Conagra Brands, Dolly Parton Expand Partnership Beyond Duncan Hines

Jan. 23, 2024

Under new partnership, Conagra and Parton will develop frozen, refrigerated, grocery and snack products to add to Duncan Hines mixes line.

Andy Hanacek

The limited-edition, exclusive Dolly Parton’s Bake Like a Rockstar Baking Collection includes her new Duncan Hines’ Dolly Parton’s Blueberry Muffin Mix, Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake Mix, Favorite Chocolate Cake Mix and Creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, along with exclusive, limited-edition Dolly keepsakes. It’s available online at bakingwithdolly.com beginning at 3 pm ET on Wed., Jan. 24th, while supplies last.

Building upon the success of a multiyear partnership with the Duncan Hines brand, Conagra Brands and global entertainment icon Dolly Parton have entered into an agreement to develop a line of Dolly Parton-branded retail food items, including frozen, refrigerated, grocery and snack items inspired by “down-home comfort cuisine,” in addition to more Dolly Parton baking mixes in the Duncan Hines line.

The new products will hit stores shelves nationwide this month, the news release said. The multi-year, multi-category agreement was facilitated by licensing agency IMG.

The expanded lineup of Duncan Hines mixes includes Chocolate Cake Mix, Yellow Cake Mix, Cinnamon Crumb Cake Mix, Blueberry Muffin Mix and Banana Nut Muffin Mix. The first single-branded Dolly Parton item — Buttermilk Pancake Mix — was expected to hit shelves this winter.

“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,” Dolly Parton said in the release. For Conagra Brands, the partnership offers authentic positioning in new categories including Southern cooking and comfort food, added Tom McGough, COO for Conagra Brands.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.