UK-based James White Drinks is launching a spicy ketchup this spring based on its widely distributed Bloody Mary mix Big Tom. The condiment touts a lower sugar content in comparison to leading ketchup brands, with almost 50 percent fewer calories. Playing off of familiar tastes, the pressed fruit and vegetables company aims to win over already loyal consumers of Big Tom in the juice category with a product in the sauce aisle.

“The spicy ketchup offers consumers a premium spicy option in the hugely popular Ketchup category with a distinctive taste that is already well known and very popular among Big Tom spicy tomato juice drinkers. Being significantly lower in sugar and calories, it is clearly in line with the market trend away from high sugar products,” Lawrence Mallinson, Managing Director at James White Drinks, tells.

The move demonstrates the expansion into another category by maximizing a prime ingredient, in this case, the Portuguese tomato, appealing to consumers looking for less sugary products. The use of tomatoes grown in a sunny climate and the addition of spices are significant factors in creating the right flavor profile with less sugar.

Sugar reduction was simple, notes Mallison. “We just added less sugar. The ketchup is about the spices, and the sugar content was in line with the sugar content of Big Tom spicy tomato juice,” he notes.

“Being grown specifically for processing rather than primarily for retail use, our tomatoes do not have to look ‘beautiful.’ The emphasis is on their tasting ‘beautiful.’ Our experience tells me that maybe there is something about the varieties of tomato grown in the Mediterranean that work best for us. They are better tasting than tomatoes grown in less hot and sunny climates,” he explains.

The ketchup is currently available online and is soon expected to hit major retailers in the UK. Although Big Tom sees a strong following in Belgium, Holland and the UAE, Mallinson says the ketchup will first focus on the UK market. Big Tom Spiced Tomato Mix has been widely available in supermarkets and pubs throughout the UK for many years and is increasingly found on airlines worldwide.