Mtn Dew Solar Flare joins Big Gulf fountain drinks.
7-Eleven Inc. and PepsiCo have announced the national launch of two complementary food and beverage product innovations for 7-Eleven customers this summer.
The two companies are launching Doritos Loaded, a bold, new snack sensation, and Mtn Dew Solar Flare, the first-ever exclusive Mountain Dew flavor for 7-Eleven’s Big Gulp fountain drinks. The products, currently available only at 7-Eleven stores, were developed to be easily paired and will be launched with an integrated marketing and consumer-engagement program.
Doritos Loaded is a new snack, triangular in shape, loaded with melted cheese and encrusted with bold Doritos Nacho Cheese flavor. The melted-on-the-inside, crunchy-on-the-outside, nacho cheese creation is a portable, easy-to-eat hot snack. Doritos Loaded costs $1.99 for a box of four and is served warm.
Doritos Loaded can easily be paired with Mtn Dew Solar Flare, which started to roll out in May. The beverage has the bold citrus flavor of Mountain Dew with a blast of tropical punch.
In addition to Mtn Dew Solar Flare, 7-Eleven also will pair Doritos Loaded with other PepsiCo beverages this summer to bring special offers to consumers. As part of its Doritos Loaded summer rollout, 7-Eleven will host five “Fully Loaded Fridays.” Each Friday between July 25 and Aug. 22, customers who purchase an order of Doritos Loaded will receive a free 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi-Cola Made With Real Sugar.
Doritos Loaded was tested earlier this year in a few Washington, D.C.-area 7-Eleven stores. People who discovered the new snack posted photos and mini-reviews describing the product as “inside-out nachos” and “Nacho Cheese Doritos dipped in queso.” These unofficial reviews landed on news Websites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter, months before the product’s launch on July 2, and created demand for the product.
“Doritos Loaded is a never-been-done-before, bold experience with a crunch and, particularly when paired with the intense flavor of Mtn Dew Solar Flare, creates the kind of snack I think our guests will love,” said Nancy Smith, 7-Eleven senior vice president of proprietary food and beverage merchandising. “Today, we are bringing these exclusive products to the rest of the country.”
“Doritos Loaded and Mtn Dew Solar Flare represent one of the boldest on-the-go snacking and beverage combinations to hit the marketplace in years,” said Kirk Tanner, president, PepsiCo Foodservice. “7-Eleven stores are a fixture in the daily lives of millions of our consumers, as are Doritos and Mountain Dew. We look forward to bringing these two great, new products to life in 7-Eleven stores across the country this summer.”
“PepsiCo is a terrific 7-Eleven partner that’s consistently bringing delicious, new food and beverage offerings to our stores,” said Smith. “We’re always looking to enhance the consumer experience and offer innovative products for our guests. This launch is the perfect example of how we’re bringing two complementary brands together in a really powerful way.”
McCain Foods, USA, a leading supplier of innovative snack food and potato products for the foodservice industry, is manufacturing Doritos Loaded. Doritos is a trademark of Frito-Lay North America. PepsiCo is the parent company of Frito-Lay, which created and markets Doritos brand tortilla chips. Mountain Dew is a product of PepsiCo Americas Beverages and is the No.-1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S.