Sun-Maid Hires Licensing Agency

This move continues a long history of brand extension for the 114-year-old grower-owned cooperative. Sun-Maid first began licensing its brand in 1982, leading to the creation of products like Sun-Maid Raisin Bread. A 2018 agreement with Flowers Foods, producer of Wonder and Dave's Killer Bread, expanded the bread's distribution to approximately 80% of the U.S. population. In tapping Earthbound Brands, Sun-Maid is partnering with a licensing agency known for working with iconic American brands. Earthbound's client roster includes major names like Hallmark, Girl Scouts, and The Pioneer Woman, for whom they have developed brand extensions in categories ranging from home goods to food and beverage. Just this week, Earthbound was also named the exclusive licensing agency for Newman's Own. The partnership aims to capitalize on the growing trend of food and beverage brand licensing, which has become one of the top three most dynamic spaces in the industry. Experts note that consumers are increasingly drawn to brand familiarity and nostalgia, creating opportunities for legacy brands to extend into new formats like grab-and-go snacks and frozen foods. This strategy allows established brands like Sun-Maid to enter new aisles of the grocery store where they previously had no presence. Successful brand extensions in the past have included Baileys liqueur moving into ice cream and Sara Lee, known for desserts, extending into premium meats. For Sun-Maid, this could mean moving beyond dried fruit into a wider array of snacks, baked goods, and other consumer products.