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Crystal Farms Debuts Old El Paso Shredded Cheese
Launch marks the Mexican brand’s first dairy offering. The launch marks the Mexican brand’s first dairy offering, which includes six new products.
WGB Staff
November 5, 2019
1 Min Read
The launch marks the Mexican brand’s first dairy offering, which includes six new products.Photograph courtesy of Crystal Farms
General Mills’ Old El Paso division has teamed up with Crystal Farms to launch a new line of shredded cheeses. Combining Old El Paso’s strong presence in the Mexican food category with the growing popularity of shredded cheese, the new line features Old El Paso brand shredded cheese varieties and gives retailers a new asset to satisfy consumers with popular flavor options, including Finely Shredded Cheddar, Mexican 4-Cheese, Mexican Taco Blend, Monterey Jack, 3-Pepper Blend and Quesadilla.
Shredded cheese, and specifically Mexican shredded cheese, is having a moment, according to Nielsen data, which finds:
One-third of cheese sales are shreds, which have grown 12% since 2015.
Mexican blends represent nearly 25% of all shred volume sold in the U.S.
Mexican blends were the growth leader for shreds in 2018, up more than 11% from 2017.
“The addition of shredded cheese delivers on the promise of the Old El Paso brand to increase freshness and customization to our popular portfolio,” Justin Conzemius, Old El Paso’s director of marketing, said in a release. “We believe that consumers will reach for it as soon as they see it in the dairy aisle.”
Conzemius said Old El Paso is providing retailers with helpful assets to raise awareness of these new shredded cheese varieties with shelf talkers in center store to direct consumers to the dairy aisle, as well as additional shelf talkers within the dairy aisle to draw attention to the new line.
“We relished the opportunity to be part of the Old El Paso portfolio and brought the creativity and diversity to our products that best represent the brand,” said Katie Egan, director of marketing for Crystal Farms.
Both companies are based in Minneapolis.
Retailers interested in carrying Old El Paso shredded cheese can access more information and reach out to Old El Paso’s team at www.oldelpasosayscheese.com.
