Bringing comfort classics, made of more with Guinness

1 IN 10 PINTS SOLD IN THE UK ARE GUINNESS. THAT FAMILIAR MALTY MAGIC IS SO GOOD, IMAGINE IF IT COULD BE CAPTURED AS AN INGREDIENT?

We worked with the team at Diageo to do exactly that.

OUR AMBITION

Guinness goes hand-in-hand with UK classical comfort food dinners; roasts, casseroles, bangers and mash; pies; burgers; mac and cheese and ramping them up another level. Using the unique, complex and robust flavour profile of the UK’s favourite beer, we’re driven to elevate every-day dishes and deliver more: more taste, more texture, more theatre, more special dinner and dining experiences.

Guinness is unique in its ability as a game-changing ingredient to upgrade meals to something truly special. Whether it’s on menu or on-shelf, it’s bold, distinctive richness brings deep and satisfying flavours and stunning textures to food. We strive to turn every-day dinners into meal-time masterpieces, Guinness supports us in making comfort classics something more…

SPOTTING THE OPPORTUNITY

Being the largest producer of stout in the world, we recognised the importance of the tradition and power that Guinness holds. That natural connection with food was already there, with Guinness being a beer that has a unique standing in the world of food.

Long having been considered as a ‘cooks beer’ it’s beloved by chefs all over the world, leaving us to capture that connection and bring it to life within food across multiple touchpoints.

10 MILLION GLASSES OF GUINNESS ENJOYED DAILY AROUND THE WORLD

Creating unique concepts, that deliver truly differentiated innovation is something we committed to for Diageo once they approached us to partner on elements of their Guinness Kitchen.

Their core challenge was to bring younger, more foodie consumers to the category, for a brand that has often been perceived as more traditional – your dad’s favourite pint down at the pub or to add to a hearty pie. Speaking of the pub, around 36% of dinner visits to pub restaurants involve beer or cider (versus just 15% for wine) – Guinness were aware of this and wanted to gain that extra visibility at more food and drink occasions too.

THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Working with Guinness’s chef team and head beer sommelier, we isolated those key attributes and familiar magic, then took things up a notch to create a concentrated ‘Guinness Essence’.

A ‘magic’ combination containing four active ingredients that enhance a dishes natural flavours and adds that rich, umami depth that makes Guinness such an effective ingredient. Next was bringing that to life as products that will excite consumers…

INTRODUCING THE GUINNESS KITCHEN

Using our unique positioning in the heart of multiple channels, our NPD team worked to tailor the Guinness Essence to become relevant for a variety of consumers and touchpoints, from pub menus to supermarket shelves and butchers counters.

Our stamp on the Guinness brand

Looking to supermarket shelves, an extensive range of unique products that celebrate Guinness in home cooking have been launched. Designed for varying levels of cooking abilities, the products start with classic, traditional products like recipe mixes and gravy which are simple to use but still pack a punch.

For those looking to experiment or who are more comfortable in the kitchen, sauces, rubs and an incredible cooking paste concentrate can be found to liven up favourite meals.

In Butchery we worked closely with an incredible team of butcher ambassadors and produced a range of four products including a rub, oil, paste and sausage mix.

Utilising our partnerships in food service has led us to begin working with pub chains, caterers and large restaurant brands, such as Byron Burger. We put a spotlight on Guinness to enhance menus and bring out the creativity in chefs with the power of a brand well recognized for its quality and relationship with good food.

The result?

The magic is just getting started. Working closely with Guinness chefs, the next exciting product is just around the corner as we look to turn Guinness into a staple ingredient in foodie kitchens across the UK.

Fancy finding out how we could work together?

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