Spicing Up Food and Beverage Licensing

Spice and seasoning brands historically have played a relatively small part on the large and still growing food-and-beverage licensing stage, with some long-time exceptions (such as McCormick’s Old Bay brand). More recently, however, a growing number of players in this space have entered the field as licensors and/or licensees, some of them very actively. In fact, this year seems to be one of the most notable yet in terms of the frequency of announcements involving spice and seasoning brands.

Here is a synopsis of what some of the leading brands have been up to in the last couple of years, in both outbound and inbound licensing:

• Old Bay has been expanding its outbound licensing activities this year with the debut of vodka from George’s Beverage Company (crafted by McClintock Distilling); canned Campbell’s clam chowder and limited-edition Goldfish crackers, both from the Campbell Soup Company; and frozen crab cakes and breaded shrimp from Handy Seafood. Other Old Bay product extensions include bloody mary mix (also from George’s) and Bigs sunflower seeds from Thanasi Foods. Old Bay has also signed several non-foods licensees, including Hill Killer for cycling gear; Route One for apparel, accessories, blankets, and other items; Maryland My Maryland for a range of apparel, accessories, and novelties; and Trau & Loevner for screen-printed t-shirts. Old Bay has been represented for licensing by Beanstalk (initially through its Nancy Bailey & Associates division) since 2011.

• The McCormick brand, owned by the same corporate parent as Old Bay, has been active on the inbound licensing side of late. It paired with influencer and actress Tabitha Brown in May for an all-purpose seasoning called Sunshine by Tabitha Brown, after a limited-edition drop last year sold out in less than an hour. And, in 2019, it paired with Buzzfeed for a line of co-branded Tasty Seasoning Blends. On the outbound licensing side, the McCormick Grill Mates brand has been licensed over the years for products such as sausages (with Bar-S Foods). Like Old Bay, McCormick is represented by Beanstalk for brand licensing.

• Spiceology has added some inbound partnerships in 2022. For example, it is working with the Bob Marley estate on a line of three Caribbean seasoning blends (dubbed One Love, One Heart, and One World). The products are inspired by some of the late singer’s favorite dishes and developed with Cedella Marley, who heads up the Bob Marley Group’s Marley Kitchen brand. Spiceology also paired with the TV series Hell’s Kitchen, hosted by chef Gordon Ramsay, for a range of blends with names like Vampire Killer, Sir Wellington, and Where’s the Lamb Sauce?!. The spice brand’s many other collections include collaborations with chefs and cooking experts (Kwame Onwuachi, Jet Tila, Derek Wolf, A Cook Named Matt, The Grill Dads, Chad White, Christie Vanover, Adam McKenzie, Lawrence Duran, Jean-Paul Bourgeois, Isaac Toups); food-related media brands (MeatEater, Girl Carnivore, DJ BBQ); nonprofit health groups (National Kidney Foundation); and food and beverage marketers (Maker’s Mark 46, New Belgium Brewing, Sasquatch BBQ).

• Morton Salt just signed a license with Golden Hill Foods for liquid Morton Marinades; Nashville Hot, All Herb, and Chile Lime Margarita will be the first three flavors released in the third and fourth quarters of this year. The company has additional plans for categories including sweets and snacks, frozen novelties, seasonings and seasoning blends, margarita salts, and other foods. In the non-foods arena, Morton announced a deal in February with Salt Science in the home and commercial/industrial cleaning sector; its initial products include electrolyzed sanitizing bottles and applicators to allow for more sustainable cleaning and disinfecting using only salt and water. Morton has further plans for brand extensions where salt can be a benefit, including health and wellness and beauty and personal care. It also expects to license branded collectibles, plush, tech accessories, and apparel and accessories.

• Old World Spices & Seasonings paired with Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, in 2020 for a line of seasonings, including Tex Mex Cowgirl Seasoning, Drummond Ranch Grill Seasoning, and Anything Goes Everyday Seasoning, among others. The manufacturer also has partnerships within its wholesale division with a wide variety of other IP, including national brands such as Jack Daniel’s, chefs such as Tuffy Stone and his Cool Smoke brand, and regional food service brands such as catering and event company Big Swede BBQ and restaurant Clark Crew BBQ. The company retained Broad Street Licensing Group in 2019 to assist it in acquiring rights for its inbound licensing/partnership program.

• Watkins, a 150-year-old purveyor of gourmet extracts, spices, seasoning blends, and decorating sugars, paired with Prestige Beverage Group, in a deal announced in March of this year, for a line of bitters that had soft launched in select states in fall of 2021 and went nationwide this spring. The first two products, Aromatic Bitters and Orange Bitters, allow consumers to bring Watkins’ natural flavors into cocktails and mocktails, along with Watkins’ core products, such as vanilla extract.

• Spice Chain, which was formed in 2015 from the merger of Spiceco and Van de Vries Spice Co., partnered with Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in 2020 for a line of retail spice blends and rubs, including Beef Brisket Rub, Chili Pork Butt Rub, Poultry Rub, and more. Spice Chain is known for developing custom spice blends for private label programs.

Seasoning brands’ extension of their IP into adjacent food categories makes good sense. Brands associated with a distinct and versatile flavor profile—think hot sauces and barbecue sauces, to name just two—have long been at the forefront of food-to-food licensing, and spice brands have the potential to reach an even wider spectrum of categories, thanks to their large array of flavor profiles.

On the inbound licensing and collaboration side, there has been a continuing proliferation in the number of chefs and other food-related IP owners who, while they may not have mainstream recognition, are popular with loyal niche audiences through their presence on YouTube and other social and traditional media platforms. They are increasingly looking for collaboration opportunities in the food industry, including for seasonings and seasoning blends that allow their fans to easily replicate some of their signature dishes at home.

RaugustReports will not publish on Monday, July 4, 2022, in recognition of the U.S. Independence Day holiday. We will be back with a new post on Thursday.