Dive Brief:
- Ore-Ida and GoodPop are launching Fudge n’ Vanilla French Fry Pops, a frozen treat that combines sweet and salty.
- The limited-edition offering is available nationwide online ahead of National Ice Cream Day on Sunday. The treat wraps a vanilla oatmilk frozen base in a chocolate fudge shell rolled in crispy potato bits. A pack of four pops sells for $9.99.
- The partnership further underscores the popular combination of sweet and salty found in everything from chocolate-drizzled popcorn to Reese’s, an early entrant in the category that has grown into a multi-billion brand with its pairing of milk chocolate and peanut butter.
Dive Insight:
With sweltering heat taking over much of the U.S., Ore-Ida and GoodPop are looking to cool things down.
The new Ore-Ida pops are unlikely to ever bring meaningful revenue to the Kraft Heinz-owned brand but it helps expand the potato offering’s presence in frozen novelties and the trendy sweet and salty space.
Hershey, which owns the Reese’s brand, told Food Dive in 2023 that the sweet and salty category is valued at $1.7 billion, with roughly $1 billion of it coming from private label that tends to be heavily focused on seasonal offerings. Growth in the segment has posted a strong 12% compound annual growth rate during the last four years.
“Nothing says summer quite like the sweet and salty combo of a fry dipped in a milkshake, but fans often have to go to a restaurant to enjoy the summertime staple,” Jackie Britva, senior brand manager for Ore-Ida at Kraft Heinz, said in a statement. “We put a unique and convenient spin on the American classic, bringing it to home freezers everywhere.”
Ice cream has proven to be a popular channel for shelf-stable food and beverages.
Beer giant Molson Coors previously partnered to launch Blue Moon ice cream and Guinness collaborated with Tipsy Scoop on Lucky Sundaes Guinness Draught Ice Cream with Maple Pancake Crunch.
Kraft Heinz has been in ice cream before, too. It joined with Van Leeuwen in 2021 to get an ice cream inspired by its iconic blue box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
