A KEIGHLEY food company has launched an exclusive range of children’s snacks with Morrisons.

Clearly Scrumptious landed a deal with the national supermarket chain following the success of its first range of healthy snacks.

The new range of blueberry, raspberry and strawberry-flavoured dried fruit, called Scrummies, is sold in 20g packets as an alternative to sweets and crisps.

The product which can be eaten by children aged 12 months and above, will exclusively be sold by the Bradford-based chain in more than 100 of its stores.

Clearly Scrumptious directors James Feddo and Rick Wadsworth have worked in collaboration with Morrisons since the development phase of Scrummies to ensure the product was commercially viable and would appeal to consumers.

James said: “The input from the buying team at Morrisons was invaluable.

“Their industry experience combined with our passion for bringing to market a fresh, wholesome new product really helped us shape the Scrummies multipack offering and we’re incredibly proud of the end result.

“To be recognised by a major multiple like Morrisons and to have its support and guidance is testament to the quality and innovation of our new product and we can’t wait to engage with customers to see how we can further expand our product offering.”

Rick and James came up with the idea for their company after chatting while running in the Yorkshire Dales and realising there was a gap in the market.

They were frustrated at the lack of dried fruit available in snack-sized portions to carry in their rucksacks for a natural energy source.

Discussing with friends and work colleagues, they realised people ended up reaching for the traditional unhealthy snack offerings that were conveniently available.

Clearly Scrumptious launched in December 2012 with a product range of Sweet Strawberries, Crunchy Apples, Juicy Cranberries and Tangy Golden Berries, and the following year received two Great Taste Awards.

In 2014 James and Rick developed the Scrummies range specifically for the children's snack market with five flavours.

Scrummies are a mix of cranberries and raisins with natural fruit flavours, made from whole fruits with no shapes or pieces.

They are intended to help children identify fruit as a treat instead of traditional confectionery items.

James said Scrummies were vegan, 100% natural, gluten free, dairy free and contained no added sugar, and one pack also counted as one of the five-a-day.