Where has Roses Lime Juice gone?

frisket

In the last couple of months, Rose's Lime Juice has vanished from Ireland. I used to be able to get it (with difficulty) in Tesco and Centra, and it was also available in Donnybrook Fair in Dublin, but no longer. They all claim they "cannot get it" which sounds like the importer has gone belly-up, but the lack of information is stunning. All they can provide is Mi-Wadi Lime, which tastes like cat's pee by comparison.

Does anyone have any information about where to buy it in Ireland at the moment? I have emailed Rose's about this (today), obviously no reply until next week.

molliesassy

Frisket, My husband will only drink Roses lime and I have found the only place I can get it is in Superquinn.

frisket

molliesassy wrote: »

Frisket, My husband will only drink Roses lime and I have found the only place I can get it is in Superquinn.

Excellent, many thanks. Unfortunately they only operate in Dublin (and Limerick?), and I'm in Cork, but on some trip soon...

molliesassy

I get it in Superquinn in Portlaoise, so if you are passing by it will be worth calling in there.

frisket

Great, thanks. I do indeed occasionally pass through :-)

frisket

I was in the UK a couple of weeks ago and went into a Waitrose supermarket in my search for Rose's Lime Juice. None to be had, only their own brand and some other one.

But a very helpful staff member explained the problem: apparently Coca-Cola, who own the brand, have raised their wholesale price so high that it wouldn't be possible to sell it retail for any price anyone would pay. So no-one is ordering it -- it's not availability, it's the price.

The only conclusion is that Coca-Cola want to get rid of the brand out of laziness and ignorance, so rather than just terminate it, they have jacked up the price to unaffordability levels, so that they can then claim "no-one wants it", and thereby justify shutting it down forever.

The Waitrose guy said that was why they had now started making their own, and he pointed out that their own brand was 30% lime juice, whereas the other (anonymous-looking) brand was only 17%. I haven't tasted either of them, but if Roses is going to be shut down, I'll be stocking up on Waitrose's brand when I next visit the UK.

dudara

I was just thinking about Rose's Lime Cordial last night - I was making margaritas but was trying to think of an easier way than squeezing a whole lime for each one!

frisket

dudara wrote: »

I was just thinking about Rose's Lime Cordial last night - I was making margaritas but was trying to think of an easier way than squeezing a whole lime for each one!

I wouldn't...Roses is a cordial, which means it has been diluted and has had sugar added. Get squeezin'!

brick tamland

dudara wrote: »

I was just thinking about Rose's Lime Cordial last night - I was making margaritas but was trying to think of an easier way than squeezing a whole lime for each one!

Off topic but i've bought squezed lime juice in bottles from asian shops, might help

terlywerly

Sorry to pull up an older thread but does anyone know anywhere apart from Superquinn that you can get this? I don't live near one and my very pregnant sister in law is craving it something unbelievable!!!

frisket

terlywerly wrote: »

Sorry to pull up an older thread but does anyone know anywhere apart from Superquinn that you can get this? I don't live near one and my very pregnant sister in law is craving it something unbelievable!!!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it simply isn't available any more, reportedly because Coca-Cola jacked the price up so high that the supermarkets refused to buy any, claiming their customers wouldn't buy at the new price.

Unless some shop somewhere has a few unsold bottles, or the post about it being available at Superquinn is still valid, I think your sister-in-law is out of luck right now.

I am still going to the UK in July, where it is also unavailable, and where I got this information in the first place, so I'll report back about the alternatives that (at least) Waitrose have stocked up with. Sadly the only alternative here is the ghastly Mi-Wadi version, which tastes like the cat peed in it.

terlywerly

I will have to placate her with chocolate instead!
Hopefully the manufacturers will come to their senses...

Dizzyblonde

I buy it in JC's supermarket in Swords (Dublin)

Dizzyblonde

frisket wrote: »

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it simply isn't available any more, reportedly because Coca-Cola jacked the price up so high that the supermarkets refused to buy any, claiming their customers wouldn't buy at the new price.

Unless some shop somewhere has a few unsold bottles, or the post about it being available at Superquinn is still valid, I think your sister-in-law is out of luck right now.

I am still going to the UK in July, where it is also unavailable, and where I got this information in the first place, so I'll report back about the alternatives that (at least) Waitrose have stocked up with. Sadly the only alternative here is the ghastly Mi-Wadi version, which tastes like the cat peed in it.

Actually, Rose's is distributed in Ireland by Premier Foods LINK
It would be a good idea to contact them about where it's available in your area

terlywerly

Just sent them an email there, cheers!!

frisket

OK, so here's the deal, apparently. I was in the UK last week, and bought some bottles of Waitrose's own-brand lime juice for somewhere around £1.75 a bottle. Slightly different taste to Roses, but very good, and at 30% lime, much better than the competition (Britvic) at a measly 15%, and no comparison with the ghastly Mi-Wadi rubbish.

However, Sainsbury's *do* still sell Roses itself, as I discovered later in the trip, so I got some of those as well, and they were about the same price.

I have no idea why it's not on sale here, nor why I was told earlier that Waitrose weren't stocking it "because it was too expensive", unless the position has actually changed in the few months since that.

Is it still available at Superquinn? They don't operate outside the Pale, AFAIK, so that may have to wait until I visit the Dublin area.

Dizzyblonde

I'm still buying it in my local supermarket in Swords in Dublin for €2.49 a bottle

frisket

Curioser and curioser.

I called Premier Foods ireland and spoke to a very nice but rather helpless Marketing person who said they don't do it in Ireland any more. I pointed out that it was still on their web site at http://www.premierfoods.co.uk/ireland/other-brands-available-in-ireland/roses.cfm and she said it shouldn't be, and I should call Premier Foods UK on +44 1727 815850.

So I called them and got routed to a very short and sharp Consumer Relations droid who simply told me to call Coca-Cola as the manufacturers, as that was where they got it from. She obviously couldn't give a flying toss about the call or the problem, and was under instructions to brush off as many inquiries as fast as possible (about par for Consumer Relations departments). I filled in their online enquiry form, so it will be interesting to see if they bother to respond.

[Perhaps I should have guessed: their web site has two prominent links to Investors and Media, which are killer signs that a company is headed down the tubes fast. In particular, none of their Media links goes to a Premier Foods email address: they are all links to other suppliers. When a business is more concerned about investors and talk-to-the-hand PR than about customers and selling product, you just know it's ready to be wound up.]

So I called Coca-Cola UK (no point in calling Coca-Cola Ireland, I thought, if Premier were getting it through their UK company). A much nicer and more professional Consumer Information type listened carefully, and suggested I call Coca-Cola Enterprises Limited. They turned out just to be the bottlers, so they had no information at all and put me on to Coca-Cola's main office PR, who gave me a recorded announcement. I left a message asking them to call me, so we'll see what happens there...

P

tinkerbell

Good news - it's coming back to the irish market in 3-4 weeks and will be available in supermarkets in 2 months!

Dizzyblonde

tinkerbell wrote: »

Good news - it's coming back to the irish market in 3-4 weeks and will be available in supermarkets in 2 months!

That's great news

tinkerbell

I got in contact with Rose's themselves and they put me in touch with the distributer in Ireland (must be a new distributer because it's not Premier Foods mentioned above). Anyway he said it was taken out of Ireland for a while and they will have it back in stock in 3-4 weeks. Due to marketing and promoting it again, it'll probably be closer to 2 months from now before it will be available again in supermarkets, but it will be available.

If ya look on the Rose's website, it looks like the bottle has changed, so I'm wondering if Rose's just wanted to do a repackaging of their product or something, and that explains why it was gone for a while ...?

randombloke

Oh my God, I have just stumbled across this thread.

I thought I was some sort of freak with my love for roses lime but now I realise I am not alone, this is like a support group for people withdrawing from roses lime.

I have been known to clear the shelves of roses lime in two branches of sainsburys in the north (newry and sprucefield) on the same day, over 40 bottles...

That was at the time when tesco in dundrum were selling it for €4 a bottle while sainsbury were selling it for 94p, however i see it is now £1.65/bottle.

Has anyone any updates, can't find it on superquinn website?

frisket

randombloke wrote: »

Has anyone any updates, can't find it on superquinn website?

Last I heard, Coca-Cola had settled their dispute with the distributors and it was supposed to be returning to the Irish market. But I haven't seen it in the shops here (Cork). I suspect that the absence has poisoned the atmosphere, so shops won't bother stocking it unless people ask for it.

I have been existing on a half dozen bottles brought back from the UK in the early summer, supplemented by some bottles of Waitrose own-brand from a more recent visit. The Waitrose stuff is pretty good, but not as good as Roses.

Unsurprisingly, total silence from Coca-Cola. I spoke to one of their marketing droids on the phone months ago, and they basically don't give a toss, either for the brand or for their former customers.

vscriven

In the grocery trade myself and from info sourced Coca Cola took over distribution a while back but has since dissapered from shelves.Well good news it has returned and iv found it again in Supervalu ,The Rise Mount Merrion.(heading outwards on N11 past UCD take right lane and take the right immed after sign for M50 and store up on the right.This retailer has got a supplier from Northern Ireland supplying so not sure yet if other Svalu outlets have it also.Its my wife is the fan and for over twelve months Iv been purchasing a similar product in the ethinic food section in Musgraves Cash/Carry outlets which she has enjoyed,so enjoy.

frisket

That is excellent news, thanks. I was in the UK a few weeks ago so I was able to bring back a couple of bottles.If you happen to be in that SuperValu again, would you mind mentioning to the manager that there are customers elsewhere in the country who would be very happy to get it from their local branches :-)

vscriven

I will drop a mail to Svalu HO in Cork and also will ask MT Merrion to supply me with gift for charity for all the foot fall he is going to get!!

kerno

Im in Dublin 11 and sell it wholesale if anyone is interested.?

morcheen k

has this been watered down ? i need loads more when i dilute it with water.looks lighter too.

snowfinch

My sister and I have been trying to get our hands on this too! It is so hard to track down. Really hope it hasn't been watered down like you think Morcheen...

frisket

My daughter just brought me some Roses Lime Juice as a present! She got it in Supervalu in Mount Merrion, so they do have it in stock (at least today, 28 Oct 2011)

This needs to be encouraged (keeping it in stock, as well as bringing me presents :-)

curly from cork

Finches lime cordial does it for me !! Worth a try.