Sliced-apple pioneer Crunch Pak has enjoyed success with many licensed marketing partnerships over the years.

Currently, the company’s best-performing partnership is with Bluey, the animated show that was the most streamed children’s program in the country for most of 2024, said Andy Kimbrel, Crunch Pak’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Bluey is having a moment,” he said. “Our three SKUs are all doing well. It was our biggest win for 2024, and we’ve been very grateful for that.”

Crunch Pak’s Bluey products were introduced in Fall 2023. The biggest new introduction in 2024, Kimbrel said, is a partnership with Reese’s. This fall, the company began shipping packs that include a Reese’s mini.

“Initial feedback has been good. Everybody eats Reese’s,” Kimbrel said.

Peanut butter and chocolate have long been natural pairings with apples, said Tony Freytag, Crunch Pak’s executive vice president. That made partnering with Reese’s an easy choice.

The small size of the Reese’s inclusion taps into consumer demand for a small, portion-controlled sweet to complement their healthy eating choices.

“People want to eat healthy, but they still want that indulgent part,” Kimbrel said.

“If you look at the last few months, the emphasis on healthier is getting bigger and bigger,” Freytag added. “Some of it has to do with the new administration. I believe we’ll see some changes that could benefit fresh-cut and produce in general. It just seems like there’s been a higher level of conversation on food as medicine the past couple of years.”

Also new for Crunch Pak is a promotion with Minecraft, in which consumers who purchase Minecraft-themed Crunch Pak products can download an exclusive digital necklace they can put on their character in the game.

The promotion will run through March.

Looking ahead, expect to see Crunch Pak extend its licensing program into other fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, Kimbrel said.

“The category is continuing to grow,” he said, citing data that the healthy snacking category, which includes fresh-cut, grew 10.4% in 2024. The growth for Crunch Pak and its partner, vegetable specialist Taylor Farms, has exceeded that.