Oprah and Kraft are deepening its food ties, here’s how
Watch out, DiGiorno! Oprah is coming.
The media mogul announced that she’s expanding her healthy food line with Kraft Heinz by adding a new line of premium frozen pizzas.
The launch is now the third category of food products that the former daytime show host has with the food giant. The joint venture called Mealtime Stories LLC first launched last year when it debuted refrigerated soups and side dishes under a brand called O, That’s Good!
But Winfrey’s take on pizza does come with an unconventional nutritious twist. The billionaire said about one third of the classic crust is made with cauliflower and no artificial flavors or dyes have been added.
Christopher Urban, head of Mealtime Stories at Kraft Heinz said the move to go into the pizza category comes after the success of Oprah’s refrigerated soups and sides, so the company wanted to bring that excitement to another sector.
To promote the new brand, Mealtime Stories said it also plans a robust 360-degree marketing campaign, including a new national TV ad featuring the queen of talk herself. Additionally, the venture said 10 percent of all profits will be equally split between charitable organization Rise Against Hunger and Feeding America to support the fight against hunger.
Since 2015, Winfrey, whose estimated net worth exceeds $2.8 billion, according to Forbes, has been aggressively investing in the healthy food category. She first struck gold in 2015 when she made a $43 million investment in Weight Watchers International when it was worth less than $7 a share. Since then, the stock has skyrocketed, hitting a record $101 in July before falling to around $74 Thursday. Her investment in the company is now worth an estimated $450 million to $500 million.
Also, this summer, she announced that she is investing a “significant amount” into a health-driven restaurant brand, True Food Kitchen, to help double the chain’s size over the next three years.