Kraft: Skip the flowers, serve up candy mac & cheese for Valentine's Day

Forget the chocolate or flowers delivery — Kraft Heinz (KHC) has a novel idea for a Valentine’s Day treat this year: Mac & cheese.

The consumer giant is hoping to capitalize on the hallmark holiday a new spin on a comfort food favorite. On Tuesday, Kraft launched a limited-edition Candy Kraft Mac & Cheese. It’s made with its same classic recipe, but includes an additional candy flavor packet to turn the cheese pink, and add a hint of sweetness to it.

But there’s a catch — consumers have to enter to win the new flavor by going to a website, CandyKraftMacandCheese.com. Residents from all fifty states in the U.S. are eligible, plus D.C. and only 1,000 winners will be chosen.

“We are always looking for ways to insert ourselves into relevant conversations,” Brian Neumann, a top Kraft Heinz’s brand manager told Yahoo Finance.

“By combining the color and flavor of Valentine’s day with our one of a kind iconic cheesy taste, we’ve created what might be the cheesiest Valentine’s meal ever, both literally and figuratively,” Neumann added.

(Courtesy: The Kraft Heinz Company)
(Courtesy: The Kraft Heinz Company)

The Valentine’s special is just the latest bid for publicity by Kraft, which last year put similar seasonal and limited-run spins on the dinner table favorite.

In August, the company got some viral publicity around their portfolio’s crowned jewel, removing the word dinner from the box and sharing in a release “It’s Official: Kraft Mac & Cheese Is Approved for Breakfast.”

And in September, Kraft issued a limited-edition Pumpkin Spice Kraft Mac & Cheese “drove a lot of excitement,” Neumann noted. Similarly, this debut also had consumers flocking to a wait-list, with just 1,000 people actually getting the chance to try it.

Neumann says the company is hoping this “bright pink, sweet mac & cheese” brings about similar attention.

Shares of Kraft Heinz are up nearly 11 percent from a year ago as consumers flock to snacks at home amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The company will report its fourth quarter and full year 2020 results on February 11, 2021.

Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma.

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