{"id":792560,"date":"2026-07-11T01:51:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T01:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/792560\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T01:51:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T01:51:17","slug":"supermarket-phantom-brands-explained-the-hidden-home-brand-grocery-trick-hiding-in-plain-sight-at-coles-and-woolworths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/792560\/","title":{"rendered":"Supermarket \u2018phantom brands\u2019 explained: The hidden home brand grocery trick hiding in plain sight at Coles and Woolworths"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever filled your trolley with a premium-looking grocery items<\/a>, not realising they are made by the supermarket themselves<\/a>?<\/p>\n

These are called \u201cphantom\u201d or \u201cin-house\u201d brands, and unlike supermarket home brands, they don\u2019t carry the name of the retailer on the packaging<\/a>, as we see with Coles Simply and Woolworths Essentials.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There are \u2018phantom brands\u2019 hiding in plain sight at Coles and Woolworths.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

Why do supermarkets carry phantom brands and home brands? In short, to increase their profit margins.<\/p>\n

And because these are typically more affordable than national brands, it\u2019s a win-win for supermarkets and Aussie shoppers.<\/p>\n

The more phantom brands and home brands supermarkets sell, the more they make because they are producing these ranges themselves, in-house.<\/p>\n

To check if a supermarket brand is a phantom brand, simply turn the package over to see where it was made, packed, or distributed from.<\/p>\n

This will look something like: \u201cPacked for Coles Supermarkets\u201d, \u201cColes Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd\u201d or \u201cProduced for Woolworths\u201d, or list their supply arm, \u201cGreenTree\u201d or \u201cProgressive Enterprises\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look some of the major supermarket \u201cphantom brands\u201d at Coles and Woolworths, many of which will already be in your freezer, fridge and pantry.<\/p>\n

Phantom brands by supermarketColes<\/p>\n

Wild Tides<\/p>\n

This is Coles\u2019 tinned seafood range, and it includes tuna and salmon. <\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

This is Coles\u2019 tinned seafood range, and it includes tuna and salmon. \u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

It is packaged to look like an independent, premium seafood brand rather than a generic supermarket product, and directly competes with the store\u2019s home brands Coles and Coles Simply, as well as national brands like Sirena, John West and Green Seas.<\/p>\n

Chef\u2019s Kitchen<\/p>\n

This is an in-house private label used by Coles for baking and dessert mixes, such as French-style crepe mixes, styled to look like an independent culinary brand rather than a generic store line.<\/p>\n

It competes with Betty Crocker, Greens, and White Wings, as well as Coles home brands.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Urban Coffee Culture competes with the likes of Vittoria and Lavazza.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

Urban Coffee Culture<\/p>\n

This phantom brand of coffee does, in fact, include the word Coles on the front of the pack, but it isn\u2019t obviously a Coles product. <\/p>\n

It is sold as ground coffee and beans and competes with Vittoria, Lavazza, and other popular coffee brands.<\/p>\n

Drovers Choice<\/p>\n

This buy can be found in Coles\u2019 fresh meat section and includes beef mince, steaks and stir fries.<\/p>\n

Other phantom brands available at Coles include Ultra Life health products and Woofin\u2019 Good pet foods.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

This can be found in the fresh meat section at Coles.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Coles \u2018phantom brand\u2019 pasta is called Cucina Matese.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

\u201cColes\u2019 exclusive brands are designed to give customers more choice, quality\u00a0and value across the store, from everyday essentials through to more premium and lifestyle-led products,\u201d the supermarket\u2019s Head of Product Development and Innovation, Elaine Brooks, told nine.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work closely with our product developers, chefs, nutritionists, technologists, Australian farmers\u00a0and suppliers to develop products that deliver on flavour, consistency\u00a0and value.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus is on listening to customers and continuing to innovate across our exclusive brand range, so we can offer products that are trusted, accessible and relevant to the way Australians shop today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woolworths<\/p>\n

Thomas Dux<\/p>\n

This is an exclusive\u00a0brand focusing on specialty fine foods, including artisan cheeses, salami, dips and antipasto, perfect for grazing platters and entertaining.<\/p>\n

La Gina<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Woolworths\u2019 phantom brand on tinned tomatoes.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

This range of Italian-inspired products includes pastas, ready-made sauces, oils, and antipasti items.<\/p>\n

La Mesita<\/p>\n

In this line, you\u2019ll find Mexican-focused meal solutions, including taco kits, tortillas, seasonings, and salsas.<\/p>\n

This competes with popular Mexican meal kits including Woolworths\u2019 home brand and Old El Paso.<\/p>\n

Other popular Woolworths phantom brands include Lantern Alley, their Asian pantry staples range, Little One\u2019s baby products, and Voeu skincare.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Woolworths\u2019 popular Mexican range competes with the likes of Old El Paso.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know our customers are looking for ways to make their weekly shop go further without compromising on quality,\u201d a Woolworths spokesperson told nine.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur exclusive and own-brand ranges are designed with this in mind. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud of the breadth of our portfolio, which spans from everyday pantry staples and award-winning Little One\u2019s baby care, to premium entertaining options.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re constantly working to deliver exceptional quality and genuine value across the store, ensuring families can find products to suit every budget.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ever filled your trolley with a premium-looking grocery items, not realising they are made by the supermarket themselves?…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792561,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99],"class_list":["post-792560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}