Leftovers: Hershey adds caramel to Reese’s | Nestlé pours Eggo-flavored Coffee mate

Reese’s goes sweet for caramel

Reese’s, the popular combination of peanut butter and chocolate, is joining with another fixture of the candy aisle: caramel.

In response to consumer demand, Hershey is adding a gooey layer of caramel to its beloved confection to create its Reese’s Caramel Big Cup.

“Next to peanut butter, caramel is the most requested combination with chocolate – and while Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are already perfect, ask, and you shall receive,” Emily Stover, Reese’s senior associate brand manager, said in a statement. “We know what our fans want, and we’re delivering on that with the Reese’s Caramel Big Cup.”

Reese’s Caramel Big Cup is available nationwide starting November 17.

The century-old Reese’s, with more than $3 billion in annual sales, has been stuffed with everything from Reese’s Pieces and pretzels to potato chips and Reese’s Puffs Cereal..

Currently, Hershey said the Reese’s brand has approximately 100 products available now, including Reese’s cups made with milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white crème in a variety of sizes.

Similar to other food and beverage companies that prioritized meeting demand for its products and maintaining service with retailers in recent years, Hershey is planning to accelerate the pace at which innovative products like the Reese’s Caramel Big Cup reach the market.

Michele Buck, Hershey’s CEO, told Wall Street earlier this month that the maker of Kisses, Dot’s and Almond Joy has “stepped …up” its innovation plans for 2024. She said “higher levels of innovation” will play a larger role in driving its overall business as well as shelf, displays and additional placements at retail.

— Christopher Doering

L’Eggo my cup of Joe

Consumers who don’t have time to prepare a plate of waffles in the morning now have another way to access the breakfast food’s flavor.

CPG giant Nestlé debuted its latest Coffee mate creamer flavor — Eggo Waffles and Maple Syrup —in collaboration with Kellanova’s breakfast food brand. The offering will be available in January. Nestlé said in a press release the creamer is “perfect for snow day brunches and cozy winter mornings.”

“Coffee mate fans know that we’re dedicated to bringing new, sought-after and unexpected flavors to our limited-time offerings to add an exciting twist to their daily coffee routines,” Leonardo Aizpuru, Nestlé’s vice president of brand marketing for beverages, said in a statement. “Breakfast flavors, particularly maple, are amongst the top requested – and as breakfast and coffee go hand-in-hand, we thought no better pairing than Coffee mate and Eggo.”

The launch follows the appearance of Kellanova waffles brand in another Nestlé product, Sensations Eggo Maple Waffle Flavored Milk. The ready-to-drink product also was promoted to on-the-go consumers.

Nestle’s Coffee mate brand, known for its array of creamers featuring flavors like Twix and Pop-Tarts, continues to evolve along with its parent category. Last month, the CPG giant announced it would expand the brand into ready-to-drink iced coffee.

The Eggo flavor has been repurposed in other product areas as well, including hard drinks. In August, Kellanova partnered with spirits brand Sugarlands Distilling for a boozy beverage containing 20% alcohol by volume: Eggo Brunch in a Jar Sippin’ Cream. Last year, the company unveiled a hard Eggo Nog beverage for the holiday season with the same alcohol producer.

— Chris Casey

Oatly and Insomnia make sweet foodservice distribution deal

Few food and drink combinations are as nostalgic as a glass of milk and a warm cookie.

Now, Oatly and the Insomnia cookie brand are bringing that quintessential feeling to plant-based eaters.

The Swedish oat milk maker’s Original and Chocolate milks will be available at all 250 plus Insomnia locations throughout the U.S. starting November 16.

“Insomnia Cookies has built an amazing brand and reputation for providing fantastic cookies and more,” said Mike Messersmith, president of Oatly North America, “We’re delighted to continue building our foodservice footprint in the US with such a sweet partner.”

The company’s new U.S. food distribution arrangement comes a week after the company reported its third quarter earnings results and announced plans to halt construction of two of its new factories — one in the UK town of Peterborough, another in the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas.

The move, Oatly said, is intended to help the company to focus on an “asset-light strategy” following “a detailed review of our supply chain networks in both regions,” CEO Jean-Christophe Flatin told investors during a recent earnings call.

The foodservice partnership also comes as Oatly saw declining revenue in the retail category for the Q3. Flatin said that the company’s overall revenue growth was “partially offset by declines in the foodservice and other channels” when compared with the same period in 2022.

Oat milk has been at the forefront of the plant-milk revolution. In 2020, it became the second most popular plant-based milk option.

The company touts that its product have the same “creamy taste, frothy feel, and functionality as cow’s milk and also generally has a lower climate impact than cow’s milk.”

“Oatly is the original oatmilk and has paved the way for the plant-based milk revolution,” said Tom Carusona, chief marketing officer at Insomnia Cookies. “We’re excited to bring this new offering to our customers, who we know are increasingly looking for great non-dairy options that are better for the planet. Paired with our signature, warm delicious cookies, it’s a no-brainer.”

— Elizabeth Flood