Dipping pizza in ranch dressing has been a beloved tradition for many years. A new collaboration between DiGiorno and Hidden Valley Ranch is enhancing this flavor experience without the need for a ranch bottle. The brands have introduced two frozen pizzas infused with Hidden Valley Ranch, including a “Spicy Rancheroni” thin crust topped with pepperoni, ranch, and jalapeños. Additionally, DiGiorno has launched a chicken bacon ranch stuffed crust pizza, which it describes as a twist on a fan favorite. “DiGiorno understands the excitement and strong passion surrounding the classic pairing of pizza and ranch,” stated Kimberly Holowiak, DiGiorno’s senior brand manager. “Since ranch is a top choice for dipping pizza, we aimed to create new ways for fans to enjoy this combination directly from the freezer aisle.”
The American fascination with this creamy dressing has reached new heights, with ranch sales hitting $1.3 billion in 2024, surpassing both ketchup and barbecue sauce, according to The Wall Street Journal. Hidden Valley, owned by Clorox, is increasingly exploring partnerships to pair ranch dressing with various foods as part of its “Ranch With” campaign, aiming to drive new sales. Last year, Hidden Valley collaborated with Cheez-It to create cheesy ranch dressing and ranch-flavored crackers. The brand has also partnered with Burt’s Bees for lip balms and with Van Leeuwen for ice cream.
In a different realm, Ritz, famous for its lightly salted crackers, is introducing a spicy twist to its classic offering with a new flavor: Hot Honey. This product, owned by Mondelēz, embraces the “swicy” trend—combining sweet and spicy flavors. The cracker maintains its familiar flaky texture while incorporating a hot honey taste, designed to stand out among popular swicy snacks. “We are always looking for innovative ways to surprise and delight our fans, and Hot Honey provides a bold and delicious flavor combination,” said Steven Saenen, Ritz’s vice president of marketing. “The sweet heat profile adds a unique twist to our traditional cracker.” This is not Ritz’s first venture into spicy flavors; they recently launched Ritz Bits Spicy Queso and Ritz Toasted Chips Sweet Habanero. The interest in “swicy” flavors is on the rise, with Tastewise reporting a 27.8% increase in discussions around this trend last November. Recently, Blue Diamond Almonds launched Hot Honey Almonds in collaboration with Mike’s Hot Honey, while Noosa Yoghurt introduced hot honey yogurt.
As summer approaches, Häagen-Dazs, a leading premium ice cream brand, is betting that consumers will indulge in fruity flavors as temperatures rise. The brand has added three new flavors to its sorbet lineup: Summer Blueberry & Lemon, Passion Fruit & Sweet Pear, and Sweet Lemon & Coconut. According to their press release, consumers are increasingly looking for dessert options that are “lighter, refreshing, and upscale.” Häagen-Dazs promotes these products as part of its non-dairy dessert lineup. Compared to traditional ice cream or gelato, sorbet is generally made from fruit juice and is dairy-free, making it a refreshing option with a calcium content of 630 mg. Sales in the frozen sorbet category are outpacing those of regular ice cream, with a reported growth of 9.2% from 2023 to 2024, as per SPINS data cited by Food Navigator. In contrast, ice cream sales increased by only 2.8% during the same period. Known for its extensive ice cream collection, Häagen-Dazs has also ventured into new product categories, entering the yogurt aisle in 2023 with Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème, which is crafted slowly through a fermentation process that takes up to five times longer than traditional yogurt to replicate the texture of ice cream.