Leftovers is our look at a few of the product ideas popping up everywhere. Some are intriguing, some sound amazing and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We can’t write about everything that we get pitched, so here are some leftovers pulled from our inboxes.
Tillamook shakes up the freezer aisle with pizza, mac & cheese
Oregon-based Tillamook is bringing its creamy cheese to frozen meals.
For the first time, the company is entering the frozen foods market with two different product lines: Tillamook Mac & Cheese and Crispy Stone-Fired Pizzas.
The premium dairy company — known for its cheeses, ice cream, butter and cream cheese — said the popularity of the mac & cheese dish it serves at the Tillamook Creamery in Oregon inspired it to bring the dish to the consumer market.
“It’s become a staple on our menu and folks travel from miles around to get a taste – to say it’s a fan favorite is an understatement,” said Steve Marko, the brand’s senior director of R&D, in the press release. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring that very special, sought-after recipe to the masses with our new line of Mac & Cheese.”
The “decadent” Mac & Cheese dish features al dente noodles with a creamy sauce and several of its cheeses, Tillamook said. It is sold in Classic Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar & Uncured Bacon and Cheddar & Hatch Chile varieties.
The pizzas feature an array of cheeses, including medium yellow cheddar, whole-milk mozzarella and Monterey Jack, according to the brand. They are launching in four styles: Cheesy Uncured Pepperoni, Three Cheese, Three Cheese Supreme and Cheesy BBQ Chicken.
It is not the first time an established brand is entering the frozen foods market in recent years. Mac and cheese category leader Kraft debuted a frozen version of its Mac & Cheese earlier this year. And in 2022, Sovos Brands-owned Italian foods brand Rao’s debuted premium frozen pizzas in four varieties.
— Chris Casey
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B&G Foods brings an alcohol buzz to the grill
As consumers fire up the grill this summer with their favorite alcoholic beverage in hand, B&G Foods has a new way to bring barbecue and the flavors of popular adult beverages closer together.
The Green Giant and Cream of Wheat maker is launching three new Weber Seasoning Blends inspired by the flavors of Sazerac Company’s most popular spirits. Those flavors include Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Buffalo Trace Bourbon and Southern Comfort Whiskey. Each seasoning blend is non-alcoholic and has been crafted to capture the iconic flavors of each spirit brand.
The products will be available at Kroger stores later this month. Buffalo Trace will be sold at Sam’s Club in September.
“We are constantly looking for new ways to elevate consumers’ culinary experiences with completely unique, yet familiar, seasoning flavor offerings,” Virginia Jordan, senior marketing director of spices and flavor solutions at B&G Foods, said in a statement.
The seasonings allow B&G to tap into two brands that are synonyms with their respective industries, Sazerac with alcohol and Weber in grilling. In a crowded spice and flavorings category, these brands enable B&G to grab the consumers’ attention and at least try the new offering.
For Sazerac, it allows the public to enjoy the tastes of their favorite spirits away from the traditional cocktail, bringing brands such as Southern Comfort into a new category outside of alcohol.
B&G’s diverse portfolio includes several other well-known seasoning brands, including Durkee, Spice Islands and Mrs. Dash. But in recent years, it has tapped into the brand equity of other manufacturers.
The New Jersey-based company previously partnered with General Mills and Mars Wrigley to roll out Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Twix Shakers, respectively. And earlier this year, it joined forces with the Girl Scout on a Thin Mints Seasoning Blend made up of dark cocoa, mint flavor and fine crumbles to emulate the flavor of the popular cookie.
— Christopher Doering
Dalci pumpkin spice blondie
Permission granted by Dalci
Dalci hops on the pumpkin spice bandwagon
The official end of summer is still a long four weeks away, but more and more companies are pumping out pumpkin spice variations as if the leaves have already turned to their golden hues of fall.
Grocery stores and quick service restaurants alike have been rolling out pumpkin spice menu options earlier and earlier in recent years, claiming August as the new autumn.
Dalci, the better-for-you plant-based blondie and brownie brand, has hopped on the fall-flavor bandwagon with the unveiling of their pumpkin spice blondie.
Dalci claims that all of their products are “clean” — made from organic, non-GMO ingredients like fair trade dark chocolate, coconut sugar, almond butter and avocado oil.
Their pumpkin spice blondie has hints of caramel and vanilla with a “dense, moist crumb with a buttery-smooth texture and is made with peak-harvest pumpkin purée & high quality fresh spices,” the company said.
The brand’s fifth flavor is only available for a limited time at Sprouts locations starting in September, and will soon be available on Amazon as well.
The Dalci brand began back in 2020, when founder Najwa Khan was frustrated with the “clean” — or lack thereof — ready-to-make desserts on the market, so she made her own.
The brownie brand also claims that their products are “gut health” friendly — another food trend that has resulted in a slew of consumer products adding postbiotics to ingredient lists.
After Dalic’s soft launch, they became available at specialty retail locations in November of 2020. The other flavor offerings include dark chocolate, almond butter, lemon coconut and apple spice
— Elizabeth Flood