Kraft Dinner is entering the dessert category with the launch of a limited-time cheesecake product that incorporates the brand’s signature cheese flavour into a sweet offering sold through select bakeries across Canada.
The product, called KD Mac & Cheesecake, marks the first time the Kraft Heinz Canada brand has moved beyond its traditional meal positioning and into desserts. The company said the cheesecake is available through bakery partners in Toronto, Montréal, Winnipeg and Calgary.
The launch comes as food companies continue experimenting with nostalgic flavours and unconventional combinations aimed at younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, according to the company.
KD Mac & Cheesecake incorporates KD cheese into both the graham cracker crust and cheesecake filling, creating what the company describes as a sweet-and-savoury dessert inspired by the flavour profile of the boxed macaroni and cheese product.
The dessert will be sold at SanRemo Bakery in Toronto, Les Délices Lafrenaie in Montréal, Goodies Bakeshop in Winnipeg, and Ambrosial Cheesecake Shop and The Cheesecake Cafe in Calgary for a limited time while supplies last.
“As Canada’s unofficial dish, KD has long been associated with dinner,” said Brian Neumann, head of brand and creativity at Kraft Heinz. “This led us to ask ourselves, ‘why should the unmistakable KD flavour be limited to dinner time?’ Today, we’re excited to give Canadians a brand new way to enjoy KD’s one-of-a-kind cheese flavour. KD Mac & Cheesecake is a playful way for us to remind Canadians that when it comes to delicious cheese – no matter the meal – it’s Gotta be KD.”
The company said the cheesecake is intended to encourage consumers to reconsider how and when they consume the brand, which has long been positioned as a staple meal product in Canada.
Kraft Heinz Canada said KD is made in Canada using real cheddar cheese and has been part of Canadian food culture for generations. The company said the dessert offering builds on that familiarity by adapting the brand’s flavour into a new category.
The limited-time release is being offered exclusively through independent bakery partners rather than through grocery retail channels.
Consumers seeking information about availability and participating bakery locations are being directed to the brand’s website and social media accounts.
Kraft Heinz Canada traces its roots to 1903, when James Lewis Kraft began selling cheese in Ontario from a horse-drawn wagon. Heinz Canada was established in Leamington, Ont., in 1909.
The Canadian division became part of the Kraft Heinz Company following the 2015 merger between Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company. The company says its products are found in more than 97 per cent of Canadian households.
In addition to brands including Kraft Peanut Butter, Heinz Ketchup, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Maxwell House, KD remains one of the company’s most widely recognized products in Canada.
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