Vegan chocolate brand NOMO wins big at Grocer and Free From Food Awards

The Free From Food Awards (FFFAs) is the UK’s highest accolade in the free-from industry. At the same time, The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards, held at the Royal Lancaster in London, celebrate innovation within the UK FMCG sector. 

The Grocer award represents a significant milestone for NOMO – winning silver in the mainstream Chocolate Bar category. The company said that NOMO increasingly appeals to a wider market while maintaining its dedicated followers, demonstrating that vegan and free-from chocolate is for everyone.

With entries to this year’s Free From Food Awards up 50% this year, the annual event has celebrated excellence in the industry since 2008, with its panel of specialist judges including significant names in the food and allergy worlds. 

Praised by the judging panel for “continuing to innovate & ensuring excitement & inclusivity​,” NOMO received a further eight awards on the evening across the wider Christmas collection. The awards were:

FREE FROM FOOD GOLD AWARDS 

•           NOMO Classic Advent Calendar

•           NOMO Choc Fudge Reindeer

•           NOMO Christmas Selection Box

•           NOMO Mint Sharing Box

FREE FROM FOOD SILVER AWARDS

•           NOMO Caramel Sharing Box

•           NOMO Orange Crunch Sharing Box

•           NOMO Cookie Dough Reindeer

•           NOMO Hollow Reindeer

THE GROCER NEW PRODUCT & PACKAGING SILVER AWARD

•           NOMO Cookie Dough Filled Bar 

NOMO also took the top prize for its Mint Sharing Box and was awarded the Christmas Food Product of the Year. The new launch signals the first-ever vegan after-dinner mint free from dairy, gluten, eggs, and nuts – meaning allergy sufferers will finally be able to enjoy the flavour for the first time. It features 12 mint chocolate fondant-filled mini bars, making it perfect for Christmas gifting and sharing – being described by the judging panel as “A real contender against the classic after-dinner mint that dominates the market!”.

Emma Perrett, Marketing Controller at Kinnerton Confectionery, said: “We were delighted with our recent successes at both The Grocer New Product & Packaging awards and Free From Food Awards, and winning Best Independent Brand of the Year for the third time in a row really is the icing on the cake for us. We’re especially pleased to take home The Grocer’s silver award in the mainstream chocolate category, showing that our chocolate really is for everyone. ​

“Winning Christmas Food of the Year with the Mint Sharing Box is a huge achievement, and we’re so pleased to receive this exceptional recognition for our mission of ensuring nobody misses out on the taste of great chocolate at Christmas. At NOMO, we’ll continue to push the boundaries of innovation to deliver greater choice and greater taste without compromise.”  ​

The award wins follow a solid sales period for NOMO. The brand experienced 45.6% value growth during the Easter period, compared to the total market’s value growth of 16.7% in the free-from-chocolate Easter category. Nearly half of the Easter free-from-chocolate products purchased in 2023 were from NOMO, with a 47.5% share of all free-from-Easter products.