Sticking with Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a flavor profile that is always top of mind, but it just seems to be getting stronger and stronger as the focus of flavor-based food-to-food collaborations. The spice is perennially popular with a wide swath of consumers, it is very versatile, it is relevant both during holidays and for everyday use, and it lends itself well to many of the categories that are particularly active on the collaboration front, from ice cream to breakfast cereal to alcohol.

Some of the brands that have been at the forefront of flavor-based collaborations involving cinnamon of late include:

• Cinnabon. This Focus Brands trademark boasts the broadest and deepest licensing program of the brands mentioned here, the launch of which goes back more than two decades. Some of its newer additions include an expansion of its line of protein powders with Ghost; Carvel for several limited-edition varieties of soft serve in honor of National Cinnamon Roll Day; Conagra Brands for a Snack Pack pudding flavor, Duncan Hines muffin kit, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn seasoning flavor, and Mrs. Butterworth’s pancake kit and syrup; Kellogg’s for a return of Cinnabon cereal; and Boost for a nutritional drink flavor.

• Cinnamon Toast Crunch. A few of this General Mills cereal brand’s initiatives in 2022 and 2023 have included programs with sibling brand Bugles for a sweet version of the classic snack, Original Donut Shop for a K-Cup latte flavor, Krispy Kreme for glazed donuts, B&G Foods for creamy cinnamon spread and Cinnadust seasoning blend, and Stuffed Puffs for filled marshmallow snacks, among others.

• Entenmann’s. Another long-time licensor, owned by Bimbo Bakeries, Entenmann’s has been busy recently forging deals with Baked by Melissa for cupcakes, White Coffee for another coffee collaboration consisting of a breakfast blend and nine flavored coffees, Obvi for a new flavor in its line of collagen protein powder, and The Sorrisa Group for ice cream sandwiches.

• Pop Tarts. The Kellogg’s brand’s Brown Sugar Cinnamon variety has recently paired with Crumbl for a limited cookie offering, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for a frosted brown sugar cinnamon ice flavor, and Nestle’s Coffee Mate for a limited-edition creamer variety.

• Knaus Berry Farm. This Miami attraction is known for its seasonally available cinnamon rolls (and strawberry shakes) and has participated in a number of limited collaborations with other local businesses. This spring it paired with Max’d Out Donuts for a hybrid cinnamon-roll-donut dessert topped with pickled strawberries. Other partners have included Spanish Marie Brewery (stout), The Salty (cinnamon bun–filled donut), and Azucar (ice cream).

The rise in cinnamon-related food collaborations has been accompanied by an increase in the popularity of the spice in general, as a variety of researchers have tracked both social discussions around cinnamon and sales of the spice growing at a healthy pace in recent years. Forecasts call for those trends to continue.

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