Say Cheese

The number of collaborations taking a food or beverage brand’s distinctive taste into another, unexpected, food or beverage category continues to grow. Over the last year, one flavor—cheese, in all its many varieties and forms—has been at the center of several such partnerships. Examples range from cheese-infused alcoholic beverages to cheesy ice cream and donuts:

• Just last week, Hormel announced its collaboration with craft brewer Modist Brewing Co. for Chili Cheese Brew, a limited-edition “dip turned sip” that integrates the taste of a Super Bowl favorite food into a lager. The recipe consists of a corn chip-flavored base of Pilsner barley malt and flaked corn, enhanced with savory chili spices and cheddar cheese powder. The product is a way to promote Hormel Chili, one of the main ingredients in chili-cheese dip, for the big game.

• In December 2022, Kraft and Van Leeuwen brought their Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream collaboration back, this time in a nationwide launch at Walmart stores. A limited edition of 6,000 introduced in July 2022 sold out in an hour and was followed by a bigger but still limited launch in August. The product is one of seven flavors Van Leeuwen has initially brought to Walmart stores through the new deal; the assortment will rotate every 10 weeks.

• In the U.K. in November, Hartington Creamery, billed as the smallest stilton cheese maker in the world, paired with Cuckoostone Distillery for limited-edition cheese-infused vodka, as well as a set of gins (regular, dry, and pink) infused with the whey that is used to make stilton cheese. The products were billed as having a particularly creamy mouth feel more than a cheesy taste. Both partners are located in the Derbyshire area of England.

• In July 2022, another Kraft brand, Velveeta, partnered with BLT Restaurant Group to offer a Velveeta Veltini, a limited-edition cheesy martini, in all of the latter’s BLT steak houses across the country and in its Italian restaurant, Florentine, in Chicago. The $15 drink featured Velveeta-infused vodka, vermouth, and olive brine, garnished with a cocktail pick sporting Velveeta-stuffed olives and Velveeta Shells & Cheese, as well as a cheese drip. Velveeta Veltini kits were available through Goldbelly for home use as well.

• On National Pizza Party Day last May, Hormel partnered with The Doughnut Project, a West Village, New York City shop, for a limited Cheese the Day variety, consisting of an unglazed donut topped with mozzarella, handmade marinara sauce, and Hormel Pepperoni Cup N’ Crisp, the brand’s pizza house-style pepperoni product.

• In March 2022, in the Philippines, Lola Nena, a family-owned chain offering savory and sweet baked goods and snacks, collaborated with local artisanal dairy brand Merry Moo for a limited ice cream that incorporates chunks of the cafe’s signature Triple Cheese Donut, along with additional bits of savory cheese. While cheese and donut pairings in and of themselves make for an unusual combination in the eyes of U.S. consumers, cheese donuts of various recipes are a popular snack item in several Asian countries. Lola Nena’s extension of its version into ice cream attracted a lot of attention.

While surprising food pairings highlighting cheese may not end up being a lasting trend, the concept of marketers bringing together disparate flavors in new and unusual ways is certainly here to stay. Typically very limited in time or quantities available, these collaborations tend to be an effective way to generate attention for the partners’ brands during key sales or promotional windows.