Leftovers is our look at a few of the product ideas popping up everywhere — some are intriguing, some sound amazing and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We can't write about everything that we get pitched, so here are the leftovers pulled from our inboxes.
Will consumers break off a piece of this Kit Kat Cone?
Nestlé has a major presence in ice cream with its Dreyer's and Haagen-Dazs brands. Now, it's hoping to sweeten the stakes with a twist on an iconic candy bar: the Kit Kat.
The world's largest food manufacturer is combining its own ice cream brand with the popular Kit Kat to create a cone variety that mirrors its iconic Drumstick, according to the company.
For the Swiss food giant, it's a shrewd move to merge two of its well-known brands into a new frozen snack. It's not the first time Nestlé has introduced ice cream products with a candy twist. Other versions include the Crunch bar on a stick and a container of Nestlé Butterfinger ice cream. (Hershey has an agreement to sell the brand under license in the U.S.)
Nestlé said the Kit Kat Cone will be available at Kroger stores nationwide before being sold at other grocery stores in the future. Each four-pack will retail for around $3.99, with an eight-count going for $6.49 and containing a chocolate variety of the treat. The cone will be covered with the customary chocolate coating embedded with Kit Kat pieces, as well as roasted peanuts. Each treat has the traditional fudge center and chocolate at the bottom tip.
— Christopher Doering
A hot companion for Valentine's Day
It doesn't matter if you're single this Valentine's Day. SouthernAirs, which makes sauces, jams and dressings with a Dixie flair, is selling two different three-packs of hot sauces, one of which could be your date. One three-pack consists of Hot Boyfriend, Hot Girlfriend and Extra Heat. The other is made up of Hot Husband, Hot Wife and Extra Heat.
The sauces, which are available on Amazon and SouthernAirs' website, each feature different blends of chili peppers and heat profiles.
These products don't just have fun names and a bit of heat to combat the arctic temperatures sweeping the United States. They also are clean-label, allergen-free and full of health benefits. According to Livestrong, chili peppers are high in vitamins — including vitamin C, vitamin A and antioxidants — and contain anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties. Other benefits include improved mental health and weight loss.
And the hot sauce market just continues to heat up. According to Trendsource, hot sauce is a $1.65 billion industry. Since 2000, sales for the spicy condiment have grown by 150% — more than the sum growth of all other condiments combined.
These sauces are enough to turn up the heat for consumers, hitting on all of the right trends, including the mid-February Singles' Awareness Day. They may, however, be making a sideways editorial comment on married life. According to descriptions of the sauces on the press release from company co-founder Judith Re', Hot Husband and Hot Wife both rate a 4 out of 10 on a hotness scale.
It's not just the married sauces that aren't quite as torrid. Hot Girlfriend is also a 4 out of 10. But Hot Boyfriend? It rates 8 out of 10.
— Megan Poinski
More scoops go vegan
Halo Top is launching seven new non-dairy, vegan flavors that will hit stores across the country in February.
The pints will include two original flavors, Toasted Coconut and Vanilla Maple, as well as some of its signature flavors, including Pancakes & Waffles, Birthday Cake, Candy Bar, Chocolate Almond Crunch and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. The ice cream is made with coconut milk.
"We know our fans look to us for variety and creativity in our flavors, and we want to make sure we always address those requests for our dairy-averse and vegan fans as well," Justin Woolverton, Halo Top CEO and founder, said in a press release.
Halo Top became the top selling pint of ice cream in the U.S. two years ago and has continued to dominate with its low-calorie flavors. Consumers could gobble up the new non-dairy pints the same way they went crazy for its regular product, since the ice cream ranges from 280-360 calories and contains only 16-28 grams of sugar per pint.
It's not surprising that Halo Top wants to expand its portfolio in the vegan space, with some organizations predicting it as one of the big trends in 2019. The number of people going vegan continues to grow, which no doubt has boosted the vegan ice cream market. Halo Top, however, isn't alone. Brands like Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs also offer non-dairy options.