Tooru launches OAF brand of gluten-free bread in Tesco, targeting growing 'free-from' market

Tooru (formerly Riverfort), a health and wellness-focused company, announced the launch of a new product line from its gluten-free food specialist subsidiary Juvela. The former has introduced a new brand and range "OAF", supported by a new allergen-free bakery, to expand its presence in the growing 'free-from' market segment.

Tooru said OAF was created to appeal to a wider audience of health-conscious shoppers in the free-from aisle, positioning it as its strategic retail-facing range, whilst Juvela would continue to operate as a prescription-based brand for coeliac care. The OAF range, now live in Tesco stores, features a 4-product lineup, designed to deliver the authentic texture, taste, and nutrition of real bread.

Unlike traditional gluten-free options that rely on rice flour, OAF and Juvela products use a specially formulated wheat starch with the gluten removed. This ensures the products are safe for a gluten-free diet, while delivering taste and texture much closer to conventional bread. Previously, this process was reserved for prescription coeliac bread, but now Juvela is making it accessible to a broader audience of health-conscious consumers, including those who avoid gluten for lifestyle reasons as well as coeliac patients.

Scott Livingston, CEO, commenting: "Gluten free consumers - especially the younger, health-conscious segment - aren't connecting with brands on the shelf, perceiving them as second best to conventional bread. This presents a massive opportunity to engage this audience with a vibrant, characterful brand that resonates with them, whilst showing how tasty and simple gluten free bread can be through our product innovation.

By combining Juvela's well-established quality, craft and expertise with OAF's vibrant brand personality, we're on a mission to inject new energy, relevance, taste and enjoyment to the retail free-from space, starting with a line of high-quality bakery goods, in the fastest growing areas of the category."

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Newly established health and wellness specialist Tooru has announced a new gluten-free bread product from its subsidiary Juvela. The new OAF range is launching with 4 flavours, employing a novel method to achieve gluten-free content for the retail market. Unlike other products in the category that use rice flower, OAF relies on a specially formulated wheat starch, developed for prescription-based coeliac bread, that offers a taste much closer to conventional bread. This should give Tooru a significant competitive advantage in the rapidly growing 'free-from' space where gluten-free options have struggled recently.

The new OAF range leverages Juvela's 30-year history as a founding pioneer of gluten free foods in the UK. The new range will also benefit from recent investment in Tooru's new allergen-free facility in south Wales, alongside Juvela's aforementioned gluten-free baking innovation.

For investors not familiar with Tooru, the company listed on AIM on May 29, 2025, after Riverfort Global Opportunities acquired a portfolio of health and wellness businesses from Aquis-listed S-Ventures. The deal transformed Riverfort from an investment vehicle to an operational company in the wellness sector, trading under the new name Tooru.

Tooru inherited a diverse portfolio of businesses from S-Ventures. Aside from Juvela, this included plantain snack brand We Love Purely, protein bar manufacturer Pulsin, and e-commerce consultancy Market Rocket. The deal is expected to deliver immediate revenue streams and operating cashflow, with today's announcement set to accelerate sales.

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