Several classic food and beverage brands are exploring their boundaries in a flurry of unusual product launches. We take a look at four of these category cross-pollinators.
The latest round of category-crossing experiments started with Donut King's joint venture with V Energy to produce an energy drink/ donut hybrid.
The V Donut, which delivers the functional benefits of Guarana, is a classic Berliner donut coated in green sugar crystals and filled with Guarana-spiked filling.
“Collaborating with like-minded brands helps us remain relevant and tap into new markets, which in turn we hope will raise awareness of the Donut King brand,” brand manager Raquel Hine said.
The best of both worlds
In another recent innovation, a range of ice cream-flavoured lollies have been brought to market by Nestlé's Allen’s and ice cream company Peters.
Frosty Fruits and Drumstick lollies are the result of the collaboration, inspired by the two Peters ice cream favourites.
Allen’s Frosty Fruits lolly flavours include Tropical, Watermelon & Pineapple, and Orange & Pink Grapefruit.
The Drumstick range features popular classics like Vanilla, Super Choc, and Boysenberry.
Corn chips morph into crackers
PepsiCo's Doritos brand has crossed into the biscuit category with a new product called Doritos Crackers.
The corn chip brand is playing in the 'bite-sized crackers' space with sleek black boxes of savoury biscuits that are oven-baked rather than fried.
The new flavours are: Cheese Supreme, Mexicana, Texan BBQ, and Sweet Chilli & Sour Cream, with the company claiming a 'crunch in every bite'.
Dessert-in-a-drink
Over in the iced coffee category, Barista Bros is tapping into Australia's love of classic desserts.
Barista Bros' new dessert-inspired Café Creations flavoured milk features flavours of Toffee Almond Panna Cotta, Butterscotch Brownie, and Dark Chocolate Fudge.
The launch follows research the brand conducted which highlighted the demand for indulgent flavour profiles.
A significant sampling campaign will also kick off this month with partnerships secured with Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Customers using the food delivery platforms will be gifted with a Barista Bros product as part of their purchase.
