Blue Diamond, Mike’s Hot Honey partner to launch spicy snacks
USA – Blue Diamond Growers, an almond processing cooperative, has partnered with Mike’s Hot Honey to introduce Hot Honey Almonds, aiming to capitalise on consumer demand for bold and innovative flavours in the snacking sector.
This collaboration marks a new step for Blue Diamond, which seeks to diversify its offerings and appeal to adventurous consumers.
According to both companies, Hot Honey Almonds blends the distinct sweetness of honey with a spicy chilli kick, creating a unique flavour profile that caters to the growing trend of sweet and spicy snacks.
Maya Erwin, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at Blue Diamond, commented: “Consumers crave big, exciting flavours, and these almonds deliver a mouthwatering combination of crunch, sweetness and heat.”
Hot Honey Almonds’ versatility as an on-the-go snack, salad topping, or addition to charcuterie boards further enhances their market appeal.
Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike’s Hot Honey, added: “Sweet heat plus crunch is always a winning combination in my book, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how the product turned out”.
The introduction of this product aligns with broader industry trends, which show that consumers are increasingly looking for snacks that offer convenience without sacrificing flavour.
PepsiCo, Tata Consumer
Tata Consumer Products (Ching’s Secret) and PepsiCo (PepsiCo’s Kurkure) partnered to manufacture and sell packaged snacks.
The flavor, which will be seasoned with Ching’s Secret schezwan chutney flavour, is to be available at three price points.
The partnership by the two snacks’ giants comes at a time when the Indian snacks market is experiencing growth which is viewed as a strategic move to test consumer response in the growing fusion snacks segment, blending Indian flavors with global snacking trends.
A report by market research firm IMARC Group highlighted that the Indian snacks market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.08 per cent from Rs 42, 694.9 crore (US$493.94m) in 2023 to Rs 95,521.8 crore (US$1104.50m) by 2032.
According to the report, factors such as urbanization, a young demographic with rising disposable incomes, increasing demand for accessible, affordable snacks are driving this expansion, making it a key focus for PepsiCo’s growth strategy.
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