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Kraft Dinner has entered the beverage category for the first time with a limited-edition cream soda created in partnership with Canadian craft drinks brand Solly’s Craft Soda.
KD x Solly’s Cream Soda combines the nostalgic taste of cream soda with a hint of KD’s familiar cheesy flavour, creating a sweet-and-savoury carbonated drink designed to be enjoyed alongside a bowl of KD or as a standalone beverage.
The unusual collaboration sees one of Canada’s best-known mac and cheese brands move beyond its traditional food format as it looks to give consumers a new way to experience the brand.
KD x Solly’s Cream Soda launched on Amazon in Canada on 23 September, with availability at participating retailers, including Walmart, scheduled for early October. The product is available in limited quantities.
The launch forms part of Kraft Heinz Canada’s broader strategy of using innovation and collaborations to extend KD into new products and occasions.
The company said consumers are increasingly looking for bold and expressive flavour experiences while continuing to gravitate towards familiar comfort foods.
KD has previously experimented beyond its core mac and cheese format with products including KD Mac & Cheesecake and KD Ramen. The new soda takes that strategy a step further by moving the brand into an entirely different category.
Daniel Lundberg, head of marketing and strategy at Kraft Heinz, said: “A soda might be the last place you would expect to find KD, which is exactly what made teaming up with Solly’s Craft Soda so much fun."
For the project, Kraft Heinz partnered with Toronto-based Solly’s Craft Soda, an independent, family-owned Canadian beverage company founded by entrepreneur Adin Wener.
The company produces modern craft sodas using real cane sugar, with its core range positioned around lower-sugar formulations and 45-calorie servings.
Wener said the collaboration provided an opportunity for Solly’s to bring its approach to craft soda to a wider audience while developing a product that retained the brand’s identity.
“We wanted to create something novelty that would make people smile, but was still authentically Solly's and tasted like a great soda,” said Wener.
The resulting product combines Solly’s cream soda profile with a savoury cheese note intended to evoke the flavour associated with KD.
KD x Solly’s Cream Soda is currently available through Amazon Canada, with wider retail availability planned at participating retailers including Walmart from early October.
