Genius launches first gluten-free croissant and pain au chocolat
LET them eat croissants! Legend has it that Marie Antoinette introduced the croissant
to France from Vienna, and now gluten-intolerant consumers across the UK can enjoy
the flaky pastry for the first time, as Genius Foods celebrates this week’s launch of its
Genius Croissant into 800 Tesco stores nationwide.
The gluten-free breakfast delight is joined on Tesco’s shelves by Genius Foods’ first
gluten-free pain au chocolat. Both the croissant and the pain au chocolat are on offer
for two for £4 until the end of July, and will subsequently cost £2.10 and £2.70 for a
pack of two respectively.
Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, founder of Genius Foods, the UK’s leading gluten-free
brand, is confident pastry connoisseurs will be unable to tell the difference from the
traditional wheat-based recipes. She said: “People following a gluten-free diet have
missed out on these tasty treats until now, so we are thrilled to have cracked a yummy
gluten-free recipe so everyone can enjoy a leisurely croissant for breakfast.
“We have really been listening to what our customers want and, after a successful
launch of our tasty new recipe bread earlier this year, Genius hopes these two new
products will bring just as much enjoyment and excitement.”
Other products in the Genius range are: white, brown and seeded bread; chicken and
mushroom pie and cheese slice; lemon and raisin pancakes; fruit loaf; naan and pitta
bread; and teacakes.
Top croissant and pain au chocolat facts:
 Although known as a French delight, the croissant was invented in Austria. It started
gaining widepread popularity when an Austrian artillery officer, August Zang,
founded a Viennese bakery at 92, Rue de Richlieu in Paris. The bakery quickly
became popular and inspired French imitators – the croissant was the French version
of the Viennese speciality the kipfel, named for its crescent (croissant) shape.
 According to this legend, it was Marie Antoinette who introduced the croissant to
France. As a bride of fifteen, the queen recalled memories of the croissant in Vienna
and insisted the royal chefs recreate her favourite pastry.
 In France, there are three types of croissant: “ordinaire”, made from vegetable fats
such as margarine; “patissier”, based on a mixture of butter and margarine; and “pur
buerre”, which contains only butter. They are distinguished by their shapes: ordinaire
and patissier are curved and crescent-like, while pur-buerre is straighter.
 Supermarkets in the UK only started stocking croissants in the late 1980s; its
popularity only spread in the late 1990s, thanks to the growth of café culture.
 The origins of the pain au chocolat remain a mystery. No legends, no romantic tales
and no heroic stories – just someone looking for an even more indulgent treat than the
croissant, who decided the addition of chocolate would work well…
ENDS
About Genius Foods:
Genius Foods is the leading gluten-free brand in the UK, with more than a 50 per cent
share in the Free From bread category. The company, based in Edinburgh, makes
gluten free breads, rolls, teacakes, savoury pies and slices, pastry and mince pies. A
significant number of new products are in development for this year. Lucinda BryceGardyne, a professionally trained chef, developed Genius bread after failing to find
quality gluten-free and wheat-free bread suitable for her gluten intolerant son.
Genius has won five industry awards, notably beating Marks and Spencer and
Kellogg’s for the Gold Q award at the Quality Food Awards and winning the
prestigious UK Bakery Award for innovation. Genius bread has driven 250 per cent
growth in the product category since its launch in June 2009, according to Kantar.
Genius products are available in the UK, North America and Spain.
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Murray-Watson
Mission PR
Tel: 0207 8457800
Mob: 07515 695232
Email: andrew@thisismission.com