The butters and spreads category has seen some interesting growth in the last few years. The total sector is worth ￡832 million (?1,253m), with butter accounting for ￡338m (?509m) of this. To give an example of Matthews' role in the sector, its Pure brand of spreads has seen growth of 16 per cent in the last year, compared to overall sector growth of 4.6 per cent. The sector has experienced growth in functional ingredients - many of the products available on shelf today were not conceivable ten years ago. For example, Matthews has recently enriched its Pure sunflower spread with the addition of omega 3 to differentiate it from other sunflower spreads and appeal to the growing number of consumers concerned with 'heart health'. "New product development has played an important role in the growth of Matthews Foods," explains marketing director Dave Coulson. "But we have also grown as a result of technical and production improvements, as well as broader consumer trends. These trends have led to significant developments in the marketing of butters and spreads." A good example of this is the Pure brand, which has been in existence for over ten years but was formerly a specialist product only found in health food stores. It has been re-developed for the mainstream market and reflects Matthews' ability to take on the trends as they happen.
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