On a summer sojourn south, we discovered the ultimate Carolina cross-branded culinary confection.

In 1917, the Carolina Beverage Company was established in Salisbury NC, which is strategically located along a major railroad distribution system.  There the company manufactured a soda with a deep burgundy color, a very sweet cherry flavor, and a huge amount of carbonation.  This bubbly, fruity concoction was aptly branded “Cheerwine.”  The brand grew slowly – largely unnoticed by the cola titans Pepsi and Coke – until it gained a large regional presence after World War 2.  Today, in many southern grocery stores, in addition to the soda, you can buy Cheerwine ice cream and sherbet and Cheerwine cake.  The brand continued to expand, until, in 2009, it underwent a major marketing overhaul…

In 1937, Vernon Rudolph bought a doughnut recipe from a French chef in New Orleans.  He brought it home to Winston-Salem NC, where he rented a building in a strategic location to set up a bakery.  His goal was to deliver his product fresh to local grocery stores, but when early-morning passersby got a whiff, they invariably knocked on his door and asked if they could buy the doughnuts warm right from the oven.  So Rudolph punched a hole in the wall and started a retail operation right there in the alley.  Soon after, he launched a chain of stores that quickly became a legend: Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  The company grew, expanded around the world, and eventually went public in 2000 with an aggressive sales and marketing strategy…

Which brings us to the summer of 2010, and a marriage made in marketing heaven.  On June 30, executives from Krispy Kreme and Cheerwine carried eleven boxes into the office of North Carolina Governor Bev Purdue.  When she opened them, Governor Purdue found golden brown doughnuts covered in chocolate frosting and red-and-white sprinkles. And when she took a bite – Boy Howdy! – the doughnuts had a cherry-and-whipped-cream-flavored filling.

Yes, folks, it’s Cheerwine-filled Krispy Kreme doughnuts!  Now available to assault your senses and sensibilities in Food Lions, Krogers and Piggly Wiggly stores throughout Dixie.

But hurry, they’re only here for the summer, so you better move fast.
(Limited time offer while supplies last at participating outlets.)