Beanstalk, a leading global brand extension agency, represents the original Irish cream liquor, BAILEYS®, as well as the world’s largest Irish stout brand, GUINNESS®, on behalf of Diageo, a global leader in alcoholic beverages. Beanstalk is tasked with the management and expansion of the brands’ already extensive licensing programmes, comprising of over 40 licensees globally. In addition to a wide array of successful lifestyle and gift extensions, GUNNESS® and BAILEYS®, two of the world’s best recognised and most iconic alcoholic drink brands, have both licensed into a number of food related areas. BAILEYS® has enjoyed incredible success in categories such as ice cream, chocolate and coffee creamers whereas the distinctive smooth flavour of GUINNESS® has been translated into both sweet and savoury style products including chocolate, crisps, nuts and pies.
The most recent addition to the GUINNESS® brand’s successful food licensing programme is a beautifully balanced, rich and dark sauce with 7% GUINNESS® beer in every bottle. Flavour experts at GUINNESS® worked in close collaboration with leading international grocery manufacturer, AB World Foods Limited, to create a premium table sauce delivering the unmistakeably smooth GUINNESS® taste and deep-dark colour, appealing to new and existing fans nationwide.
Product first launched exclusively at 583 Tesco stores in April 2015 with a further UK retail roll-out planned for later in the year. It is also available as a table top condiment at 36 O’Neill’s pubs as well as at major Irish grocery channels including Spar & Centra, Supervalu and Dunnes. Since its launch, the sauce has been featured in a wide array of high profile UK publications, including The Telegraph and Daily Mail, while also enjoying significant coverage across all major social media channels.
Diageo has also worked in close collaboration with UK based pie and pastries manufacturer, Holland’s Pies, to develop a range of premium pies and puddings incorporating GUINNESS® beer as a key ingredient. Product, including a ‘Chilled Steak & Guinness Pie’, ‘Frozen Steak & Guinness Pudding’, and ‘Frozen Steak & Guinness Pastry Topped Pie’, first launched in April 2014 and the range continues to expand with the addition of a new ‘Chilled Pie Slice’. Targeting the growing convenience sector while maintaining its premium positioning, product is set to hit shelves across major UK grocery channels, including Asda, Morrison’s and Tesco in Autumn 2015.
Diageo is also expanding the BAILEYS® brand’s footprint in the Australian market with the launch of a new range of premium-quality ice-cream, reflecting the No.1 liquor brand’s signature rich and creamy flavour profile which has made it one of the world’s most popular alcoholic beverages. Developed under license by leading dairy producer, Bulla Dairy Foods, products leverage the distinct BAILEYS® flavour resulting in a luxuriously indulgent range which is distributed through major Australian independent stores and supermarkets including market leaders Woolworths and Coles. Going forward, Diageo plans to further expand BAILEYS’® presence through innovations in food that allow consumers to enjoy the brand in many other ways, such as sumptuous desserts, working in collaboration with its exclusive licensing agent, Beanstalk.