Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. and ConAgra Foods, Inc. reached an agreement to make Swiss Miss® Hot Cocoa available in K-Cup® portion packs for the Keurig® Single-Cup Brewing System. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The new Swiss Miss K-Cup portion pack will hold the perfect amount of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa to create a delicious, sweet and classic beverage that will appeal to the entire family. Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa will be offered in a variety of at home channels for Keurig consumers beginning in August 2011. The new K-Cup portion pack will be offered alongside Café Escapes®, a line of dairy-based beverages in K-Cup portion packs geared to adult consumers looking to treat themselves with a delicious, indulgent reward.
"We are excited to welcome Swiss Miss into the GMCR family and to offer Keurig users the leading hot cocoa brand in K-Cup portion packs," says Lawrence J. Blanford, GMCR President and CEO. "With Swiss Miss, we are adding another valued partner that expands consumer choice within the Keurig Brewing System. The new Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa K-Cup portion pack will deliver to consumers a beloved beverage with the exceptional quality and taste they expect from the Keurig System."
First introduced in grocery stores in 1959, Swiss Miss has a rich history as the "original" hot cocoa. Swiss Miss currently is the leader in category dollar share at grocery, with the No. 1 and No. 2 highest selling cocoa in each hot cocoa segment, according to IRI data for the latest 52 weeks ending April 10, 2011. Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa is made in a real dairy where fresh milk from local farms is delivered daily, dried, and blended with premium, imported cocoa. This quality and care will be captured and delivered in the new Swiss Miss K-Cup portion packs.
"The Keurig Brewing System will be a brand new way consumers can easily make and enjoy a mug of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa," said David Palfenier, consumer foods president at ConAgra Foods in a prepared statement. "Swiss Miss is proud to have the most loyal consumers of all hot cocoa brands, and we know they will be excited to experience our hot cocoa in this new format."
GMCR's Keurig Single-Cup brewers for in-home and office use utilize patented, innovative brewing and single-cup technology to deliver a fresh-brewed, perfect cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa every time at just the touch of a button. Brewers with Keurig Brewed® technology were the top five selling coffeemakers in the U.S. on a dollar basis for the period of October through December 2010 and represented an estimated 49 percent of total coffeemaker dollar sales for that period according to The NPD Group / CREST®.
