Heinz Is Headed for the Parks: Disney Signs a Multiyear Kraft Heinz Alliance
The Walt Disney Company and Kraft Heinz have signed a multiyear strategic alliance covering 10 brands, including Heinz, Philadelphia and Kraft Mac and Cheese, spanning Disney film and TV content plus Walt Disney World, Disneyland and North American Disney Cruise Line sailings. The parks side includes new menu items and new condiment stations, with a Kraft Heinz presence at D23 this summer.
Heinz is coming to the condiment stations. The Walt Disney Company and Kraft Heinz have signed a multiyear strategic alliance covering 10 Kraft Heinz brands, and the experiences side of the deal reaches directly into Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line sailings out of North America, with new menu items attached.
Key Details
- Structure: Multiyear strategic alliance, terms undisclosed
- Scope: 10 Kraft Heinz brands including Heinz, Philadelphia and Kraft Mac & Cheese
- Parks: Prime placement at Walt Disney World and Disneyland
- Ships: Disney cruises departing out of North America
- First appearance: A Kraft Heinz presence at D23 this summer, including sauces from the company sauce vault
The Buzz
The Hollywood Reporter broke the alliance with interviews from both sides, and Disney fans latched onto one line in particular: new condiment stations across the parks. Ketchup packet discourse is a genuine Walt Disney World tradition, and a named brand partner attached to it is the kind of small, tangible change guests will notice on their next trip.
What the deal actually covers
Terms were not disclosed. What is known is the shape: 10 Kraft Heinz brands, among them Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese, getting prime placement inside Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in Anaheim, and aboard Disney cruises sailing from North America.
The experiences element goes past shelf placement. The two companies plan new menu items and new condiment stations across the parks. Kraft Heinz will also show up at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event this summer with sauces pulled from the company sauce vault.
The media half
The alliance also spans Disney's film and television output, which opens the door to brand integrations inside Disney features or series, and to event coverage such as next February's Super Bowl on ESPN, where inventory is always at a premium.
Neither side is naming specific placements yet. Todd Kaplan, chief marketing officer of Kraft Heinz North America, said the companies are still working through where they will collaborate, and that the multiyear structure gives both room to align around what each has coming: products on one side, films, shows and park projects on the other.
"From going to the movies and watching a TV show to going to a theme park, it's all about bringing people together around these shared passion points and fandom for some of these properties that I know Disney has across their vast portfolio," Kaplan told The Hollywood Reporter. "It allows us to show up in these mealtime moments that matter most to consumers when they're having these shared experiences, whether it's at a park, on a cruise ship, at a hotel or resort in fully integrated ways to meet fans where they are."
Kaplan added that the plan includes storytelling-driven collaborations, media integrations and experiential activations tied to Disney franchises and major sporting events. Kraft Heinz, given the breadth of its product portfolio, is among the largest marketers in the United States.
Disney side of the pitch
Becca Vodnoy, senior vice president of corporate alliances at The Walt Disney Company, framed the partnership around family routine rather than product placement.
"Disney Corporate Alliances is focused on working with iconic brands with shared values to create meaningful experiences that bring families closer to the stories and places they love," Vodnoy said. "The collaboration with Kraft Heinz is the perfect demonstration of another brand that understands how families connect through everyday moments, and together we will build creative experiences for our consumers across our destinations, platforms, and fan touchpoints."
Kaplan made a similar argument from the food side, noting that both companies have been part of family routine for generations and that the partnership is meant to build on associations consumers already carry rather than manufacture a new one.
Why this is bigger than it sounds
Corporate alliances are not new at Disney. Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Siemens and others have anchored park attractions and pavilions for decades. What makes this one unusual is how far it stretches at once, covering theatrical films, television, sports coverage, two domestic park resorts and a cruise line under a single agreement rather than a single sponsorship.
For guests, the visible changes will be the small ones: what is on the condiment station, what turns up on a quick-service menu, which brand name sits next to the fries. Those details carry real weight in park fan communities, where a change to something as ordinary as ketchup gets noticed and debated within hours.
What this means for fans
Nothing about this changes a park ticket or a sailing today. The first concrete appearance is at D23 in August, where Kraft Heinz is bringing sauces from its vault, and specific menu items and condiment station changes have not been detailed or dated. Guests planning fall trips should expect to notice the shift gradually rather than all at once.
The more interesting thread to watch is the media side. If a Kraft Heinz brand turns up inside a Disney film or a Super Bowl broadcast package next February, that will be the clearest signal of how aggressive both companies intend to be with this alliance.