Lee Kum Kee and Grandma's Scones unveil chilli-inspired scones

Lee Kum Kee Sauce has teamed up with local pastry brand Grandma's Scones to create four limited-edition scones inspired by its signature chilli oil series.

Available until 10 September, the exclusive collaboration features custom-crafted scone flavours, available exclusively at Grandma's Scones' Wan Chai store. 

Led directly by Lee Kum Kee, with agency Above The Line providing PR and press release support, the campaign aims to introduce the brand's chilli crisp series to consumers in a creative format. With the launch of the new crunchy garlic chili oil in August, the brand also seeks to encourage more consumers to try the product.

A spokesperson from Lee Kum Kee told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that Grandma's Scones was chosen as the partner because it is a popular local artisan bakery known for combining traditional British baking craft with high-quality ingredients and creative flavour innovations.

“Partnering with them allows us to blend Lee Kum Kee's century-old sauce craftsmanship with artisan baking to push flavour boundaries, break traditional sweet/savory limits, and bring a refreshing taste experience to everyday afternoon tea and casual dining,” said the spokesperson.

The collaboration targets a diverse audience: foodies, afternoon tea enthusiasts, spicy food lovers, young local consumers, and fans of artisanal baked goods who enjoy innovative pairings and limited-edition lifestyle products.

The collaboration features four limited-edition scones inspired by the Lee Kum Kee chilli crisp series, including crispy garlic chilli cheese tomato scones (脆爆蒜辣芝士番茄鬆餅), Green Sichuan peppercorns double berry chocolate scones (青花椒雙莓朱古力鬆餅), spicy peanut spring onion scones (麻辣狂熱花生香蔥鬆餅), and savoury dried shrimp and Chinese sausage spicy scones (鹹香蝦米臘腸辣鬆餅). 

Each flavour incorporates one of four Lee Kum Kee chilli crisp series – the newly launched crunchy garlic chilli oil, tingly green peppercorn oil, mala red oil chili sauce, and fire hot dried shrimp chilli oil  – bringing layers of aroma, heat, umami, and savoury depth to the baked goods.

The cross-category collaboration combines Lee Kum Kee's century-old sauce-making expertise with Grandma's Scones' blend of British and American baking techniques, pairing freshly baked goods with bold flavour profiles. The collection pushes the boundaries between savoury and sweet, offering four distinctive flavours that bring a fresh twist to afternoon tea and casual dining moments.

In addition, Lee Kum Kee and Grandma's Scones will simultaneously launch a limited-edition gift box featuring the four collaborative scone flavours. Each box contains four bite-sized specimens of the designated collaboration scone flavours, one bottle of the corresponding Lee Kum Kee chilli sauce from the Spicy Chilli Oil Series, and a collaboration-exclusive drawstring bag and postcard. Priced at HK$50, the gift box will be available at Grandma's Scones' Wan Chai store.

Promotions will be driven through media press releases, social media channels, press coverage, and in-store displays at Grandma's Scones' Wan Chai location. Overall, the collaboration highlights the versatile, multi-layered flavour profiles of Lee Kum Kee chili sauces while sparking consumer interest through limited-edition products and gift sets.

In terms of measuring the returns on investment (ROI) behind the collaboration, Lee Kum Kee tracks performance through overall media coverage, PR value, social media engagement (tags, shares, and mentions), direct foot traffic and sales volume of the limited-edition scone gift sets at the Wan Chai store, as well as brand awareness generated for the Chilli Crisp series, according to the spokesperson.

Don't miss: Lee Kum Kee's new pop-up brings play to the kitchen

Lee Kum Kee has been driving creative initiatives to engage various audiences. Back in August, it opened an immersive pop-up at K11 Art Mall, inviting Millennials and Gen Z in Hong Kong to rediscover home cooking.

Recognising that "What shall I cook tonight?" is a daily struggle, Lee Kum Kee has turned abstract recipe ideas into hands-on experiences at its pop-up store. Visitors can explore the "Daily easy cooking calendar wall" for "one sauce, one day" inspiration, and by rotating the interactive sauce displays, they can instantly access three-step gourmet recipes perfect for busy weeknights.

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