McCormick expanded its crushed pepper flake line as part of an aggressive innovation strategy, as the company reinforces its position “as a leader in heat and the flavor industry,” Giovanna DiLegge, the company’s VP of marketing, North American spices and extracts, explained.
McCormick is using recent momentum to spur innovation – which slowed during the COVID pandemic – while sticking to its principles of trust, reliability and consistency that made the company a household name, DiLegge explained.
“We are trying to be more nimble in our willingness to try new things, and I think that our retail partners are also doing that a lot more too,” she elaborated.
McCormick doubles down on crushed peppers
McCormick launched crushed Hatch Chile Pepper and Thai Style Chili Pepper on May 15 on its branded website, Amazon and grocery stores nationwide.
This followed last year’s success of crushed jalapeno peppers – McCormick’s first red-cap product in nearly five years – as previously reported.
“We saw a lot of success last year with the launch of crushed jalapeno. It was actually one of the most incremental items that we added to the category last year,” DiLegge said.
Initially, McCormick was planning one extension to the crushed pepper lineup but decided to release two products to meet consumer needs across flavor profiles, including for on-trend global tastes, DiLegge said.
“It is really hard to find new spices, essentially, to add to the core lineup, and you really have to get that moment where they are just new enough that they are driving inspiration and excitement, but they are also big enough that consumers are willing to use them every day,” she added.
McCormick adds LTO finishing salts
McCormick released a series of limited edition finishing salts, available in Watermelon Lime, Brown Butter, Smoky Garlic & Rosemary, Balsamic & Herb and Zesty Herb, ahead of the crushed pepper launch.
“In the spice category, there are solutions for cooking, baking and grilling, and so this is adding on another segment in finishing,” DiLegge elaborated.
This followed last year’s winter launch of finishing sugars, available in Gingerbread Spice, Salted Caramel, Candy Cane, English Toffee, Hot Cocoa and White Frosting.
McCormick used its expertise to infuse the salts and sugars with flavor, allowing the company to move into a new category, DiLegge said.
McCormick acquired flavor company Fona International in 2020 to bolster its flavor expertise.
McCormick’s focus on flavor innovation paid off in 2024, when the company increased its volume share by 2.3%, as previously reported. Additionally, McCormick doubled net sales from new products and added more than 6 million new households last year.
