An Aussie supermarket giant has collaborated with an iconic US bakery franchise on a new hot cross bun flavour, landing on shelves later this week.
Woolworths supermarkets across the country are preparing to launch their highly anticipated Cinnabon hot cross buns on Friday.
The retailer began venturing beyond traditional flavours five years ago, with fan favourites including Biscoff and Fairy Bread.
Bakery merchandise manager Donald Keith said while Woolies has explored many “trending” flavours over the years, the new buns are “pretty unique”.
“We’ve partnered with the Cinnabon team to use their bespoke ‘Cinnabon cinnamon’ flavour and combined this with an indulgent cream cheese-style filling to bring something completely new to our range,” he said.
“We’ve seen a lot of hype from customers about our collaboration with Cinnabon and wanted to serve up a surprise by bringing these Hot Cross Buns to shelves early.
“It was the same when we introduced Biscoff Hot Cross Buns in 2023.”
Mr Keith said while the collaborations drive a lot of “excitement” for customers each year, there’s no beating a fruit bun.
“The traditional Hot Cross Bun 6 pack however still remains the most popular product we sell by volume in the range,” he said.
The trial process usually takes one year – from idea inception, to bringing the new flavour to shelves – says Mr Keith.
“Our bakery team constantly explores food trends, both locally and globally, to see which flavours are taking off,” he said.
“Based on the trends and insights we collect, the bakery team works closely with supply partners to experiment with the flavour and gather feedback before finalising the product.”
While the supermarket likes to experiment with different combinations each year, Mr Keith said one unique flavour flies from shelves when Easter time comes around.
“Without a doubt, the Biscoff Hot Cross buns have been the most popular flavour collaboration we’ve worked on to date,” Mr Keith said.
The ‘hot cross bun expert’ said while Woolies like to take risks with its flavours, it wouldn’t introduce anything that “sits well outside the box”.
“Take Fairy Bread as an example, it was about the sweet flavour and nostalgia behind an iconic Australian treat that led us to introduce the product in 2023,” he said.
The new Cinnabon flavour is set to hit stores across the country on Friday, while other hot cross buns flavours have been available at Woolies and Coles for months now, triggering a contentious debate on social media.
“(Hot cross buns) were in Coles and Woolworths on Boxing Day. We refuse to buy them and only order from a bakery for Good Friday,” one woman wrote.
“They wouldn’t make them this early if people didn’t buy them,” a man replied.
“Can we have them all year round? Put smiley faces on them instead and call them Not Cross Buns,” another person wrote.