Collaborations Worth Their Salt

Collaborations focused on infused salts, mostly limited editions, have been on the rise since about 2022. The products are both colorful and flavorful and are intended for use as cocktail rimmers, finishing salts for baked goods, and beyond. Most examples involve IPs that are closely tied to the food and beverage industry: 

• Rokz, a maker of salts and spice infusions, partnered with Droosh, which markets Indian spice blends and hot sauces. The line of spicy salt rimmers for cocktails, mocktails, coffees, and teas included Twilight Party (citrus and spice), Masala Sunrise (smoke and spice), and Garden Glow (citrus and botanicals). 

• Retailer Williams Sonoma paired with Casamigo, a premium tequila and mezcal brand backed by actor George Clooney and others, for an exclusive line of cocktail mixes and rimmer salts. The cocktail rimmer flavors included Pink Himalayan, Red Chile, and Salty Sweet Orange.  

• Osmo, a purveyor of gourmet artisanal salts headed by chef Nick DiGiovanni, has offered collaborative products with the likes of gourmet pasta sauce marketer Carbone, backed by chef Mario Carbone, for 4-Cheese, Arrabbiata, and Tomato Basil varieties, and Chamberlain Coffee, for Hazelnut, Caramel, and Cinnamon Bun flavors meant to add a kick to a cup of caffeine. 

• Yardy World, a BIPOC food and culture studio that offers recipes, products, and events, paired with Madre Mezcal for three infused salts—Black Citrus (with Hawaiian salt), Healing Herbs (featuring Indian flavors), and Chile Salt (a Mexican-inspired blend)—all appropriate for use on a variety of foods and drinks.  

In addition to these joint products, infused salt brands are involved in promotional partnerships with celebrities and other IPs, as when NASCAR driver Spencer Boyd teamed with Twang, the marketer of Original Beer Salt in flavors including lime, lemon-lime, pickle, and cucumber chili lime, for a tie-in involving events and sampling. 

Meanwhile, some salt brands (infused, artisanal, and otherwise) are dipping their toes into outbound collaborations as well. Artisanal sea salt producer East Neuk Salt Co. did so when it paired with Scottish distiller Eden Mill for a sugar syrup inflused with salty, smoky, and sweet flavors. And, in a more mass-market example, Morton Salt has licensed Golden Hill Foods for marinades and worked with Alter Brewing on a beer. 

Note also that some of the same marketers that offer infused salts also sell infused finishing sugars and the like. Beautiful Briny Sea, which supplies flavored salts to Fish’s Eddy, Williams Sonoma, and Red Beard Restaurants, paired with Amy Sedaris, actress and author, for sweet I Like You Cupcake Sprinkles. The product, whose name is inspired by the title of Sedaris’ book on hospitality, is available exclusively through Fish’s Eddy.

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