• by Erik Oster , March 6, 2024

It’s no surprise that Hidden Valley Ranch is doing something big to celebrate National Ranch Day on March 10. The Clorox brand announced today it’s releasing its latest flavor in partnership with Kellanova’s Cheez-It brand: Cheezy Ranch.

The  collaboration was inspired by existing consumer behavior.

“Ranch fans never cease to amaze us with their creative twists on Hidden Valley Ranch,” Hidden Valley Ranch marketing director CC Ciafone said in a statement. “When we caught wind of them combining the irresistible flavors of Hidden Valley Ranch with Cheez-It crackers, we were blown away.”

Hidden Valley Ranch touts the flavor as being made with 100% real cheese, combined with its signature herbs and spices, and suggests using it to top a plate of nachos or as a dipping sauce for fries, soft pretzels, or, naturally, Cheez-It crackers. The new flavor will be available nationally at Walmart Walmart later this month, and roll out to Kroger stores in early April.

In a statement, Cheez-It brand director Cara Tragseiler suggested that given the fan overlap, the two brands coming together for the release “made perfect sense,” adding, ““For the first time ever, our fans can drizzle the cheezy deliciousness they know and love on just about anything!”

Cross-brand collaborations are nothing new for Hidden Valley Ranch, with the previous example its Ranch Dippers collaboration with Burt’s Bees, bringing the wing experience to lip balm The Cheez-It partnership marks a more straightforward combination of related brands, returning the brand to more familiar territory, while (unlike with Burt’s Bees) looking outside the Clorox brand portfolio.

The Cheezy Ranch release arrives ahead of a series of a half a dozen other upcoming flavors the brand is planning to launch this spring, including a spicy trio that will only be available at Walmart. Others include Green Goddess and Parmesan Ranch.