King’s Hawaiian® Launches Original Hawaiian Sweet Soft Pretzel Bites

For 75 years, King’s Hawaiian has delighted consumers with its soft, sweet Hawaiian bread, buns and rolls. Now, the company is moving beyond side and center-of-plate options with the launch of Original Hawaiian Sweet Soft Pretzel Bites — its first foray into the growing and ever-evolving snack category.

Progressive Grocer asked King’s Hawaiian CMO Raouf Moussa to explain why the time is right for grocers to add new, innovative products in the snacking space.

Progressive Grocer: You’ve been test-marketing the bites for over three years. What did that journey look like and what are consumers saying about the product since it was launched this summer?

Raouf Moussa: We pride ourselves on creating irresistible products that consumers love. As a family-owned company, we’re focused on launching products we know will delight our consumers, even if those products take years to perfect. Pretzel Bites have been years in the making; we’ve tweaked the recipe over and over to get it just right. Before launching nationally, we ensured that approximately 90% of consumers agreed the product tastes ‘GREAT.’ The innovation journey allowed us to make sure we delivered an irresistible product we could be proud to sell to our retailers and their shoppers.

PG: Grocers have so many options when it comes to their snack inventory. Why should they consider adding another SKU, and what is it about Original Hawaiian Sweet Soft Pretzel Bites that make them an ideal addition?

RM: King’s Hawaiian is a well-known powerhouse brand loved by consumers. Our net promoter score as a brand is incredibly high, meaning consumers love our brand and trust us to deliver a positive experience. Introducing Pretzel Bites into the growing snack category will only help drive incremental sales within the bakery/deli department — our typical home location. Because soft Pretzel Bites pair perfectly with cheese dips, mustard, chocolate, and many other condiments, we’ve seen early results showing this product drives higher basket rings for our retailers. We’ve also noticed grocers proactively putting Bites in secondary placements such as in the beer and wine aisle, and incorporating Bites into perimeter displays with dips, soft drinks, and other complementary items.

PG: Do you have any early sales data that will help convince retailers to order more or carry the product in their stores?

RM: Because Pretzel Bites pair so well with items like cheese dips and condiments, we’ve noticed bigger basket sizes on average for those buying Bites with about a 16% increase in spend per trip. Our initial data also shows that nearly 50% of Pretzel Bites buyers are new to our brand, and many are even new to the category. While it’s still early, we know from extensive internal testing that the product has a high repeat purchase rate, which gives us confidence to invest in trial-driving activities to grow awareness, especially leading up to the Big Game. We’ve also seen initial velocities average two to three times those of our closest competitor in the soft pretzel snacking category.

PG: How does King’s Hawaiian plan to drive awareness of the Original Hawaiian Sweet Soft Pretzel Bites in ways that will drive consumers into grocers’ stores?

RM: In addition to a robust national sampling tour, we also have significant omnichannel and in-store retail support planned. We plan to kick off during fall football and the holidays and to go big with media support in the weeks leading up to the Big Game. Our TV commercials featuring Peyton and Eli Manning will also continue airing, letting consumers know about Pretzel Bites and encouraging them to stock up for their game-watch parties. We also have exciting partnerships with other popular national brands planned to provide shoppers with easy and delicious snacking solutions.