'Paddington' credited with bump in sales of marmalade-making supplies

Paddington‘s titular bear’s love for marmalade has perhaps provoked potential marmalade-makers—at least that’s what sales of its ingredients may imply. U.K. publications like The Guardian and the Daily Mail have picked up on this sticky trend.

Sales of Certo, the U.K.’s brand of liquid pectin used to make the sweet stuff, has grown by 34 percent year-over-year according to distributor RH Amar. “While demand for Certo peaks over the summer months at the height of the summer-fruit, jam-making season, we’d typically expect a less pronounced increase in sales December to February with the arrival of Seville oranges,” James Amar, the brand manager, said in a statement. “This year, sales have rocketed and it seems the bear from deepest, darkest Peru with a passion for marmalade has rekindled the nation’s appetite for this distinctive preserve.”

Amar added in an email to EW: “While we can’t prove the Paddington film is directly responsible, we’re confident that the broad appeal of the film will have helped contribute to sales of this key marmalade ingredient.”

Meanwhile Waitrose, a British supermarket chain, noted in January that sales of Seville oranges had gone up by 20 percent since the previous year, and there was an increase of 282 percent of downloads of Waitrose’s “Quick and Easy Seville Marmalade recipe.” In a statement, fresh fruit buyer Tim Stevens said: “It’s great news that more people than ever are discovering the joy of making marmalade at home—perhaps it’s the influence of Paddington Bear!”

And of course there are those that are simply consuming—not making—the product. Back in December The Grocer reported on the “Paddington Effect,” wherein sales of Robertson’s marmalades were up following the November release of the movie in the U.K.