US Pro Baseball teams cash in on specifically designed and branded Wise Snacks

When the New York Mets play the Atlanta Braves, Wise Foods has a tough time picking a side.

The 10th ranked player in the U.S. salty snacks industry has relationships with both teams for branded snacks both inside and outside of the ballpark.

Wise has been working with the Mets since 2005, and recently expanded the partnership with three unique flavors of ball-shaped cheese puffs. The Braves, in their first season working with Wise, have a hit with Bravos tortilla chips with the Braves logo on the bag. Both teams promote and sell Wise products in their ballparks, plus they get a cut of the retail sales of the products bearing their logos.

Before this season, the Braves were looking for another way to promote their brand both in and beyond the team's new SunTrust Park.

They saw potential synergy in hooking up with Wise, particularly as they sometimes call the team Los Bravos, and Wise has a small line called Bravos.

In time for the new ballpark this April, Wise introduced Stadium Nacho-flavored Bravos tortilla chips. Wise also sells two other flavors of Bravos with the Braves logo. But it's the stadium nacho flavor, which tastes a lot like the nacho chips and cheese dip one would get at a stadium, which seems to be the big winner.

Jeremy Bjork, Wise Chief Marketing Officer:
 

"We designed it for that relationship."

Wise did not have any distribution of Bravos in the South, so the line is essentially a new product launch in Braves territory, Bjork said. It has already helped Wise get distribution in certain convenience stores and in grocers such as Publix. And the line is getting such positive feedback that Wise is looking to launch it in other markets this summer without the Braves logo.

For now, Wise products are mainly available on the Eastern seaboard, but they are also starting to spread a little more westward. Wise Foods holds less than 1% share of the U.S. salty snack market, according to Euromonitor International. It's a distant player behind Frito-Lay, which holds a nearly 66% share.