Hearst Magazine Launching Specialty Food Line

NEW YORK -- Hearst Brand Development here said yesterday that it had signed a licensing agreement with Grand Prairie, Texas-based Heritage Family Specialty Foods to manufacture and distribute the Country Living Specialty Food Collection, which Hearst described as "a signature line of high-quality sweet and savory gourmet specialty foods."

Country Living is a consumer title in the Hearst Magazines portfolio. The agreement with Heritage is "the first of its kind in the gourmet food industry," according to Hearst.
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A select assortment of Country Living branded products has been available for holiday purchase at hfsfoods.com since early October 2006, and a special tasting was held at the Country Living Fair at the Chicago Botanic Garden Oct. 6 through Oct. 9. The complete line of products will be introduced to buyers in January 2007 at the NASFT 32nd Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.

The Country Living Specialty Food Collection will feature such items as homemade pie-in-a-jar, dessert toppings, preserves, sauces, and condiments. The products will be carried at gourmet, gift, and specialty food stores across the United States, and the premium positioning of the brand will be evident in both product packaging and point-of-sale materials.

"Our partnership with Heritage Foods represents another important extension for the Country Living brand by serving our readers' passion for cooking and entertaining," said Hearst Brand Development v.p. Glen Ellen Brown in a statement. "Heritage Foods was a natural partner for us, given their capabilities to create shelf-stable products that evoke memories of favorite country dishes and time-honored family traditions."

Added Heritage Family Specialty Foods v.p. of marketing Michael Moss, "The partnership between Country Living and Heritage Family Specialty Foods will bring simple, delicious and easy-to-use gourmet food products into the kitchens and onto the dinner tables of families throughout the country."

Hearst Brand Development, a division of Hearst Magazines, one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, is responsible for expanding the company's magazine title brand franchises across multiple product categories and distribution channels.
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