FOOD and drink group Princes has launched a �4m campaign to promote the British heritage of its iconic Crosse & Blackwell brand – which has been made in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire for more than 190 years.

FOOD and drink group Princes has launched a �4m campaign to promote the British heritage of its iconic Crosse & Blackwell brand – which has been made in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire for more than 190 years.

Founded in 1819, Crosse & Blackwell is a household brand and the majority of its products are produced by factories in Long Sutton and Wisbech, which employ over 1,000 local people.

Princes purchased the brand and factories from Premier Foods last year. The business is now investing in a �4m brand relaunch, which centres around Crosse & Blackwell’s home grown goodness – its British roots and the fact that many ingredients are sourced from local growers and producers in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and other areas of the UK.

The brand investment is supporting the launch of a new range of British-sourced canned vegetables as well as a 20-strong line-up of award-winning canned soups. Three styles of Crosse & Blackwell soups have been launched - Core, Best of British and Premium – to span the �333m* canned soup category.

The Core range includes classic variants such as Cream of Tomato, Cream of Chicken and Minestrone. A Best of British collection of soups, made with British produce, includes Roast Chicken & Vegetable, Broccoli & Stilton and Pea & Ham. The Crosse & Blackwell Premium range, made with the finest quality ingredients, aims to match the quality and flavour of chilled soups.

The marketing campaign involves advertisements across outdoor and national media, in addition to sampling and supermarket promotions.

Chris Wright, marketing director for Crosse & Blackwell, said: “We’re backing Crosse & Blackwell to become a major grocery brand over the next five years. Our new vegetable and soup ranges are the first wave of new product development for Crosse & Blackwell and will be followed by new innovations and brand extensions.

“Our research has shown that customers have a strong loyalty to Crosse & Blackwell and it is a much-loved British brand. This has given us the confidence to invest in the brand and launch a major push to secure market share.

“As one of the biggest food manufacturers in the UK, the re-launch of Crosse & Blackwell demonstrates Princes’ total commitment to investing in the development of new products at our factories in Wisbech and Long Sutton.”