Simba says farewell to the All Gold Tomato Sauce flavour
We take a look at one of South Africa's favourite Simba Chippies...
We all feel a bit nostalgic when it comes to Simba Chips. It is a celebration of our childhood, the 'Proudly South African' flavours and the feeling of sharing your packet of crisps with your family. Opening that packet gets everyone's attention and brings them in from all areas of the house.
Recently, the brand decided to host a campaign called, "Choose Me or Lose Me", with the aim being to cut one of three iconic Simba flavours. The flavours were Salt and Vinegar, Cheese and Onion, and All Gold Tomato Sauce.
Simba opened up the voting lines for fans to vote on saving their favourite flavour. Of course, after three months of voting, the votes came in and the All Gold Tomato Sauce flavour got the boot. The decision on the flavours that would be saved also took into account the sales of those flavours.
The Senior Marketing Director for salty snacks at PepsiCo, said that South Africans have a "distinctive set of tastes", she crushed the chip on it's head there. We definitely have explorative palettes.
We saw the leading flavour change a few times. Salt and Vinegar were at top of the rankings for a while, then Cheese and Onion took over. But it was very close, and anything could have happened.
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We really love what she added below, it shared a sense of connection for us with an age-old brand that truly represents South Africa in a unified and positive way, with our love for food and snacks.
South Africans have always loved sweet, salty, creamy, and tangy flavours. But recently, they are showing interest in meaty flavours, and flavours that evoke our braai cultures, such as Shisanyama, Chilli Biltong, and Chakalaka. These familiar, nostalgic flavours mean something to South Africans. In a sense, they help to bind us together. Our tastes do gradually develop. At Simba, we need to be in touch with our customers to ensure that we're giving them what they need and that we remain relevant in that evolving taste context.
The All Gold Tomato Sauce flavour will still be on shelves for the next couple of months, so fans have the option of stocking up on their favourite before its demise.
In case you were wondering, in the end they gave a good fight but South Africans cannot part with their dearly beloved Cheese and Onion and Salt Vinegar...
- Cheese and Onion: 539 298 (44,99%)
- Salt and Vinegar: 195 460 ( 37,00%)
- Tomato Sauce: 110 623 (18,01%) (IOL)
Image Courtesy of Facebook