Sun-Maid Taps New Licensing Agency

This new partnership is part of a broader strategy by Sun-Maid to modernize its 114-year-old brand and appeal to a younger consumer base, including millennials. This effort has also included the first packaging redesign in decades and a marketing push to highlight attributes like "0g of added sugar" and "made with whole fruit." The company has also been innovating its product line with items like Sour Raisin Snacks and yogurt-covered raisins. The move into wider licensing follows Sun-Maid's first-ever acquisition in 2021, when it purchased Plum Organics, a popular brand of organic baby food and kids' snacks, from the Campbell Soup Company. That acquisition was a strategic move to enter the baby and toddler food category and build brand relationships with families from a much earlier stage. The selection of Earthbound Brands is significant, as the agency is known for creating large-scale, direct-to-retail programs for major lifestyle brands. They have a history of expanding brands into new categories, such as their successful partnerships with The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, and Newman's Own to extend their product lines in major retailers. This trend of legacy food brands extending their reach through licensing is growing. Brands like Cinnabon and Baileys have successfully licensed their names and flavor profiles for a wide range of products, from breakfast cereals to flavored liqueurs. This strategy allows established brands to enter new market segments and create new revenue streams with lower risk. For Sun-Maid, a grower-owned cooperative, this licensing push is also a response to increasing price pressure from overseas raisin producers. By creating new, value-added products, the cooperative aims to deliver greater value to its member-growers in California's Central Valley. Sun-Maid, which has been recognized as a US Best Managed Company for five consecutive years with revenues over $250 million, sees this as a key part of its growth strategy.