Leftovers: Blue Moon takes on bagels; Fresh Cravings debuts Tajín, pickle hummus flavors

Blue Moon moves into bagels

Beer bread is making room for beer bagels, at least for a while.

Molson Coors’ Blue Moon beer is partnering with PopUp Bagels to bring together what they call the best of craft beer and artisan bagels. Blue Moon beer is infused into PopUp Bagels, while the craft brew’s signature Valencia oranges are incorporated into the cream cheese.

Beer and bagel lovers can get the limited-time offering by heading to PopUp Bagels locations in New York City and Connecticut. The Blue Moon Beer Bagel and Valencia Orange Cream Cheese also are available for shipping online through Sunday.

“Partnering with PopUp Bagels was a great fit for the Blue Moon brand, and we saw an opportunity to create something truly unique and delicious together,” Lindsey Wesloski, a brand manager at Blue Moon, told Food Dive in an email. “We all know you can make beer bread, but there are very few beer bagels out there in the world.”

Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said last month that Blue Moon is operating in a “challenged segment” due to “softness” in the craft beer segment. While the new bagels pairing is unlikely to provide enough of a tailwind to help the brand in the near term, it should provide more brand awareness.

Wesloski said while this is the first-ever bagel partnership for Blue Moon, the brand has worked with other food partners before. Last year, Blue Moon worked with a bakery to introduce mini pies to garnish Blue Moon beer.

Molson Coors is no stranger to finding new ways to promote its beers through new products and partnerships. 

The company’s Miller High Life brand partnered with chocolatier and entrepreneur Phillip Ashley earlier this year to create Miller High Life Bar Snack Truffles, while its Coors Light brew also has been found in offbeat products such as beer-flavored lollipops and popsicles.

— Christopher Doering

Hummus maker uses Tajín and pickles to boost dip offerings

As people crave bolder flavors from their foods, brands looking to shake up their portfolio are using trendy tastes and brand collaborations to woo new consumers.

Dip maker Fresh Cravings is capitalizing on the desire for spicy and salty offerings with two new flavors of its hummus: Tajín Chili Lime and Dill Pickle. The former was developed in collaboration with chili lime seasoning brand Tajín, which contains a zesty blend of chili peppers, lime and salt. The latter taps the tangy taste of pickles and adds a hint of garlic, according to Fresh Cravings.

The new flavors join an array of other hummus varieties the brand sells, such as Honey Jalapeño, Mediterranean and Lemon Garlic. Fresh Cravings is the fastest-growing brand in the refrigerated dip category and has the highest absolute dollar growth of the leading hummus brands, the brand said in its press release citing SPINS data. Its hummus is made with extra virgin olive oil sourced in Chile.

Chickpea-based dips continue to grow in popularity as health-conscious consumers flock to Mediterranean food and high-protein items. The global market for the hummus category is projected to reach $10.2 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 14.7%, a SkyQuest report said.

Consumers wouldn’t be wrong to notice the flavor of pickles is appearing on new products more than ever. also. Brands across the CPG space have unveiled new offerings this year containing the flavor of dill and cucumber, including Kraft Heinz’s latest ketchup item and My/Mochi’s pickle-flavored ice cream product. A report from Yelp found searches for pickle-flavored items are up 55% this year.

— Chris Casey

Momo Kombucha and Orbit Beers bring hops to Dry January

Momo Kombucha, the organic fermented beverage brand, and U.K. brewery Orbit Beers have joined forces to create a non-alcoholic ‘hoppy’ kombucha — available in both tropical fruit and gooseberry flavors. 

The limited edition offerings — Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin — have a touch of tartness, the companies said, and will be available at Orbit Beers’ tap rooms as well as DTC from Momo’s website. 

Just in time for Dry January, the companies are capitalizing on Gen Z’s ‘promiscuous’ relationship to alcohol — which has ignited a rise in alcohol moderation. With nearly one-third of the generation claiming they don’t drink, low and no-alcohol beverages have continued to rise in popularity as the market reached $11 billion in sales in 2022 according to IWSR, and the category still has room to grow. 

Meanwhile, kombucha has seen its own growth in recent years. In 2019, the global market size was valued at $1.84 billion, and by 2027, is projected to reach $10.45, according to Fortune Business Insights.

Hoppy beers, according to the U.K brewery have a “complex flavor base, mapping citrus tones and herbal, earthy notes, which make them an absolutely astonishing match for fully fermented tart kombucha like MOMO’s,” it said in a statement, adding that Orbit has admired the tradition way that Momo brews their beverages for decades. 

“We could think of no better partner than Orbit Beers…This traditional approach with a flavor-focused modern spin felt like a natural fit for the way we brew,” said Josh Puddle, co-founder of Momo Kombucha.

— Elizabeth Flood