• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, September 6, 2024

Hormel’s Black Label Bacon is mixing it up, collaborating with General Mills’ Cinnamon Toast Crunch, hoping the cereal brand’s “cinnadust” will send young fans’ taste buds into a sweet nostalgic frenzy.

It’s the category’s first-ever co-branded bacon. Hormel promises that hand-rubbing the flavoring will deliver “a crisp, sugary crust with a delicious balance of cinnamon, sugar, salt and savory bacon taste.” Aly Sill, senior brand manager, tells CPG Insider what it hopes to accomplish by pairing the premium bacon brand with a passionate adult fan base.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CPG Insider: Tell us how this partnership came about.

Aly Sill: Our vision is to boldly push the boundaries of bacon, and we were looking for brand partners with a fan base similar to ours. Sweet and savory have always been a great combo for the breakfast category. Cinnamon Toast Crunch checked all those boxes, and it was an extra nice fit because General Mills is another Minnesota-based company.

CPG Insider: Bacon’s crossover appeal has been growing among foodies for over a decade. What made you decide the trend was popular enough to jump into mainstream tastes?

Sill: We watch food trends so closely, especially from the food service side, so we know requests for bacon have been up among businesses like donut and ice cream shops. Since the trend has been on the rise, we wanted to capitalize on it. But combining bacon with French toast, for example, has been popular for a long time.

CPG Insider: Walk us through how you evaluate another brand for a potential partnership.

Sill: We had a long list of criteria. Three things were most important. We wanted an overlapping consumer base of people to attract into the bacon category. Cinnamon Toast Crunch has a lot of strength with millennials and Gen Z, an audience we are interested in. Next, we wanted a passionate fan base, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch had that, with social media trends, including celebrities and superfans, similar to ours. Lastly, it connects to the flavor profile, and we have seen some posts, particularly on TikTok, that people were already making this combination themselves.

CPG Insider: Once upon a time, a brand like Black Label wouldn’t have listened to what customers were doing. You’d have given them ideas about what they should be cooking based on trends from a great chef.

Sill: Yes, this is a whole different thing. But with the rise of creators on social media, we get so much more information about what people want, and you have it right at your fingertips with your phone. It is a frequent source of our consumer research on flavor combinations. And people today are so interested in flavor fusions.

CPG Insider: How did you decide on some of the specifics of the launch?

Sill: We work closely with two of our largest partners, Walmart and Kroger. When we brought this to them, they signed up in a big way. We’re working with them both on in-store merchandising and getting the word out on their websites. We’ll be in market with this for one year.

CPG Insider: Six months from now, how will you know if this has been a hit?

Sill: We’ve got a few lenses for how we’re viewing success. Of course, meeting our customer expectations of sales rates is important. Also, we’re looking for a consumer response. Is this something Black Label consumers like, especially younger people? Bacon has traditionally been very boomer-oriented, and we’re working to get the next generation into the category and continue shopping there.

CPG Insider: Will you need to see a sales bump among younger shoppers, or will awareness be enough?

Sill: Hopefully, awareness will lead to sales, but yes, this is a long-term play.

CPG Insider: You’ve got two trends working against you. One is that many people, especially younger consumers, want to cut back on meat. The other is that many consumers of all ages are looking for ways to reduce food costs. How are those shifts impacting your brand?

Sill: We watch those trends so closely. And what’s special about bacon is that it is one of those items that consumers prioritize when they have tight budgets. We see this in a few categories: makeup, ice cream, and bacon. The last few years certainly have had some trying times, but the bacon category has steadily grown. We continue to see bacon lovers who swear they will not be caught without bacon in their refrigerators.

CPG Insider: How are you letting people know about this?

Sill: For this announcement, our first co-branded effort, we’ve started by putting the word out on social media. We have some fun stuff coming up tied to the VMAs next week, playing on the “Collaboration of the Year” award. We are also leaning in with our customer channels, leveraging Walmart and Kroger’s media networks.