Inside Kraft Heinz’s epic cheese pull to create a 60-second, microwaveable grilled sandwich

The problem with using a microwave to heat up food is that it often results in food that just kinda sucks. 

This is what Kraft Heinz seeks to solve with its launch this week of 360Crisp, a packaging pouch that boasts the ability to make its new Lunchables Grilled Cheesies hot and crispy after just 60 seconds in the ol’ nuke box. 

Diana Frost, chief growth officer for Kraft Heinz North America, says 360Crisp addresses specific challenges its consumers face. “We’ve seen a huge increase in frozen [food] and frozen snacking over the course of a number of years and we don’t believe that’s going to change, so we looked at what the biggest pain points in consumers’ lives are when it comes to quick food with quality,” says Frost. “A lot of it comes down to the food out of the microwave isn’t very good. And people don’t feel good about serving that food. So the whole idea was born out of that.”

As exciting as getting a grilled cheese sandwich in 60 seconds may be, what may be more compelling is how the company got here. This new product is just the latest from this year, all of which reflects a dramatic shift in how Kraft Heinz works overall as it aims to use innovation to boost net sales by $2 billion by 2027.

Earlier this year, the company rolled out Maxwell House Iced Latte with Foam—instant coffee packets that you mix into ice water. In April, it launched a handful of spicy ketchup varieties, including chipotle, jalapeno, and habanero, and in May it was frozen Mac & Cheese.

May also brought what can only be described as a condiment concept car, when the company unveiled its vision for the Heinz Remix: a sauce dispenser made for restaurants that allows users to mix and match up to 200 different possibilities. Inspired by Coca-Cola’s Freestyle machine, launched in 2009, a touchscreen lets users pick one of four base sauces—ketchup, ranch, Heinz 57 Sauce, or BBQ sauce—and then match it up with “enhancers,” including buffalo, jalapeno, smoky chipotle, and mango; and finally, pick from three levels of flavor “intensity.”  

For the past few years, CEO Miguel Patricio has talked publicly about the company’s ongoing transformation, describing its overall goal to operate as “agile at scale.” In order to do that, they began to look at platforms, as opposed to products, that have the opportunity to serve and elevate multiple products and brands. 

The thinking is to come up with good ideas that can work across categories as opposed to a single new product. Just as PepsiCo has spread the popularity of its Flamin’ Hot flavor brand across everything from Cheetos to Mtn Dew, Kraft Heinz is working on taking ideas across multiple brands. The 360Crisp is starting with Lunchables, but it will be expanded to five other products across four of the company’s brands by the end of next year.

Frost says the company looks at innovation in three parts: First, it recognizes the importance of focus on renovating its core products so as to make sure that the Kraft Heinz brand stays relevant. Second, Kraft Heinz knows that there’s always room for extensions and expansions within certain brands and product lines. Third, the company understands consumer pain points. This last notion is where they see the biggest opportunity to leverage this platform approach.

“We’re in 55 different categories, so think about both the efficiency and the effectiveness in solving consumer pain points with a platform-led approach as opposed to doing it in silos across multiple different brands,” says Frost. “You’ll see that come to life through 360Crisp, as well as through our joint venture with NotCo in multiple categories. That’s how you drive [innovation] at scale.”

Heinz has long been cashing in on its iconic status with its ketchup brand. Work like the award-winning “Draw Ketchup” campaign challenged people to do just that, and the results looked a lot like a Heinz logo. More recently, it partnered with home-decor brand Lick in the U.K. to launch a limited edition paint color. This kind of work creatively leverages the brand equity Heinz has built over decades, while its flavor extensions and ideas like the Remix further stoke people’s excitement. 

Frost says this type of brand consistency in both product quality and how it interacts with its consumers is important. For that reason, functions like consumer insights, communication, brand communication, media, innovation, and digital experience now all sit under the same roof. “It’s a marriage with the business units that we work incredibly closely to enable both the efficiency and effectiveness of delivering on one connected consumer experience,” says Frost.

With the new 360Crisp, Frost says that experience should be about quality without compromise. “That’s how we’re looking to change the game of this intersection of food and technology,” she says. “You think about a kid on their own, being able to put this in the microwave for 60 seconds, and having the same experience if it were to be on the stove.”

Odds are, you already know what kind of ketchup the kid is using on that sandwich.