Dive Brief:
- Godiva Chocolatier and General Mills are partnering on baking mixes in four varieties, each including the chocolate brand's main product, to help home cooks make specialty desserts.
- The line includes Molten Lava Cakes, Brownie Cheesecake Swirl, Raspberry Chocolate Torte and Flourless Chocolate Torte. They are available at Walmart, Target, Kroger and other retailers for a suggested retail price of $4.99 for a 10.4-ounce box.
- Each mix each features 72% dark Godiva chocolate callets, or small chocolate discs, the Belgian company said. The baking mixes only need a few ingredients added, such as eggs and butter, and they also include disposable baking dishes.
Dive Insight:
This partnership provides the two well-known CPG companies with an opportunity to develop, produce and market baking mixes to home cooks.
While this is the first time Godiva has offered dessert products that can be made at home, according to Confectionery News, the company introduced a line of pudding mixes in 2018 and released a dark chocolate liqueur in 2014 with Diageo. General Mills is also no stranger to collaboration. In 2007, the cereal giant partnered with the Curves women's fitness chain on a line of granola bars and cereal focused on weight loss and sold under the Curves brand.
In this particular collaboration, Godiva is bringing a premium halo to the product with its popular dark chocolate, as General Mills provides its expertise in the popular baking mix category. The products will offer indulgence, and Godiva's name recognition and reputation provides the premiumization shoppers have increasingly been looking for. Competition in the space, however, already exists with rival Ghirardelli, which has long had its own brownie and cookie mixes.
Godiva is gradually positioning itself for more personalized interaction with consumers. The company recently announced its plan to open 2,000 cafes within the next six years. The company opened its first full-service cafe in New York City in April and plans to add another 10 in the Northeast part of the country this year.
These new baking mixes could be another way for the company to reach out to shoppers by introducing premium chocolate products to consumers who might want to bake fancy desserts at home, but who don't have the time or desire to make it from scratch. With only a few required ingredients, the new baking line could also appeal to consumers' growing demand for convenience in recent years.
If the dessert mixes taste good and introduce a welcome indulgent factor to home-cooked meals, Godiva may win new fans for its other chocolate products. Meanwhile, General Mills could attract additional sales for its Gold Medal flour, Bisquick and Betty Crocker brands — a segment where sales flagged last year, but have seen an uptick more recently.
Overall, the bakery products market continues to grow, reaching a predicted $543.9 billion by 2024 growing at a CAGR of 2.6%, according to Mordor Intelligence.