Sprouts, Jennie Finch Partner to Promote Women’s Athletics, Health
Sprouts Farmers Market today announced its long-term commitment to and investment in women’s athletics through partnerships with the Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences, along with supporting 50 individual Name, Image and Likeness deals with female athletes from multiple schools from both conferences. Sprouts is the first grocery retailer to make this commitment, and is doing so alongside softball icon Jennie Finch.
“Sprouts is the place where goodness grows, offering delicious foods that nourish both families and athletes,” said Jack Sinclair, chief executive officer of Sprouts. “Through the partnerships with the Pac-12 and Big 12 Conferences and their member universities, and alongside Jennie Finch, we pledge to continue to empower and educate women’s health and performance, bringing fresh and nutritional food options to them on and off the field. We’re proud to sponsor these great female athletes.”
This announcement coincides with June 23rd, the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and educational programs.
“Sprouts truly is where goodness grows. Its commitment to female athletes and women’s college athletics is a wonderful way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. I’m grateful to be part of this initiative and the tremendous work Sprouts is doing as a company to make the world a healthier and more equitable place,” Finch said Jennie Finch.
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, we are reminded of the progress that has been made in women’s sports over the past five decades,” said Timmi Zalatoris, senior vice president of human resources at Sprouts. “When we think about the next 50 years of gender equality, Sprouts is committed to building on this momentum and remains invested in growing and changing the landscape of women’s sports for years to come.”
In addition to these new partnerships, Sprouts is a proud partner of Los Angeles’s newest women’s professional soccer team, Angel City FC. Sprouts and ACFC support local causes that address and provide children’s nutrition education and fresh food access throughout LA.
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Kraft Launches Rebranded Mac & Cheese
For 85 years, Kraft Mac & Cheese has been America’s original and favorite comfort food. With more than a million boxes sold every day, the cheesy bowls of deliciousness haven’t just filled America’s bellies; they’ve played an iconic role in every stage of people’s lives. Now, Kraft is unveiling a brand identity that includes an updated logo, noodle smile and even a new name that redefines the brand as feel-good food for everyone.
The new look updates all aspects of the brand identity: the name, the logo, brand colors, typography, photography, iconography and packaging. The change from “macaroni and cheese” to “mac & cheese,” is meant to reflect the way fans organically talk about the brand. The iconic blue box now features just a single-color hue of blue and amplifies the brand’s most recognizable asset — the noodle smile, now even more delicious and dripping with creamy, cheesy goodness.
“We know that people aren’t turning to comfort food as a guilty pleasure, they are positively embracing comfort, saying yes to feeling good, saying yes to caring for themselves,” said Victoria Lee, Kraft Mac & Cheese brand manager. “There is a familiar, craveable, positive comfort to Kraft Mac & Cheese that makes it so special and iconic to millions of people across the world and our new look is a reflection of what our brand means to our consumers.”
The new look will appear across social channels and on the website this summer and packaging will start to hit shelves in August.
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General Mills Acquires TNT Crust, Frozen Pizza Crusts
General Mills has completed the acquisition of TNT Crust. TNT Crust is a manufacturer of high-quality frozen pizza crusts for regional and national pizza chains, foodservice distributors, and retail outlets. TNT Crust was a portfolio company of Peak Rock Capital.
The TNT frozen pizza crust business has generated double-digit compound annual net sales growth over the past four years, with net sales totaling approximately $100 million in 2021. As part of the acquisition, General Mills has also acquired two manufacturing facilities in Green Bay, Wis., and one manufacturing facility in St. Charles, Mo.
Founded in 1981, TNT Crust is a national and international leader in the pizza industry supplying fresh traditional pizza crusts, par-baked pizza crusts, gluten-free pizza crusts, and amazing better-for-you products.
General Mills is guided by its Accelerate strategy to drive shareholder value by boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale and being a force for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., General Mills generated fiscal 2021 net sales of U.S. $18.1 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1.1 billion.
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