Dolly Parton Serves Up Southern-Inspired Comfort Food with New Line of Single-Serve Frozen Meals
- Expansion of successful existing partnership that began in 2022
- Strategic diversification into the frozen food category with both single-serve meals and desserts
- Competitive price points at $4.49 for meals and $9.99 for cobbler
- Nationwide distribution through major grocery retailers
- None.
Insights
Conagra's collaboration with Dolly Parton on frozen meals leverages celebrity branding to strengthen its position in the competitive premium frozen food segment.
This strategic product launch represents a calculated expansion of Conagra's existing relationship with Dolly Parton, moving beyond baking products into higher-margin frozen meal territory. The four new single-serve meals and multi-serve peach cobbler target the premium convenience segment, where branded celebrity products typically command higher price points than standard frozen offerings.
The $4.49 price point for the single-serve meals positions these products in the premium tier of the frozen meal category, likely offering better margins than Conagra's standard portfolio. This expansion follows the 2022 initial partnership that began with Duncan Hines baking products, demonstrating Conagra's satisfaction with the performance of the collaboration thus far.
The timing is strategic - Conagra is capitalizing on the growing trend of comfort food with a premium twist. By leveraging Dolly Parton's authentic Southern persona and widespread appeal across demographics, Conagra gains differentiation in the highly competitive frozen meal space where brand loyalty is typically low. The nationwide distribution through "major grocery retailers" indicates substantial shelf space commitment and significant production volume.
For Conagra, this represents a textbook example of how to extend product lines through celebrity partnerships without requiring fundamental changes to manufacturing capabilities. The company is effectively diversifying its premium offerings while potentially attracting new consumers to its frozen food portfolio through Dolly's broad appeal and authenticity in Southern cuisine.
Convenient and comforting familiar favorites now available nationwide
The new collection of Dolly Parton's meals features four comforting, heat-and-eat dishes:
- Dolly Parton's Beef Pot Roast: Tender USDA Choice beef with cuts of carrots, celery, onions, and roasted red potatoes in a rich, savory Southern-style gravy.
- Dolly Parton's Chicken & Dumplings: White meat chicken with thick-cut carrots and celery, paired with fluffy dumplings in a creamy pepper and thyme sauce.
- Dolly Parton's Country Fried Steak: A tender, fried beef patty topped with black pepper and chive country gravy, served alongside chunky mashed potatoes and seasoned green beans with smoky bacon.
- Dolly Parton's Shrimp & Grits: Creamy white cheddar grits with succulent shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and a bold, spicy Southern-style sauce.
These meals are crafted to deliver the authentic flavors of Southern cuisine, reflecting Dolly's commitment to quality and taste. Each meal has a suggested retail price of
"I've always believed in the power of a warm, hearty meal, and now with these offerings I'm bringing a little taste of my own Southern favorites to you," said Dolly Parton. "Whether you're busy or just craving some quick comfort, I hope these dishes warm your heart as much as your belly!"
This launch builds upon the successful collaboration between Dolly Parton and Conagra Brands, which began in 2022 with a line of baking mixes and frostings under the Duncan Hines brand. The partnership, which is facilitated by IMG Licensing, has since expanded to include a variety of items inspired by Dolly's Southern roots including Dolly Parton's Biscuit Batter Peach Cobbler, a new multi-serve frozen peach cobbler that brings one of her favorite desserts to a broader audience. Dolly Parton's Biscuit Batter Peach Cobbler has a biscuit batter top that bakes up fresh in the oven, as the peaches and filling are caramelizing underneath. The suggested retail price is
"Our partnership with Dolly Parton has been nothing short of extraordinary," said Tim Nangle, VP & General Manager at Conagra Brands. "Her genuine love for home-cooked meals and deep connection with fans makes this expansion into frozen foods a natural next step. We're proud to bring even more of Dolly's warmth and flavor into homes across the country."
The new single-serve frozen meals and frozen peach cobbler are now available at major grocery retailers across
About Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is the most honored and revered multi-hyphenate of all time and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her recent album "Rockstar" made history by scoring the biggest album debut sales week of her seven-decade career and earning her six #1s on the Billboard charts - Top Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Country Albums, Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, and Independent Albums. The landmark album also claimed the #3 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, her highest position ever. Achieving 27 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach #1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Parton is the first artist to have topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Christian Airplay, Rock Digital Songs, Country Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year given out by NARAS. She has 49 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 120 career-charted singles over the past 50+ years. On October 17, 2023, she released her second New York Times Best Seller coffee table book in a trilogy called "Behind The Seams: My Life in Rhinestones." The first of the series was bestselling coffee table book "Songteller: My Life in Lyrics." Her cookbook, "Good Lookin' Cookin'" co-authored with her sister Rachel Parton George was a #1 New York Times Best Seller for numerous weeks on the charts and was the #1 cookbook of 2024.
In 2014, the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. She has amassed eleven Grammy Awards and 54 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including a nod for Entertainer of the Year; four People's Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.
Dolly has the largest fan base of all measured music artists in the YouGov database at #1 with 198 million. She has the #1 Q Score of all performers, solo and group. Dolly is one of only 25 celebrities in the E-poll database to have an E-score of 100 and has maintained that perfect rating for 8 years. She recently won Best Brand Award, Celebrity, Influencer and Fashion at the 2023 Licensing International Excellence Awards.
To date, Parton has donated over 278 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children's book, "Coat of Many Colors," was dedicated to the Library of Congress to honor the Imagination Library's 100 millionth book donation. In March of 2022, Parton released the book "Run Rose Run" which she co-authored with James Patterson which sat at # 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List for 5 weeks, a record for this decade. She also released an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book which reached #1 on three charts simultaneously --- Country, Americana/Folk and Bluegrass Albums. From her "Coat of Many Colors" while working "9 to 5," no dream is too big and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading branded food companies. We combine a 100-year history of making quality food with agility and a relentless focus on collaboration and innovation. The company's portfolio is continuously evolving to satisfy consumers' ever-changing food preferences. Conagra's brands include Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, and many more. As a corporate citizen, we aim to do what's right for our business, our employees, our communities, and the world. Headquartered in Chicago, Conagra Brands generated fiscal 2024 net sales of more than
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world's greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.
For Dolly media inquiries, contact Marcel Pariseau
(323) 957-0730
For Conagra media inquiries, contact Sibel Biskup
(312) 549-5191
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dolly-parton-serves-up-southern-inspired-comfort-food-with-new-line-of-single-serve-frozen-meals-302461121.html
SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.
FAQ
What are the new Dolly Parton frozen meals launched by Conagra Brands (CAG)?
How much does Dolly Parton's Biscuit Batter Peach Cobbler cost?
When did Conagra Brands (CAG) first partner with Dolly Parton?
Where can I buy Dolly Parton's new frozen meals from Conagra (CAG)?
