Hormel Foods‘ Spam brand has launched Spam Hot Honey, a permanent addition to its lineup of more than 10 varieties now arriving at select grocery retailers nationwide, extending one of center store’s fastest-moving flavor trends into the canned meat set.
The sweet-heat profile has marched through pizza, fried chicken and snacks in recent years, and the brand is betting it travels to the blue can. “Spam Hot Honey taps into one of today’s fastest-growing flavor trends, giving longtime fans and new audiences alike another reason to reach for the iconic blue can,” said Stephanie Swift, Spam brand manager.
The launch lands on a brand with unusual momentum for an 89-year-old product; Spam has posted years of record sales while enjoying a cultural renaissance that spans restaurant menus, brand collaborations and its own Minnesota museum.
New York bakery part of intro
To introduce the flavor, the brand is partnering with Win Son Bakery, the acclaimed Taiwanese-American café from Trigg Brown and Josh Ku, with locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan’s East Village. Through Sept. 20, the bakery is serving an exclusive Spam Hot Honey breakfast sandwich, built with egg and cheese on its signature scallion pancake, along with a Spam Hot Honey fan tuan, a Taiwanese sticky rice roll. A co-branded, streetwear-inspired merchandise capsule, a T-shirt, hat and tote bag, is available nationwide through the bakery’s website and in-store.
“The Spam brand has an enduring, decades-long connection with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and cuisine, and partnering with Win Son Bakery to introduce this flavor felt like a natural, authentic way to get out of the can and into the kitchen,” Swift said.
“This Spam collaboration felt like a genuine extension of the food we grew up with and the food we serve every day,” said Brown, co-owner and chef of Win Son Bakery. “Building a breakfast sandwich and a fan tuan around Spam Hot Honey gave us a fun new way to put our own spin on that connection.”
The breakfast sandwich recipe also is available on the brand’s website for home cooks. Hormel Foods, based in Austin, Minnesota, is a global branded food company with more than $12 billion in annual revenue, with brands including Planters, Skippy, Applegate and Jennie-O.