Once considered a simple, middle-of-the-road salad dressing or veggie dip, the ranch flavor profile not only gained cult status but has become a versatile condiment, complementing everything from pizza and fries to popcorn and more. Brand leader Hidden Valley Ranch’s latest product partners with a familiar name from the snacking aisle for a unique combination.
Clorox-owned Hidden Valley Ranch partnered with Kellanova’s Cheez-It to create Cheezy Ranch, designed to compliment salty snacks like the namesake cracker, a plate of nachos, fries or a soft pretzel. The offering contains 100% real cheese and features both savory Cheez-It crackers and zesty ranch, according to the press release.
The dressing brand said the idea for the collaboration came from seeing consumers add idiosyncratic flavors to their ranch on social media.
“When we caught wind of them combining the irresistible flavors of Hidden Valley Ranch with Cheez-It crackers, we were blown away,” said CC Ciafone, the ranch brand’s marketing director, in a statement. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to make this dream collaboration a reality!”
Cheezy Ranch is the latest flavor in a line of six other new Hidden Valley Ranch flavors also launching this spring — including Creamy Jalapeño, Nashville Hot, Garlic, Green Goddess, Spicy Hot Honey and Parmesan. The items will be available at Walmart and other select grocery stores, Hidden Valley Ranch said.
Hidden Valley has taken note of its cult-like following over the past decade, with novel product launches that are purchased and resold as collectible items, from ice cream to eggnog. Earlier this year, the brand entered the beauty space with Burt’s Bees to create a line of lip balms based on the dressing in four flavors.
For its part, Kellanova continues to establish Cheez-It one of its definitive brands in its aim to boost its presence as a snacking-only company, with new products like Cheez-It Puff’d. Boosting its presence in collaborative, quirky products primed to garner social media attention is one way to keep the cracker brand relevant among younger consumers.
