Keurig Green Mountain, which is known for single-serve pods of coffee and tea, hopes consumers will warm back up to the company's products with fresh-brewed soup cups.
Keurig and Campbell's Soup Co. have partnered to sell single-serve Fresh-Brewed Soup in K-Cup pods. The 70-calorie soup servings are available in Homestyle Chicken Broth & Noodle Soup Mix and Southwest Style Chicken Broth & Noodle Soup Mix.
The companies announced the partnership in 2013, and have spent the past two years making sure they got "the product right," Michael Goodman, marketing director of innovation at Campbell Soup, told USA TODAY Network.
The Campbell's Fresh-Brewed Soup Kits come with a packet of noodles and a K-Cup pod of soup, which is placed into the Keurig machine. Goodman said some consumers worried the "soup would taste like coffee, or coffee would taste like soup," so Keurig suggests running a brew cycle after making soup.
The soup launch comes just weeks after Keurig announced plans to cut its workforce by 5% after reporting a massive sales slump in the third quarter. Likewise, Campbell's sales and earnings have been sluggish. On Sept. 3, the company said revenue for the latest quarter fell 8.6% to $1.69 billion, the Wall Street Journal Reported.
Goodman said Campbell's is trying to get its products to consumers in the quickest, easiest way.
"For us this is about building a major innovation platform, which is around convenient snacking," he said.
And while this is Keurig's first official stab at food, soup and oatmeal pouches and pods are already on shelves. General Mills produces Progresso soup and Nature Valley Oatmeal pods, although the company notes it is not affiliated with Keurig on its website.
On Twitter, the response to the Campbell's soup K-cup has been mixed.
