The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Italian cake brand Balconi is expanding into the UK market with a new range of ambient cake products launching in Tesco and Asda from 1 June.

The launch includes Cocoa Cream and Milk Cream Cake Bars, alongside Sponge Slices, as the brand looks to drive growth in the UK ambient cake category through premium-positioned but accessible indulgence products.

Balconi produces up to 2,000 cake bars per minute through automated manufacturing facilities, according to parent company Valeo Foods.

The UK rollout comes amid growing demand for permissible indulgence and snack products positioned around everyday treats and café-style consumption occasions.

Michael Inpong, chief marketing officer at Valeo Foods, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be expanding the passion and care of a real Italian family bakery to the UK”.

He added: “Balconi offers a little moment of Italian indulgence, a sweet pause inspired by the warmth, passion and pleasure of everyday life in Italy”.

The packaging for the UK market features colour-coded designs intended to help shoppers navigate the range, alongside Italian provenance cues including an Italian flag ribbon.

Balconi said the expansion aims to deliver incremental growth within the ambient cake category by combining Italian bakery heritage with convenient, everyday indulgence formats.