You know what they say: No one out Pizzas the Hut and no one out Macs the Kraft. And no one stays at the top of the mac and cheese food chain without mixing up their strategy every once in a while, so believe me when I say this: Kraft may have just changed the game. They did market research, they polled people online, they sat in a blank orange room (I assume) and noodled with different ideas, meditating on how to up the cheesiness, mac-iness, and most of all, interesting-ness of their portfolio of mac and cheeses until they stumbled on the answers. The two macs destined to lead us into a new age, a golden age of macs, if you will.
Okay, I’ll get to the point. There are two new Kraft mac and cheese flavors coming our way: Jalapeño Mac & Cheese and Ranch Mac & Cheese, and if it wasn’t already clear to you, I am stoked.
What can we expect from these new Kraft mac and cheese flavors? Will Jalapeño actually be spicy? Will Ranch be a tangy, garlicky flavor bomb? I just read the first paragraph…is Jessica okay?
All important questions, to be sure…but let’s start with the mac. When developing these new flavors, Kraft noted Gen Z’s love for all things bold, flavorful, and novel, and according to the company “reviewed more than 40 concepts and 27 unique flavors before ultimately selecting ranch and jalapeño” as their new Kraft mac and cheese flavors. On top of that, Kraft launched a social campaign a little over six months ago called the “Fan Flavorites” program, in which consumers could submit flavor suggestions for a chance at winning some money. Apparently, thousands of people suggested ranch and jalapeño.
On top of that, people online have indicated that adding a ranch packet is one of the most popular ways to spruce up a box of mac and cheese, as is adding jalapeños or some heat in general. Suffice it to say, it really seems like Kraft thought this one through.
In promo materials, Kraft describes the new Ranch Kraft mac and cheese as a combo of “the iconic and classic taste of America’s favorite mac & cheese with the creamy and tangy flavor of one of the country’s most popular dressings.” As for the Jalapeño Kraft mac and cheese, you can expect a combo of “the creamy, cheesy classic with a dash of spice.”
Does that tell us a whole lot? No siree bob. Am I still excited for these new Kraft mac and cheese flavors to hit stores? Yes siree bob. Is your name even bob? That one is up to you, siree. But from the company’s descriptions, the only thing that’s still unclear to me is just how much the jalapeño flavor will lean into heat versus a green peppery flavor—we will have to pick some up and find out, and luckily for us, both of these flavors are rolling out now at stores nationwide for roughly $1.99 per box (anecdotally, they aren’t yet available in the L.A. area, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled). I don’t know about you, but I think it’s high time we all head to the grocery store and get Krafty!
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!