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Mickey Mouse, meet Kraft Mac & Cheese.
Kraft Heinz and Disney struck a deal that gives the food conglomerate a foothold in one of America’s most enduring entertainment empires. Under the multiyear partnership, Disney will serve Kraft Heinz products at its properties throughout North America, and Kraft Heinz will be able to use Disney’s characters on some goods in stores.
The agreement makes Kraft Heinz the exclusive provider of some condiments, macaroni and cheese and cream cheese at Disney’s North American parks and resorts, and on the Disney Cruise Line.
The deal enables Kraft Heinz to use Disney characters and stories across 10 of the food company’s brands, including Heinz, Philadelphia and Kraft Mac & Cheese. It also extends to Disney’s studios and streaming platforms, where Kraft Heinz will fund content co-created by the two entities.
The alliance is part of a push by Kraft Heinz to breathe new life into its decades-old brands and revive sales after years of decline. The company said the deal represents the next step in a strategy to expand beyond grocery shelves and into immersive experiences and experiential commerce.
“That’s what marketing is about today,” said Nicolas Amaya, Kraft Heinz’s new head of its North America business. “It’s about creating experiences that are memorable.”
Think condiment stations at Disneyland with ketchup dispensers shaped like Star Wars lightsabers, Amaya said in an interview. Other possibilities: Cinderella Mac & Cheese, or Jet-Puffed marshmallows marketed with images of Olaf, Frozen’s snowman.
Disney operates two sprawling resorts in the U.S.: in Anaheim, Calif., and Orlando, Fla. Both properties include several theme parks, hotels and restaurants.
Earlier this year, Kraft Heinz signed a deal with the National Football League that aims to boost the presence of Heinz condiments at stadiums across the country, while allowing the food company to use NFL-related material in its own marketing and advertising.
The deals are rolling out under Kraft Heinz’s new chief executive, Steve Cahillane, who took the Chicago company’s reins earlier this year and initially was expected to carry out a complex corporate breakup. Instead, he changed course, saying he could fix Kraft Heinz’s problems.
Less than two months into his tenure, Kraft Heinz appointed Amaya, with whom Cahillane had worked closely at cereal maker Kellogg and Kellanova, the snack business that split off from Kellogg in 2023.
Cahillane said earlier this year that Kraft Heinz plans to spend $600 million on marketing, sales, research and development and other areas to fuel a recovery in its U.S. business. The deal with Disney will make use of those funds, Amaya said, adding that many food trends these days originate in restaurants and entertainment venues.
“A lot of the things that happen here actually translate to retail,” he said.
Write to Jesse Newman at [email protected]
