16.1.2023 Press release
Savory snacking is the new playing field for the Paulig-owned Santa Maria brand; an important step in the execution of Paulig’s growth ambitions within this thriving category. With the launch of five popped chips, the international, family-owned company seeks to bring excitement and inspiration to the category and offer consumers an alternative to the traditional fried potato chips.

Snacking is a 38-billion-euro* business in Europe and expected to continue to prosper, offering an important growth opportunity for Paulig.

- With our manufacturing and innovation capabilities within snacking, combined with Santa Maria’s solid brand equity, we are entering the arena with great confidence. And we have the long-term commitment to accelerate profitable growth in this category, together with our trade partners, says Rolf Ladau, CEO at Paulig.

The launch of the new Santa Maria snacking range has been enabled by Paulig’s acquisition of Liven, a Spanish snacks and Tex Mex manufacturer. Instead of being deep-fried, the products are made by adding heat and pressure to the ingredients, making them pop into light, crunchy chips with 60% less fat than the average potato chips. And as always, taste is at the center of the Santa Maria products.

- The Santa Maria brand is a trusted, renowned flavour expert with strong market leading positions in Northern Europe. Now, we are entering the savory snacking category as a true challenger. We know that alternative snacks such as our popped chips are gaining traction and we aim to reach all those consumers who crave something new. That calls for a great product, but also significant and long-term investments into distinctive marketing and differentiated communications, says Paula Backman, Chief Marketing Officer at Paulig.

The new Santa Maria chips are launched in Sweden in January 2023. The range includes three potato pops, flavoured with cheese, sweet chili and jalapeño cheese, and two lentil pops, with taste of sour cream and onion and grilled paprika.  

*Source: Euromonitor Packed Foods data 2021