The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods: February 7, 2025 edition

Welcome to The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights that covers the latest must-know news surrounding the CPG space.

Hidden Valley Ranch just announced a collaboration with American fashion designer Emma Gage of Melke, which will debut at New York Fashion Week (Feb. 6-11). Hidden Valley Ranch x Melke reinterprets the brand’s bottle “to create vibrant geometric patterns” and its seasoning packet “for a whimsically artistic twist on family recipe nostalgia” across five custom pieces: two cardigans, a blouse, a knit vest and a pair of pants. (The Pop Insider offers a glimpse at the collection here.) Items will be available for purchase online at HiddenValleyRanch.com and melkenyc.com, and at select brick-and-mortar retailers nationwide this fall, with pieces ranging from $240 to $1,000.

Previously:

• “Hidden Valley Ranch takes holiday cards to another level with a ‘hidden’ treat,” from the Nov. 22, 2024 edition of this column.
• “Hidden Valley Ranch celebrates new bottle design with a Pizza Hut pizza autographed by Eli Manning,” from the Jan. 17 edition of this column.

More CPG collabs:

• “Heinz Is Releasing a Limited-Edition Mustard — and Naming Its Chief Mustard Officer” (Food & Wine)
• “Cinnamon Toast Crunch Teams up With Hershey’s for One-of-a-Kind New Candy” (RetailWire)
• “OAKBERRY’s Very POM Berry Smoothie Recognizes National Heart Month” (Trend Hunter)

Cracker Barrel Cheese is sending out a small army of robots to feed football fans. Now through Feb. 9 (Super Bowl Sunday), the Lactalis USA brand is deploying a fleet of 50 refrigerated, AI-powered robots to deliver its signature cheese sticks directly to fans at tailgates, viewing parties and other popular destinations around New Orleans — the host city for Super Bowl LIX — per a brand announcement. Each robot features a scannable QR code, which fans can use to gain access to an assortment of Cracker Barrel cheese stick varieties.

More Super Bowl–inspired activations:

• “Revlon gets into the game with Super Bowl block party” (Glossy)
• “‘Now that’s red hot’: Paris Hilton turns up the heat in new Super Bowl campaign” (USA Today)
• “PepsiCo teams up with Alphabet subsidiary for Super Bowl delivery promo” (Chain Store Age)

Bush’s Beans just released a limited-edition card game designed to provide a bit of fun for families “while their pot of homemade chili simmers on the stove,” per a brand announcement. Chop. Drop. Chili!, as the game is called, involves each player rolling the dice and “racing to spot the ingredients that match the recipe cards.” Available for $3 at shop.bushbeans.com, Chop. Drop. Chili! is set to get a little promotional help from actor Brian Baumgartner, whose Kevin character on “The Office” famously (and hilariously) dropped a giant pot of chili.

Previously: “Bush’s Beans launches ‘Musical Fruit Contest’ to inspire renditions of an iconic rhyme,” from the March 29, 2024 edition of this column.

More activations and partnerships:

• “PEEPS & Serendipity3 are Hosting a Brunchin’ with PEEPS Experience” (Trend Hunter)
• “Emmy Squared, Bero launch pizza, non-alcoholic beer kits” (Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery)
• “Ronny Chieng fronts Johnnie Walker campaign” (The Spirits Business)
• “Old El Paso Debuted Special Packs with J.J. Watt & Jason Kelce” (Trend Hunter)
• ICYMI: “OPI, Wingstop team up for ‘Snack in :60’ challenge” (Drug Store News)

Cheryl’s Cookies and Frank’s RedHot have released a sweet and spicy collaboration just in time for Valentine’s Day, Trend Hunter’s Michael Hemsworth reports. Cheryl’s Cookies x Frank’s RedHot includes a Cheryl’s sugar cookie topped with Frank’s RedHot buttercream frosting, available at Cheryls.com — along with a variety of other co-branded products, including a cookie sampler — ranging from $8.99 to $59.99.

More Valentine’s Day–inspired launches:

• “Hormel releases LTO heart-shaped pizza kits” (Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery)
• “Ghia x Alice Mushrooms Collaborated on a Valentine’s Day Treat” (Trend Hunter)
• ICYMI: “Love Pickles? Grillo’s Valentine’s Day Bouquet Is the Gift You Didn’t Know You Needed” (Food & Wine)

Absolut just launched new ready-to-serve (RTS) and ready-to-drink (RTD) flavor offerings, building on its Absolut Ocean Spray RTD Canned Cocktails and Absolut RTD and RTS cocktails lines, per a brand announcement. Additions to the Absolut RTS Cocktails line include an espresso martini, made with espresso and Kahlúa, and a classic cosmopolitan, while the Absolut Ocean Spray RTD line has expanded to include white cranberry-peach and cranberry-mango flavors. All are currently rolling out to select retailers nationwide — and then in April, Absolut will drop three more RTD cocktails: a Classic Mule, Classic Cosmo and Half & Half Tea & Lemonade.

More CPG product launches:

• “Dr Pepper’s Newest Flavor Is A Sweet Taste Of Southern Summer” (Southern Living)
• “Prairie Farms teams with Hiland Dairy for high-protein cottage cheese” (Dairy Foods Magazine)
• “The Tic Tac Two Range Has Dual Flavors and a Sugar-Free Format” (Trend Hunter)
• “Honey Bunches of Oats intros chocolate flavor” (Drug Store News)
• “Harry Potter Fans Will Love Goldfish’s Latest Limited-Time Flavor” (Food & Wine)
• “Keebler launches limited-edition Harry Potter ‘Butterbeer’ cookies” (FoodBev Media)
• “Capri Sun offers an alternative to the pouch” (Brand Innovators)
• “Deep Eddy Vodka Introduces Pineapple Flavor” (Beverage Dynamics)