KRAFT Mac & Cheese leads Van Leeuwen’s lineup of seven brand new flavors for winter.
By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is bringing back the frozen, cheesy goodness of its KRAFT Mac & Cheese ice cream this month in a deal brokered by the Kraft Heinz licensing agency Brand Central, LLC.
The NYC-born brand is known for its made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice cream, but also for making some bold and sometimes pretty crazy sounding flavor choices.
The Mac & Cheese is a great example of an ice cream flavor that shouldn’t work, but it does, and in fact, the product became a fan favorite for its original limited run.
As a result, for the first time in a year and a half, the KRAFT Mac & Cheese will return to store shelves for a limited time, starting October 23. That means fans can have Mac & Cheese for an entree and a dessert!
“The wait is over; Mac (& Cheese) is back!” said Ben Van Leeuwen, co-Founder, and CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. “Due to popular demand, we are bringing this iconic ice cream back to Walmart freezers nationwide after nearly a year and a half hiatus. We are excited for its return, and to be launching six other brand new flavors, including Dill Pickle and Peppermint Stick.”
The flavor leads Van Leeuwen’s lineup of seven brand new, limited-time flavors, to be sold exclusively at Walmart locations nationwide.
Van Leeuwen and KRAFT originally brought together two of life’s most iconic comfort foods—ice cream and mac & cheese—in July of 2021 to celebrate National Macaroni & Cheese Day. The ice cream was met with such enthusiasm that the announcement went viral and the initial 6,000 pints sold out in an hour.
One month later, Van Leeuwen brought the ice cream back as an online-only offering, and then in March 2022 launched it in Walmart stores nationwide as a limited run, which proved Van Leeuwen’s most successful limited-edition product with Walmart ever. Now, for the first time in over a year, it will make a comeback just in time for the holiday season.
“When we launched KRAFT Mac & Cheese ice cream back in 2021, we never could have dreamed it would earn such a beloved place in both mac & cheese and ice cream lovers’ hearts,” says Victoria Lee, Brand Communications Manager, KRAFT Mac & Cheese at the Kraft Heinz Company. “We know a cheesy and delicious bowl of KRAFT Mac & Cheese is comforting at every age and life stage, and the KRAFT Mac & Cheese Ice Cream brings that same nostalgic magic to the dessert aisle. In collaboration with our partners at Van Leeuwen, we’re thrilled to give fans a little something extra to cheer about this holiday season.”
All of the other winter flavors are equally bold choices, including the Dill Pickle, Peppermint Stick, Caramel Sticky Bun, Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel, Holiday Cookies and Cream, and one I’m trying to imagine, a flavor based on Kettle Corn, described as a “sweet corn and butter ice cream with pieces of honeycomb for that subtly sweet yet salty taste that’ll take you back to the big top.”
All winter flavors will be available at 3,200 Walmart stores nationwide to purchase for $4.98. This limited release is available through December 26 or until sold out.
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