February may not be anyone’s favourite month, but Valentine’s Day at least gives retailers something to smile about. Last year, Brits spent almost £1bn on flowers, gifts and dine‑at‑home deals, while around eight million roses were shipped into the UK for the occasion.
So this week, The Grocer is celebrating the season by exploring some of fmcg’s most delightful brand match-ups, ahead of the big day on Saturday.
But why stop at the collabs that actually exist? Valentine’s is about fantasy, after all.
Sure, existing brand tie-ups are all well and good, but what about the dream pairings? The fmcg partnerships that should exist, but don’t? Strap yourself in for The Grocer’s ultimate fantasy food collaborations – the kind that could be genius, could be awful, but would definitely get people talking. Buckle up. Cupid’s gone rogue.
Hip Pop x Trip
True, the functional soft drinks brands are to some extent rivals – but there’s a gap between Hip Pop’s approach (jazzy cans, a panoply of flavours) and Trip’s (soothing pastels, relaxation focus) that a limited-edition collab would fill. And consumers could be confident the end product would have been crafted by two brands that know what they’re doing. Mostly, though, it’s the irresistible product name that makes this a match: imagine a drink that’s a bit different, a bit funky, but still chills you out… It’s Trip Hop, obviously. Maybe Tricky can be persuaded to promote it?
Tiptree x Rodda’s
Combining Essex’s most famous jam with Cornwall’s award-winning clotted cream is exactly what the butler ordered. The pairing would be ideal for any quintessentially English tea party, with both Tiptree and Rodda’s boasting a royal warrant, signifying their commitment to quality. Can we picture King Charles adding the swirled spread to his scone? Perhaps not. But if nothing else, it’ll put an end to the tedious ‘jam or cream first?’ question once and for all.
Kettle Chips x Lao Gan Ma
Not gonna lie, this dream collab is all about the Lao Gan Ma flavouring. The crispy chilli oil giant from Guizhou in China now produces three million jars every day, which leaves even Heinz ketchup looking like a startup, with its estimated 1.8 million bottles per day. Lao Gan Ma’s spicy, salty, umami-dense flavour lands like an elbow drop to the tastebuds and is legendary among top chefs and home cooks alike. Tom Kerridge has christened it “the naughtiest product in the world” and admits to putting it on ”absolutely everything”. If boffins could nail the taste in crisp form, all other flavours might as well throw in the towel.
Alpen x Pip & Nut
One thing Dr Bircher failed to consider when he invented his eponymous muesli was that it was missing one key thing: a great big dollop of peanut butter. With top-draw, 100% peanut butter like Pip & Nut (or ManiLife, tbf), the humble bowl of muesli is transformed into an ambrosia-rocket fuel hybrid that tastes as delicious as it is healthy. So, what are you waiting for? Alpen, Pip & Nut – deliver us a product that does Bircher proud. After all, what better grounds for a brand collaboration than a food that literally means ‘little mash-up’?
Young’s x McCain
The last time I found myself in a chip shop, I had to grip the stainless steel counter to steady myself as I prepared to part with the value of a weekly shop for four. A frozen ready meal version of the classic fish and chip supper would surely be a welcome affordable alternative. Attempts to create a fish and chip slider have proven unsuccessful in repeated Christmas ranges, the fish often left soggy from close proximity to chips, vinegar or mushy peas. But these two frozen food giants could surely work out such niggles. Imagine making it an air fryer speciality; TikTok for mums would foam at the thought.
Walkers x Johnnie Walker
Crisps and whisky are more similar than they first appear. Both are agricultural products, both are frequently enjoyed at the pub and both, of course, are delicious. So while PepsiCo has sought to associate Walkers with abstinence in recent times (via a tie-up with Dry January), a collaboration with Johnnie Walker would have strong crossover appeal. Sure, the taste of peat might be a tad more challenging on the palate than Smoky Bacon, but if Walkers can sell Cajun Squirrel and Builder’s Breakfast flavours with a straight face, there’s no reason for it not to give scotch whisky a go. Make mine a double (helping), please.
Fage x Biscoff
TikTok is sure to ship this dynamic duo. In recent weeks, creators have taken to the social media platform to post videos of themselves adding Biscoff biscuits to tubs of Greek yoghurt to create a simple, two-ingredient cheesecake-esque dessert. Apparently, the secret is to leave the biscuits in the yoghurt overnight to soften. Now, after weeks of disappointing dates with own-label yoghurts, Biscoff is looking for a brand that can match its freak. Enter Britain’s top-selling Greek yoghurt brand, Fage. Then leave them overnight and let the magic happen.
Krave x Cravendale
Cereal and milk: they’ve been bowl-mates since Mr Kellogg invented the cornflake, but big brands have yet to get (it) on to the eternal breakfast-time dalliance. With their shared phonetics and perfectly complementary products, these brands seem destined for each other. Some cross-merchandising in store, plus a marketing campaign (fronted by who else but John Craven), and these early morning chums will never taste right without the other again.
Lemsip x Rowse
We’re coming to the end of flu season, but it’s never too early to start prepping for next winter. In the depths of illness, the last thing you want to do is have to stir your own honey into a hot Lemsip. It’s time these brands came together to do consumers a favour and skip the middleman. Whether it’s making a Lemsip-infused Rowse or a dried Rowse powder mixed into the Lemsip is a matter for the more technically minded. But this is a match that will be there for consumers in sickness, not health.
Monster x Willy’s ACV
Monster is a juggernaut of a brand. In the past five years alone, it’s more than doubled its value to over £800m. That’s thanks in large part to a pipeline of exciting NPD, such as last month’s Juiced Viking Berry. To hit that £1bn mark, now could be the time to innovate beyond caffeine into other, trendy functional ingredients – like apple cider vinegar to support gut health. Willy’s ACV, the vinegar brand from Tyrrells founder Willy Chase, would be the perfect partner. But what would the energy drink variant be called? ‘Willy’s Monster’ doesn’t have quite the right ring to it…
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