PepsiCo appears to be readying a pipeline of fiery NPD to satiate Gen Z shoppers’ growing appetite for spicy snacks.
Over recent weeks, it has applied to register ‘Roulette’, ‘Ignite’, ‘Exxtra Flamin’ Hot’ and ‘Exxtreme Heat’ as trademarks with the Intellectual Property Office under classes 29 and 30, covering potato chips and tortilla chips.
PepsiCo had not responded to requests as The Grocer went to press, but ‘Roulette’ could hint at the return of Doritos Roulette, which debuted in 2015.
Doritos Roulette was even banned by one Scarborough school after a 14-year-old pupil with asthma complained of breathing difficulties after eating the spicy chips. It had disappeared from shelves in the UK by 2019.
‘Exxtra Flamin’ Hot’, meanwhile, looks likely to be a range extension of PepsiCo’s Extra Flamin’ Hot range, which debuted in the UK last March.
The line-up, which features spicy spin-offs for Doritos, Walkers Max and Wotsits Crunchy, was supported by the installation of custom-made point of sale materials at various independent retailers across the UK.
Materials included purple branded arches, 3D fire extinguishers and a branded fire engine, which pulled up outside of Triple ‘a’ Foodhall in Nuneaton.
This latest swathe of trademark activity follows a surge in demand for spicy snacks among younger shoppers, led by social media trends.
Mexican snacking brand Takis, for instance, hit UK shelves to much fanfare in 2021 after going viral on TikTok.
When Aldi listed the brand’s Fuego and Volcano rolled tortillas as Specialbuys in September 2023, the retailer had to limit purchases to one pack per transaction to cope with demand.
Takis has since secured permanent listings in Co-op and Morrisons.
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