KANSAS CITY — One of the many traditional foods enjoyed during both camping and tailgating is baked beans, according to Stephen Palacios, senior vice president of marketing and innovation for Bush’s Beans, Knoxville, Tenn. To stay relevant to younger generations — especially at such gatherings — the company partnered with Mike’s Hot Honey, New York, to introduce Bush’s Grillin’ Beans Hot Honey in original and extra hot varieties.

“We are constantly looking at sales data and popular flavor profiles,” said Palacios. “Hot honey is on the rise and is the leader in the ‘swicy’ movement. And who better to collaborate with than the originator of the term swicy?”

That would be Mike’s Hot Honey. Palacios explained that Bush’s Beans approached the swicy sauce’s founder, Mike Kurtz, and one of the attractions was that both companies are family-owned. That was important for a partnership, he said.  

“We vetted scores of brands and a variety of different flavor profiles,” Palacios said. “Mike’s was it.”

Mike’s Hot Honey is honey infused with chili peppers. There’s already some sweetness to the flavor profile of baked beans, so adding the spicy sweetness of hot honey fit right in. It’s also one of the most popular flavor trends, which has its origins in Korean and Mexican cuisine.

“By design, our product needs a vehicle,” Kurtz said. “The nature of the brand is collaborative. And it extends our brand to different parts of the supermarket.

“Mike’s is only 14 years old,” he added. “It’s important for us to partner with legacy brands such as Bush’s Beans.”

Mike’s Hot Honey started as a drizzle on pizza at Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn. Kurtz started selling his small-batch, hot honey bottles to visitors at the pizzeria as well as to other local restaurants and businesses. Today the sauce is made from the same formulation and may be found nationwide.

In May, the company launched a new ad campaign, “You’ll Love It With Mike’s.” It is the second campaign in the brand’s history and represents an evolution from the previous advertising centered on its storied pizza heritage. With 27 featured food pairings and 40 copy lines, the new campaign showcases the brand’s versatility while giving consumers permission to feed their imagination by creating numerous food concoctions.