Dolly Parton expands retail food partnership with Conagra Brands

After the popularity of her Duncan Hines mixes, Parton’s likeness will appear on more CPG products.

Courtesy of Conagra Brands

Following the continued success of her multiyear partnership with Duncan Hines, global icon and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dolly Parton has entered into an exclusive agreement with Duncan Hines' parent company, Conagra Brands, to develop a line of retail food items. The new line of Dolly Parton food products will include frozen, refrigerated, grocery, and snack items inspired by down-home comfort cuisine.

"I loved co-creating my Duncan Hines line with Conagra and I'm thrilled we're going well beyond the baking aisle with new items across the store," says Parton. "We're looking to continue to inspire special moments in the kitchen, with some of my family's favorite recipes, and I think people are really going to love them!"

The new products will start rolling onto store shelves nationwide this January, with an expanded line-up of Duncan Hines' mixes including Chocolate Cake Mix, Yellow Cake Mix, Cinnamon Crumb Cake Mix, Blueberry Muffin Mix, and Banana Nut Muffin Mix. Additionally, the first-single branded Parton item, Buttermilk Pancake Mix, will start hitting shelves this winter and marks her first foray into the breakfast category. More items are expected to launch later in 2024, including frozen items.

"This unprecedented partnership with Dolly Parton gives us an incredible opportunity to further cement Conagra Brands in our established categories, while authentically positioning us for tremendous growth in new ones including Southern cooking and comfort food," says Tom McGough, chief operating officer at Conagra Brands.

"We are beyond thrilled to build on the success of our partnership with one of the most beloved and respected women in the world," adds Lucy Brady, president of grocery and snacks at Conagra Brands. "With our expertise in food, we'll help bring Dolly's vision and favorite recipes to so many tables across America, with delicious new offerings across a wide range of eating occasions."

The multi-year, multi-category agreement was facilitated by licensing agency IMG. Visit bakingwithdolly.com to learn more about the current and future line-up of Dolly Parton food products.

Jenni Spinner is the chief editor of Snack Food and Wholesale with more than 25 years of experience in business-to-business communications. She has written extensively about food production, safety and packaging; pharmaceutical drug development; concrete and masonry construction; and more. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Illinois. Jenni can be reached at spinnerj@bnpmedia.com.