Pumpkin spice and caramel: Hostess Brands unveils fall product line-up
Rolling out to grocery stores now, the new products include Caramel Crunch Donettes ($2.99 for a pack of 13-15 donuts) and Caramel Apple CupCakes ($3.99 for eight-pack).
Returning to market are Pumpkin Spice Twinkies – described as a hit last year by Hostess – alongside new variant Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Twinkies ($3.99 for 10-pack) that feature a white fudge covered sponge cake with pumpkin spice cheesecake filling.
Also back on shelf are previous launches including Pumpkin Spice CupCakes, GloBalls, ScaryCakes and Chocolate S’cream Twinkies.
“A change in seasons calls for a shift in snacking, with this year’s autumn portfolio building on past seasons’ favorites,” said Hostess Brands chief marketing officer Burke Raine.
“Different occasions call for different flavors and we are looking to provide more innovative and unexpected items to satisfy those cravings.”
Deep-fried Twinkies
The fall product line-up comes to market two months after Hostess entered the frozen snacks category with a deep-fried version of the Twinkie.
Initially exclusive to Walmart stores, the frozen Twinkie comes in two flavors: Original Golden and Double Chocolate. The product is a regular Twinkie covered in a funnel cake batter, partially fried, then frozen and packaged. Consumers heat it up in a microwave.
Deep Fried Twinkies retail at $4.76 for a pack of seven - selling at a premium to regular Twinkies that come in a 10-pack and retail between $2.99 and $3.99 per pack.
Acquisition move
Earlier this year, Hostess announced it was being acquired by a division of private equity firm The Gores Group.
This came three years after Hostess was bought out of liquidation by Dean Metropolous and Apollo Global Management, who have revitalized the brand.
According to IRI data, the business has recorded 12.3% year on year value growth in its donuts in the first half of this year alongside a strong performances in its muffins and pastries.
