Tag Archives: Godiva

Beanstalk returns to Licensing Expo with new partnerships, clients and initiatives

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Celebrating its 30th year in business, global brand licensing agency Beanstalk continues to grow its clients’ licensing programmes, and has announced a series of recent new partnerships and clients in addition to new corporate initiatives in sustainability, diversity and charitable programmes.

Diageo’s Irish Stout brand, Guinness, has grown its presence in the aisles of UK supermarkets by expanding its partnership with The Flava People. The Irish beer brand launched two new sauces, the Guinness Smoky BBQ Sauce and Guinness Smoky Tomato Ketchup, bringing a twist to Britain’s much loved classic table sauces. This follows the Guinness cooking paste, a blend of Guinness beer, honey and soy, which launched in 2021.

Beanstalk also debuted a pair of cookbooks for two of its well-loved brands; Baileys partnered with HarperCollins to publish The Baileys Cookbook, featuring a collection of over 60 delectable delights, from sophisticated cocktails and desserts, to sensational hot chocolates and puddings. The recipes showcase the versatility and deliciousness of Baileys, inviting consumers to enjoy “the ultimate adult indulgent treat” at any time. Additionally, Guinness joined forces with publisher Insight Editions to bring the taste of Guinness to home kitchens with The Official Guinness Cookbook. Providing recipes for everything from savoury braised short ribs, to traditional Irish soda bread and decadent cheesecake brownies, this comprehensive book boasts over 70 recipes for dishes that feature or pair with the stouts, ales, and lagers of the Guinness breweries, including classic Guinness Draught, crisp Extra Stout, and citrusy Baltimore Blonde.

Chocolatier Godiva, together with Beanstalk, continues to expand its licensing portfolio in the U.S. and Canada with Godiva-inspired products developed in conjunction with new licensing partners, Boardwalk Frozen Treats for ice cream pints; Jimmy’s Gourmet Bakery for frozen cookie dough; Le Vian for special edition Chocolate Diamond jewelry at Kay Jewelers; and Cookies United for gingerbread house and cookie decorating kits. The four new partners join Godiva’s extensive North America licensing portfolio, including General Mills, The Cheesecake Factory and Jessica Pastries, which debuted as part of Godiva’s Holiday 2021 collection.

TGI Fridays, the iconic American bar and grill, expanded its exclusive strategic partnership with the UK’s leading frozen food retailer, Iceland, through a range of new sides, mains and sweet treats, created solely with the forthcoming BBQ season in mind. The mouthwatering dishes include Beef Short Ribs with Maple BBQ, Cheese & Jalapeño Hot Dogs and Chocolate Cookie Pie.

Long-standing client U.S. Army partnered with Manly Bands for U.S. Army branded rings; Ice Shaker, a “Shark Tank” success, for shaker bottles and stainless-steel drinkware; and Diamond Supply Company for skate apparel and accessories.

For The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Beanstalk has developed partnerships across home décor, fashion accessories, gifting and educational gaming categories. Inspired by the artworks and stories within its robust collection, The Met has worked closely with selected partners who exhibit the highest level of creative development, from home textiles to accessories to social expressions. The new licensing partnerships include Lingo for educational card games, Pura for home fragrance, Caspari for paper goods and social expressions, and Scalamandré for textiles, wallpaper and trim.

In the digital media space, Tinderbox continues to develop the licensing programme for Call of Duty. Call of Duty partnered with Middle Eastern manufacturer and distributor of licensed products, Trucare, expanding the brand’s licensing program into the MENA region, which has quickly proven to be a valuable emerging market for the global gaming industry. The partnership will see Call of Duty grow its consumer product reach into these new territories across categories including apparel, accessories, housewares, and gifting.

Keeping the momentum going, Beanstalk has also added to its diverse client portfolio of global brands. Earlier this year, Skullcandy joined the agency’s client roster to unleash the power of expression; the client partnership will extend the lifestyle audio brand across consumer electronics, sporting and outdoor goods, apparel and accessories, and experiential spaces. Beanstalk also signed Cath Kidston, extending the joyful British brand into new categories in home, fashion and gifting, globally. Most recently, Beanstalk announced its partnership with Audi, the German automotive manufacturer of premium vehicles, to extend the automotive brand into new lifestyle, technology and mobility categories.

“Throughout our 30 years, Beanstalk has strategically developed licensing programmes for some of the most globally recognised brands. These new partnerships and clients demonstrate how we continue to harness the power of licensing to successfully extend brands into new categories around the globe,” says Allison Ames, President and CEO of Beanstalk. “After a two-year hiatus, Licensing Expo 2022 provides the perfect opportunity to reconnect with our industry colleagues and forge new partnerships across industries, categories and territories.”

Complementary to Beanstalk’s robust client activity, the agency has premiered several corporate initiatives. In keeping with Beanstalk’s “best practices” model, it has established a global, cross-functional Sustainability Team. The key objectives of Beanstalk’s sustainability initiatives are to align clients’ sustainability goals with licensees’ efforts and capabilities and to share information across clients, licensees and industries.

Additionally, Beanstalk’s Antiracism, Allyship and Action programme continues to make diversity, racial justice and advocacy for marginalised groups a priority through education, client service and monetary donations.

Most recently, Beanstalk unveiled Licensing Labs by Beanstalk, an initiative to raise funds for charity while providing a service to the licensing community. Through the Licensing Labs by Beanstalk promotion, the agency will work with three winners to help them identify areas of opportunity for brand extension. In turn, the winners will be asked to donate to UNICEF to aid in Ukraine relief efforts. For more information on Licensing Labs by Beanstalk, visit https://www.beanstalk.com/licensing-labs-by-beanstalk.

 

GODIVA expands licensing portfolio in North America with four new partnerships

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GODIVA is expanding its licensing portfolio in the U.S. and Canada in 2022 with the launch of four new licensing partnerships, with Boardwalk Frozen Treats, Jimmy’s Gourmet Bakery, Le Vian and Cookies United.

These four new partners join other brands in GODIVA’s North America licensing portfolio, which includes General Mills, The Cheesecake Factory and, most recently, Jessica Pastries, which just launched as part of GODIVA’s Holiday 2021 collection.

“We are thrilled to offer this first-class selection of GODIVA-inspired products that imbue the unmatched quality and essence of our premium brand, while reinforcing that GODIVA is the perfect choice to make any moment into an amazing one,” says Nurtac Ziyal Afridi, GODIVA’s chief executive officer. “Establishing new partnerships reinforces our strategy of expanding our accessibility and democratising premium chocolate to open more people’s eyes to the wonder of GODIVA. Licensing will continue to play a critical role in these endeavors in North America and around the world.”

“We are highly selective when choosing a licensing partner as we want to ensure they are each ‘GODIVA-worthy’ and must share the same vision and mission: spreading happiness and wonder to all,” says Meghan Furse, Global Director of Business Development, GODIVA. “With each partnership, we are providing a new channel to extend our premium quality brand to a wider audience and attract a new generation of GODIVA fans.”

Boardwalk Frozen Treats will introduce seven new GODIVA ice cream pints with each flavour inspired by GODIVA’s classic premium chocolate pieces and flavour profiles. The frozen treats will roll out in grocery stores throughout the U.S. beginning this January. Exclusive flavours include: Hazelnut Crunch, Mint Medallion, Praline Cone Crunch, Salted Caramel Brownie, Caramel Embrace, Chocolate Strawberry, and the iconic Midnight Swirl.

Jimmy’s Gourmet Bakery will roll out GODIVA “bake-at-home” chocolate chip cookie dough filled with chocolate ganache. Sold both frozen and refrigerated, these premium products are inspired by GODIVA’s ganache-filled chocolates.

Le Vian, a leader in fine jewellery, has a select line of natural fancy colour diamonds which are exclusively trademarked “Chocolate Diamonds”® across the globe. For Valentine’s Day 2022, three cobranded GODIVA x Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds pendants will be launched as a special-edition collection available at Kay Jewelers. The pieces are inspired by GODIVA’s classic chocolates and iconography. The collection also includes a very limited number of high jewelry parures and ring sets, created for the red carpet. Additional designs will roll out in the future.

Cookies United has created GODIVA Gingerbread House and Cookie Decorating Kits featuring GODIVA chocolate cookie pieces and the chocolatier’s premium “Masterpieces” Dark Chocolate Ganache Hearts as decorative pieces. These decorative kits will launch at Easter and during the Holiday 2022 season.

Jessica Pastries’ ready-to-eat round and log cakes launched as part of GODIVA’s 2021 holiday collection exclusively in Canada. These GODIVA Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt cakes feature multiple layers including sponge cake, mousse, and chocolate crunch.

GODIVA’s existing licensing partnerships include The Cheesecake Factory, which offers GODIVA-inspired desserts including the popular GODIVA® Chocolate Cheesecake, and General Mills Baking Kits, including GODIVA Chocolate Torte, GODIVA Lava Cake and GODIVA Brownie Cheesecake Swirl. To learn more about GODIVA’s products and partnerships, visit www.godiva.com.