K-Cup soup: finally, chicken noodle from the coffee machine
| New York
If you ever wanted聽soup聽to come out of your coffee machine, you're in luck.
Campbell聽Soup聽Co. says it will start offering K-cup聽soup聽packs that can be made with Green Mountain's popular single-serve coffee machines. The聽soups聽include a K-cup pack of broth that is brewed over a packet of dry pasta and vegetables.
"It's delicious聽soup聽at the touch of a button,"聽Campbell聽CEO Denise Morrison said in a phone interview.
Green Mountain says its machines are designed so that the system is cleansed by the brewing process, meaning there wouldn't be a danger of the聽soup聽and coffee flavors mixing. In addition to coffee and tea, Green Mountain also offers K-cups for fruit drinks and hot cocoa.
Nutrition information for the K-cup聽soups聽wasn't available because the companies are still working through the product details, a聽Campbell representative said. But the companies are calling the聽soup聽packs a "snack."聽
Campbell聽and Green Mountain say they'll launch three varieties next year, including Chicken Broth & Noodle.
Campbell, based in Camden, N.J., has been trying to reinvigorate sales of its flagship聽soup聽business with new flavors and packaging designed to appeal more to people in their 20s and 30s. Its "Go"聽soups, for example, come in flavors such as Moroccan Style Chicken and in pouches that can be microwaved.
Morrison said the K-cup聽soups聽also represent another push into higher-growth areas.
The company, which also makes Pepperidge Farm cookies and Prego spaghetti sauces, has been trying to diversify its portfolio of packaged foods as people increasingly opt for foods they feel are fresher or healthier. It recently bought Bolthouse Farms juices, as well as Plum Organics baby food.
Morrison said she's a loyal Keurig user and that she ran the idea by Green Mountain executives at an event less than a year ago. She and Green Mountain CEO Brian Kelley said the idea went through "considerable" testing with consumers.
"Consumers told us we should put聽Campbell聽soup聽in these machines," Kelley said.
Kelley and Morrison declined to say whether the agreement would prevent Green Mountain from offering other types of聽soup, such as those made by General Mills' Progresso.
