Increased awareness across a range of health and wellness areas is driving crossover in functional food categories. Simply Wize is responding to the growing demand for high quality, functional foods in the gluten free category.
The founder and Director of Melbourne-based business Simply Wize, Shimon Weizman, was diagnosed with coeliac disease at the age of 19, and over the years found the availability of essential gluten free options for sufferers was limited.
“It was once my three children were also diagnosed with the disease, that Simply Wize was born,” he told Retail World.
He says his vision is to create a wide range of “delicious, easily accessible products” for those following a gluten free diet, with the aim of improving their quality of life.
Simply Wize now has a range of 43 gluten free products stocked in more than 1200 independent stores across Australia, as well as in Coles and Woolworths.
Retail and supply trends
Retailers have become more focused on gluten free in recent years. Mr Weizman says the market is not as specialised as it was, with gluten free products found much more broadly.
“The test for gluten is much more stringent in Australia, which makes sourcing and finding produce much harder,” he said. “The gluten free market has exploded in the past 10 years due to increased knowledge around the benefits of a gluten free diet to certain groups of people.”
Sourcing of new gluten free products and ingredients has been disrupted by worldwide logistical issues during the Covid-19 pandemic, but according to Mr Weizman, Simply Wize has been able to overcome such issues due to its strong relationships and planning.
Read the article in full in the March issue of Retail World.