Dive Brief:
- Mondelēz International and Hershey are launching Reese’s Oreo Cups and the Oreo Reese’s Cookies, combining two of the most popular brands in the snacking space.
- The food companies said consumers have been asking for the flavor mashups. People have combined Reese’s and Oreo “in all kinds of creative and delicious ways” on social media, Mondelēz and Hershey noted.
- The new offerings come as food makers grapple with a slowdown in consumer spending and a push by the White House to improve the nutritional content of products.
Dive Insight:
As food makers look to boost innovation and compete for an increasingly cash-strapped consumer, Mondelēz and Hershey are turning to two iconic brands with their latest product launches.
While few things are ever certain in food, the decision to combine these well-known multi-billion-dollar brands should position the partnership for immediate success. In addition, the fact that consumers have been asking for these offerings and creating their own items with Reese’s and Oreo together, further indicates pent-up demand.
The cookies nestle Reese’s peanut butter creme and Oreo crumbs between two Oreo sandwich cookies. The Reese’s cups have milk chocolate on the bottom and white creme on the top, with Oreo cookie pieces in the peanut butter center.
“When we heard the incredible demand for a Reese’s and Oreo mashup, we knew we had to make magic happen,” Dan Mohnshine, vice president of U.S. confection marketing at Hershey, said in a statement. “This isn’t just another product launch — it’s two legendary brands coming together to create something absolutely unprecedented that’ll blow minds and taste buds everywhere.”
The products will be available for presale Aug.18 and for sale nationwide in September. The cups will be a permanent item for Hershey while the cookies will be available for a limited time before returning to shelves as part of the Oreo brand’s portfolio in January.
It’s not the first time the two companies have worked together on a cookie, according to The Wall Street Journal. A similar cookie product was tested in 2014 for a limited time.
Consumers have shown an interest in purchasing indulgent products despite the calls from the White House and personal efforts to eat healthier. And even though inflation has caused consumers to pull back on how much they buy, people remain interested in spending money on novel product launches. These factors should prove beneficial for the new Oreo and Reese’s items once they reach store shelves.
