Pecan Deluxe Candy UK revamped the company’s recipes to avoid new British export regulations, making the entire range vegan, which imposes a hefty tax on animal-derived products.
Pecan Deluxe Candy is a family-owned manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas with international sites in the UK and Thailand. The company is a custom wholesale supplier with a portfolio ranging from toppings, baking inclusions, fudge, cookie dough and popping candies.
Tap into current trends
The company reformulated the recipe, replaced it Butter and eggs for plant-based alternatives that do not require the same EU border checks, after European exports fell to 55% of total UK sales 84% before Brexit.
Bosses say the products are now cheaper to produce and tap into the current zeitgeist: “A plant-based range that has more benefits to offer, with reduced prices, as well as hitting a number of ongoing trends at the moment, not least vegetarian. ,” Kingston told AFP.
Vegan range = lower cost
After Brexit, new export regulations forced exporters of animal-based foodstuffs to submit veterinary certification and other paperwork, further straining the supply chain. Kingston told AFP that depending on the interpretation of the rules, border control officials stop deliveries that must be returned and sometimes destroyed.
“We don’t have to have a vet come in and sign them in anymore, and it allows us to have a very agile supply chain between our customers in Europe.”
Last October, the company’s board of directors decided to precinct dairy products at their facility in the northern English village of Sherburn-in-Elmet to reduce export costs for the European market.
“Additional red tape has cost the group over £100,000 over the past few years,” Kingston told AFP. “The new range has significantly reduced those costs.”
“We are aware that plant-based innovation in food is important for consumers interested in healthy lifestyles and clean living. Our vegan-diet friendly products are perfect for ice cream, yogurt, baked goods, frozen desserts and countless other applications. Pecan Deluxe makes it possible to stay within nutritional limits,” Pecan Deluxe Candy says on its website.
The brand’s shift towards vegan products mirrors the story of leading UK confectionery wholesaler Hancock, which said in 2021 that the market for vegan confectionery is growing at a “theoretical rate”, and demand for products free of animal ingredients, such as gelatin and dairy, is increasing. Since then, Hancocks has expanded its vegan offerings every Veganuary. Similarly, heritage brand Swizzels launched six vegan sweets last November for Veganuary 2023.