Gourmet News

Papa John’s Adds Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia to Menu

Published April 26, 2023

Papa Johns is bringing an exciting flavor to its menu and expanding its Papadia lineup in a cutting-edge way, this time by joining forces with PepsiCo Foodservice to deliver fans a product mashup that combines its signature flatbread-style sandwich with the “cool” flavors of Doritos Cool Ranch to create the all-new Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia.

The savory new Papadia is made to order, and features Papa Johns fresh, never frozen, original dough filled with the customer’s choice of chicken, beef, steak or other fillings of their choice. The Papadia is toasted to perfection and dusted with bold ranch seasoning. Customers receive extra sauce on the side, perfect for dipping.

Inspired by the ‘piadina’ and introduced to the Papa Johns menu in 2020, the Papadia is an Italian flatbread-style sandwich that combines the original Papa Johns crust made with our fresh, never frozen dough people crave with toppings. It’s part pizza, part sandwich, making it the best of both worlds.

“At Papa Johns, flavor exploration puts us at the forefront of our menu innovation, which is why we couldn’t be more excited to bring together our Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. promise with the iconic flavor of Doritos Cool Ranch to create this limited-time Papadia,” said Kimberly Bean, VP of menu strategy & calendar planning. “Our partnership with PepsiCo Foodservice allowed us to leverage the bold taste of Doritos Cool Ranch to reimagine a specialty seasoning for the Papadia, which offers new and current consumers the ultimate chip and sandwich experience and gives them a bold taste in every bite, so delicious you’ll wish you had thought of it first.”

Beginning Monday, May 1, the Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia will be available exclusively for Papa Rewards loyalty members and will become available nationwide on Thursday, May 4. The limited-time offering will live on menus through July 23 for just $7.99.

“Doritos fans are always looking for unexpected ways to experience the flavors they love, and we are proud to deliver on just that through this collaboration with Papa Johns,” said Scott Finlow, chief marketing officer at PepsiCo Foodservice. “At PepsiCo we strive to create unique and delicious culinary offerings that go beyond the bag, and we can’t wait to hear how much fans love this twist on the classic Papadia.”

The Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia furthers Papa Johns commitment to product innovation, following the debut of the Crispy Parm Pizza earlier this year, and Pepperoni Crusted Papadia last fall.

More information about the new Doritos® Cool Ranch® Papadia can be found at www.papajohns.com.

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Black Rifle Coffee Appoints Mondzelewski as CMO

Published April 24, 2023

Black Rifle Coffee Company has appointed Chris Mondzelewski as chief marketing officer, effective May 1.

In this newly created position, Mondzelewski will be responsible for developing and executing all aspects of BRC’s marketing strategy to drive business growth and market share across all channels including direct-to-consumer, wholesale, the bagged coffee and ready-to-drink product portfolio, and retail coffee shops.

Mondzelewski brings over 20 years of consumer marketing, business and leadership experience, most recently serving as the chief growth officer of Mars’ $12B+ Global Petcare business. Throughout his almost 12-year tenure at Mars, he consistently grew his responsibilities, holding multiple marketing and business development leadership roles in which he led transformative growth and operational improvement strategies across numerous brands.

Prior to joining Mars, he held marketing roles at Kraft Foods, where he launched several successful campaigns, including the most successful innovation & campaign in recent Kraft Cheese history. Before his business career, Mondzelewski was a Marine for five years, deploying in support of Operation Desert Freedom.

“I am excited to have Chris join our team. He brings great value to the company as a marketing leader with a demonstrated track record and a strong personal connection to the military and first-responder community,” said founder and CEO Evan Hafer. “Following our successful entrance into the FDM (Food, Drug and Mass) market, the unmatched growth of our ready-to-drink coffee and the evolution of our outposts, there’s great opportunity for Chris to leverage his expertise to capitalize on our strong brand momentum. I look forward to collaborating with him and continuing our path to profitable, sustainable growth.”

In addition, BRC announced that Chief Retail Officer Heath Nielsen is leaving the company. Co-CEO Tom Davin, who has deep experience innovating retail growth strategies for category-defining brands, will assume Heath’s responsibilities.

Co-CEO Tom Davin added, “As we shared on our last earning’s call, our outposts saw notable growth year-over-year. I look forward to collaborating with Chris as we continue to optimize existing outposts and look to continue to build upon our 26 company-owned and franchise locations.”

Black Rifle Coffee Company is a veteran-founded coffee company serving premium coffee. Founded in 2014 by Green Beret Hafer, Black Rifle develops its roast profiles with the same mission focus learned while serving in the military. BRCC is committed to supporting veterans, active-duty military, first responders and the American way of life.

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Southeastern Grocers Raises Funds for Children’s Hospitals

Published April 24, 2023

Southeastern Grocers Inc., parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is collaborating with nine Southeast children’s hospitals to raise essential funds in support of the pediatric care facilities specialized and emergency services that provide critical care for local children and their families every day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 2 million children and adolescents are admitted to hospitals in the United States each year. To support these vital community resources, through April 25, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie customers are encouraged to donate $1, $5 or round up their total grocery bill while shopping at their neighborhood stores. All donations made during the program will support the local children’s hospital partner and aid young patients and their families as they work towards healing and recovery.

Raymond Rhee, chief people officer for Southeastern Grocers, said, “At Southeastern Grocers, we are dedicated to giving back to our local communities and believe every child deserves access to the best possible care. We are proud to join like-minded individuals to make a significant impact in the lives of local children with this initiative. Our heartfelt hope is that, together, we can make a meaningful difference and support the invaluable work of these remarkable hospitals.”

The contributions collected during SEG’s community donation program will be donated directly to the following nine children’s hospitals to support each facility’s pediatric specialty programs, family centered support, therapeutic activities, research, child advocacy and other vital programs:

Wolfson Children’s Hospital (Jacksonville)
Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children (Orlando)
Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida (Fort Myers)
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (St. Petersburg)
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (Miami)
Studer Family Children’s Hospital (Pensacola)
Children’s of Alabama (Birmingham, Alabama)
Children’s of Mississippi (Gulfport, Mississippi)
Ochsner Hospital for Children (New Orleans)

Since the program’s inception in 2021, SEG has raised more than $858,000 for its children’s hospital partners and remains committed to providing ongoing support to deserving hospitals in the communities it serves.

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