Milling & Baking News - August 9, 2022 - 31

TUES | 08 09 2022
Crackers call on seasoning, seasonal
offerings to spice up category
S
easonal and seasoning are two
words that come to mind when
looking to describe innovation in
the crackers category.
Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg Co.
finds itself participating in both trends.
In May, Kellogg launched Cheez-It Snap'd
Scorchin' Hot Cheddar snacking crackers
for a limited time this summer. The
hot cheddar flavor joins double cheese,
cheddar sour cream and onion, jalapeño
jack and barbecue varieties in the Snap'd
product line. The hot cheddar crackers are
spicy and garlicy, the company said.
" Lunch has become the mundane or
forgotten meal, but with the cheesy,
thin and crispy crunch from
Cheez-It Snap'd we're bringing
that 'I can't wait until lunch'
feeling back, " said Erin Storm,
senior marketing director of
Cheez-It.
Kellogg hopes the new flavor
fuels the fire that sent dollar
sales of Cheez-It climbing
above $1.35 billion in the 52
weeks ended July 10, up nearly
15% from the same period a
year ago, according to IRI, a
Chicago-based market research
firm. Cheez-It unit sales rose
3.5% from the same period a
year ago, which was in contrast
to the overall cracker
category, which experienced
a 2.2% decline in unit sales over
the past 52 weeks, according to IRI.
Seasoning also was at the heart of a
new flavor launch within Kellogg's Club
Crisps lineup. Club Crisps debuted in
March 2021 in sea salt and ranch flavors.
A year later, Kellogg added a limited-time
30 MILLING & BAKING NEWS
variety: sweet and salty.
Club Crisps Sweet & Salty is the first-ever
sweet and savory flavor within Kellogg's
expansive Club crackers portfolio. The
wavy crisps are baked light and thin, and
combine the taste of sweet, caramelized
flavored sugar with a pop of salt that blends
with a buttery base, according to Kellogg.
Kellogg is giving consumers a seasonal
option this fall with the introduction of
Town House Game Day Dippers. The specially-shaped
football-themed crackers
feature four seasonal designs, including
footballs, goal posts and helmets.
" Town House is always looking to
innovate and deliver new experiences
for our dedicated cracker fans, " said
Zach Wyer, director of brand marketing
for Kellogg's Crackers. " With successful
launches of Town House Dippers in 2020,
followed by Dipping Thins in 2021, we
took a fan-favorite product to the next
level by introducing the first-ever football-shaped
crackers to the Town House
portfolio - just in time for the return of
football season. We are excited to hear
what consumers think of the new Town
House Game Day Dippers. "
At Camden, NJ-based Campbell Soup
Co., a growing partnership with McCormick
& Co. is keeping things " spicy. " In
May, the two companies partnered on
another new Goldfish flavor: Old Bay
Seasoned Goldfish crackers.
The new limited-edition variety
includes Old Bay's blend of 18 herbs and
spices, including black pepper, paprika,
celery salt and red pepper, giving the
crackers what Campbell Soup describes
as a " big, bold flavor combination. "
" What I find most exciting about this
partnership is that once again Goldfish is
showing up for our flavor enthusiasts in
a big, bold way, " said Janda Lukin, chief
marketing officer of Campbell Snacks.
" Old Bay Seasoned Goldfish harnesses the
fandom of two iconic brands and brings
consumers a new way to experience their
favorite zesty flavor on their beloved fishshaped
cracker, just in time for summer. "
The partnership between Campbell
Soup and McCormick is the second in the
Goldfish lineup. In April 2021 the two
companies partnered to launch Frank's
RedHot crackers.
In a June earnings conference call,
Mark A. Clouse, president and chief
executive officer of Campbell Soup, said
he expected the company to get a nice
boost from Old Bay Seasoned Goldfish
crackers.
" We quickly created a buzz among a
passionate consumer base, logging more
than 1 billion impressions in 48 hours, "
Mr. Clouse said. " The product sold out
within nine hours on Shop McCormick. "
Sales also were strong for Goldfish
Family Size and Goldfish Mega Bites, he
said.
" Family Size is overdelivering across
all metrics, with strong velocity, distribution
and trial, " Mr. Clouse said. " Goldfish
Mega Bites continues to outpace our
target and overdeliver on our expectations,
driven by strong velocity, trial and
repeat rates. Our strategy to broaden our
consumer base is working. "
Dollar sales of Pepperidge Farm
crackers totaled $1.11 billion in the 52
weeks ended July 10, up 9% from the same
period a year ago, according to IRI. Unit
sales, though, fell 2.4% during the most
recent period, IRI noted. MBN
- Eric Schroeder
bakingbusiness.com
CRACKERS update
KELLOGG CO. AND CAMPBELL SOUP CO.
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
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