss has impressed plenty of Scottish consumers to retain its position.
The firm behind Bliss, Lightbody Ventures, launched the brand in 2019, just four months before the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns came into place.
There are currently 11 products in the Bliss range, including six Whip bar products, three Indulgent Layers and the brand’s latest additions, two new Caramel Crisp variants.
All of the brand’s variants aim to tackle healthy indulgence, with every bar less than 100 calories, with the latest Caramel Crisp bars at 86 calories each.
While a selection of lower-in-calorie snacks is a clear winner for Bliss, Jackie Chree, head of operations at Lightbody Ventures, reckons its status as a Scottish brand also has a part to play for its success.
“Provenance is a strong credential for selling products, it is an increasingly important driver of relevance and differentiation when it comes to buying decisions.
“However, local sourcing remains a real challenge and, in today’s complex and competitive market, it is important for companies in Scotland to think not only about provenance but also other parameters such as nutritional values of products, quality and sustainability.”
24. Scottish Blend
Made with Scots consumers in mind, Scottish Blend claims its tea is specially blended for Scottish water.
Certified by the Rainforest Alliance and manufactured by Unilever UK, Scottish Blend has kept consumers’ kettles singing out this past year, resulting in its place at number 24 out of the 50 top Scottish brands.
Scottish Blend includes a range of different formats for its black tea including an 80 Tea Bag Box and 240 Tea Bag Box, as well as a 250g Loose Leaf variant.
25. Mrs Tilly’s
When your own product can even rival the cooking talents of Scottish grandmothers then you know you’re on to a winner.
And that’s just the case for Scottish confectionery brand Mrs Tilly’s, whose flagship Scottish Tablet product has remained a popular choice across many households in Scotland.
Often told the brand’s tablet is “as good as my granny made it”, Mrs Tilly’s has certainly proven itself as a classic confectionery brand for many Scottish consumers and shows why it has risen one place up from last year.
A spokesperson for Mrs Tilly’s said: “We are delighted to once again feature as one of Scotland’s top brands and, most importantly, as Scotland’s favourite confectionery brand.
“We take great pride in producing authentic, traditional confectionery that consumers love and we are very fortunate to have a loyal customer base who have enjoyed our products over the years.”
Over the past year, the team at Mrs Tilly’s has worked hard to ensure the brand remains a popular one, not only across Scotland, but further afield as well.
The spokesperson said: “The focus in 2022 was about stability and working our way through the fallout from Covid and the extraordinary inflationary pressures that have seemed never ending at times.
“That said, we did manage to develop new sales channels both in the UK and Canada and we also launched some new seasonal products that will hopefully ensure a strong end to the year.”
26. Buchanan’s
Part of Greenock-based Golden Casket Group, the Confectionery Clan Buchanan’s produces over 50 lines of confectionery.
First established in 1856, the Buchanan’s range comes in the familiar hanging bag format as well as much larger traditional sweet shop jars, with variants including Buttermints, Chocolate Peppermint Creams, Vanilla Fudge and Treacle Toffee.
This also includes original recipes across the brand as well, such as the brand’s Italian Creams and Russian Caramels, which picked up gongs from the Food from Scotland Excellence Awards, with the label gaining a further European Award for Excellence.
The range is now stocked in over 6000 outlets across the entire UK, with all this hard work coming from just 15 craftsmen, according to the Golden Casket Group.
27. Tarbert Fine Foods
The reputation of Scottish salmon means it sits in a league of its own. So if you’re Scottish consumers’ top choice for salmon then you must be doing something right.
That’s clearly the case for Browns Food Group brand Tarbert Fine Foods, whose range of quality cooked Scottish meats, including smoked salmon, carries a seal of approval from Scottish consumers.
A spokesperson for Tarbert Fine Foods said: “Browns Food Group is very proud of Tarbert Fine Foods and the quality brand value that it carries.
“We believe our consumers are invested in purchasing the quality Scottish products offered in the Tarbert brand.”
Tarbert Fine Foods includes a range of Scottish cooked meats, including its smoked salmon and trout, and luxury ready meals, with the brand pointing out its two top sellers are Heather Honey Ham and Sliced Scotch Topside of Beef.
28. Brownings
Scottish consumers keep saying aye to this Killie Pie as Brownings climbs up six places this year.
Known for what the brand calls their most popular product, the bakers of award-winning Kilmarnock Pies has risen from its spot at 34 from 2021’s top 50 brands list.
The firm recently appointed its fourth-generation director Fraser Gall, who took on the sales director position as well as the legacy set down by his great grandparents when the bakery started in 1945.
In addition to the firm’s famous Killie Pie, Brownings also stocks Scotch Pies, Buffet Kilmarnock Pies, Steak & Haggis Pies, Belter Bridies and a range of sweet treats including scones, snowballs, empire biscuits and a selection of mixed fruit flavoured tarts.
29. Paterson’s
Paterson’s certainly hasn’t fallen short this year after rising up two places to reach number 29 for 2022.
The shortbread brand was first founded by John and Isabella Paterson in Rutherglen in 1895, where its goods were sold out of the back of a horse-drawn van.
With over 120 years of baking experience, it’s clear to see this heritage brand knows what Scottish consumers look for when it comes to the nation’s biscuit.
With the firm’s well-baked history, plenty of consumers will be picking up a pack of the brand’s shortbread for the bells this year including some classics or its premium Paterson’s Gold chocolate rounds range.
