By Marcy Magiera
To celebrate National Coffee Day, Dunkin’ Brands Group announced that it will launch a Dunkin’ Donuts branded ready-to-drink coffee line in early 2017. The new products, to be manufactured and distributed by The Coca-Cola Co., will strengthen Dunkin’ Donuts’ position as a coffee authority and extend the brand into new distribution channels, the company said.
The licensing of food and beverage brands is a growing trend, with restaurants increasingly both putting packaged food brands on their menus, and also licensing their own brands for packaged foods. Dunkin’, for instance, also announced last week that it will license in the Oreo brand for a seasonal beverage, “Oreo flavored Hot Chocolate.” Already on the donut chain’s menu: Reese’s Peanut Butter Square.
Retail sales of licensed food and beverages in the U.S. and Canada surpassed $10 billion in 2015, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey, up 4.5% from the prior year. The category has grown consistently since 2009.
Other fast food chains also are expanding their licensed product menus:
- Burger King this year added Pie made with Snickers and Hershey’s Sundae Pie to its dessert menu, which already had Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie and Oreo shakes. The burger chain also has added Cheetos Chicken Fries.
- Taco Bell’s Doritos menu items have exploded in the past year, from Doritos Locos Tacos to almost 10 menu items in Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch and Fiery flavors.