Vermont Smoke & Cure is pushing into licensed-brand territory with the launch of two new meat sticks co-developed with Kraft Heinz Licensing — one carrying the A.1. Original Sauce equity and one under the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire banner. The products, available nationwide at Kroger as of June 1, 2026, represent the first time either Kraft Heinz condiment brand has extended into the meat snack category, a move that signals growing appetite among CPG licensors to seed equity into adjacent high-growth segments.
The Kroger rollout gives Vermont Smoke & Cure immediate access to one of the country's largest conventional grocery footprints, with the banner operating more than 2,700 stores across its family of banners. Distribution through Kroger's mainline grocery and natural/specialty sets positions the sticks for planogram placement in the meat snack aisle alongside legacy players, while the licensed branding creates a natural pull-through case for secondary placement — end-caps, checkout fixtures, and floor stacks tied to grilling or tailgate seasonal resets.
The meat snack category has been one of the more durable performers in center store over the past several years, consistently outpacing the broader snack aisle on a velocity-per-point-of-distribution basis according to syndicated scan data. Premium and better-for-you SKUs — the segment Vermont Smoke & Cure occupies — have captured an outsized share of that growth as shoppers trade up from commodity jerky to cleaner-label, higher-protein formats. Layering recognizable condiment brands onto a premium stick format addresses both the flavor-familiarity and permissible-indulgence triggers that drive trial in the set.
For Kraft Heinz, the licensing arrangement is a low-capital path to category extension for A.1. and Lea & Perrins, both of which anchor the condiment and sauce aisle but have limited presence in snacking adjacencies. Vermont Smoke & Cure, which has been crafting smoked meats in Hinesburg, Vermont since 1962, provides the manufacturing credibility and artisan positioning that makes the steakhouse flavor story credible on-pack. The partnership mirrors broader licensing and brand-extension trends across the meat snack category where heritage sauce and seasoning brands are increasingly showing up on stick, bar, and bite formats.
The commercial calculus for Kroger buyers centers on whether the licensed equity can lift TDP productivity above the category average. If A.1. and Lea & Perrins name recognition converts to faster turns relative to comparable premium SKUs, the sticks are well-positioned for expanded planogram facings and potential inclusion in Kroger's digital promotional stack — including personalized TPR offers through the grocer's loyalty platform. Watch for MCB and in-ad support to activate trial windows during summer grilling season, when both condiment brands index highest on shopper purchase intent. Category managers evaluating snack-aisle reset strategy heading into the back half of 2026 will find the licensed-brand play a useful benchmark for how artisan manufacturers can compete for prime shelf real estate without a national-brand marketing budget.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.