KANSAS CITY — Partnerships between major companies continue to capture consumer interest, as mashups between popular products trend.
Companies like Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. that specialize in juices and snacks are turning toward companies like The Hershey Co. to enter new snacking categories. The two companies recently launched a chocolate-dipped fruit snack line, which features chocolate dipped cranberry bites and chocolate dipped cherry-infused cranberry bites.
“What better way to build our snack portfolio than to partner with Hershey’s, the No. 1 milk chocolate brand in the US, offering our consumers the ultimate snack to evolve the dried fruit category,” said Monisha Dabek, chief commercial officer, USA, at Ocean Spray, when the product made its debut. “It’s important for us to create products that are made from real fruit, innovating how we feature the cranberry in a variety of flavor combinations for year-round snacking and sweet treats for the whole family.”
Other companies like the Kellogg Co. and J&J Snack Foods Corp. have brought their co-branded products to the breakfast aisle. The Kellogg Co. partnered with J&J Snack Foods Corp.’s Icee brand to launch Kellogg’s Icee Cereal.
According to the companies, the cereal is inspired by Icee’s cherry and blue raspberry flavors and uses an innovative ingredient that cools consumers’ mouths as they eat. The process, the companies claim, imitates “that familiar and refreshing first sip of an Icee.”
“Consumers today say they want to feel like a kid again, and there’s no better way to ‘Let the Kid Out’ than digging into a bowl of Icee branded cereal,” said Natalie Peterson, vice president of marketing at The Icee Co. “This fun combination is just right for anyone who wants to feel like a kid.”
