Recent deals for frozen and packaged foods have centered on chefs who hail from Africa, or have African roots, and are known for the African influences in their cooking and/or for promoting African flavors and recipes. Chefs of West African heritage have been particularly active. Such celebrity chefs, recognized from their TV appearances, cookbooks, and/or […]
Archive | Food/Beverage
Tempting Treats
Cereal marketers’ increasing tendency to extend their brands into other food categories was noted here more than two years ago, but the trend has continued to intensify since then. Sales of these licensors’ core cereal product spiked during the early pandemic, but have since leveled off, due to a number of factors. They range from […]
The Next Stage of Plant-Based Growth
Most of the licensing and collaboration activity in the growing plant-based food sector to date has involved celebrity-connected vegan meal kits and extensions of existing partnerships into the vegan and vegetarian space (e.g. Breyers adding an almond milk ice cream to its licensed Oreo line). As the plant-based food industry grows, the role of licensing […]
A Month for Mocktails
Each year, more consumers give “Dry January” a try, pledging to avoid alcoholic beverages for the month. Their reasons are varied: to start the new year on the right foot from a wellness perspective, to see how they feel when they drink less, or to cut calories as they begin a new diet. Many sober-curious […]
Flavorful Pairings and Pours
Corporate food and restaurant brands have been jumping on the bandwagon—along with properties of all sorts—when it comes to collaborating on limited-edition wine varieties. In the most recent cases, the flavors of the branded foods are infused into the wine itself, usually in a subtle manner that is intended to taste good but is attention-getting […]
A Home for the Holidays
Gingerbread kits are a perennial category for the holidays each year. Most of the products feature pre-baked cookie pieces in the proper sizes and shapes, as well as frosting, candies for decoration, accessories such as paper character figures, and everything else needed to make a finished gingerbread house or other structure for display. A variety […]
Food for Fans
While entertainment/character-based products for adults represent a relatively small part of the world of licensed food and beverages, several recent initiatives show that this type of pairing is alive and well in today’s licensing environment: In honor of the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, ViacomCBS Consumer Products partnered with Corleone Fine Italian Foods. Products under […]
Out of the Fry Basket, Into the Fire
Forget about the chicken wars. Quick-service restaurant and retail food and beverage brands have recently been ordering up some tasty promotions and collaborations centering on a hot menu item: French fries. Some examples: In a widely reported pairing last week, Arby’s worked with craft distillery Tattersall to create a very limited run of two fry-flavored […]
Is the Bubble Bursting on Hard Seltzer?
The hard seltzer category, which has been experiencing strong growth since 2018—and has been at the center of a number of collaborations and licensing deals—has started to show signs of leveling off. Alcoholic beverage industry analyst IWSR predicts the hard seltzer category will increase by 73% in the U.S. in 2021, a significant rate but […]
Cutting the Mustard
The announcement last week of a Grey Poupon wine is a reminder of how mustard brands have mastered the art of creating limited-edition foods and beverages featuring weird flavor combinations for use as promotional tools. Some of the relatively few but always conversation-worthy examples over the years include: Kraft Heinz’ Grey Poupon “La Moutarde Vin” […]