This morning, Time Inc. announced the launch of Extra Crispy, a new digital-only brand devoted entirely to breakfast, brunch, and the growing and increasingly lucrative culture that surrounds it. It's the second brand to be launched out of Time Inc.'s Brooklyn-based creative lab, The Foundry, following automotive vertical The Drive.
It's also the publisher's latest in a string of digital launches and acquisitions as it aims to corner what it considers a massive market—breakfast order sales jumped 30 percent in the U.S. from 2009 to 2015, Time Inc. cites in a news release. The multi-platform brand, essentially built for smartphones and social sharing, is undoubtedly also a bid to reach millennials.
Meredith Turits, senior strategist, brand development at The Foundry, leads the launch. The former Bustle founding editor joined Time Inc. in November.
"We're thinking about breakfast as not only the most important meal of the day but also as a new cultural stronghold. Extra Crispy is all about exploring that intersection," said Turits in a statement, "We're taking food off its pedestal, making it fun and accessible."
Articles currently live on ExtraCrispy.com include, "The Case for Taylor Ham: New Jersey's Beloved Mystery Meat," "How to Coddle the F**k Out of Your Eggs," and "Meet the Cereal Box Collector Living Out Your Childhood Fantasy."
Other Extra Crispy staffers include Ryan Grim, as site director. Grim joined The Foundry in March after serving as deputy editor at Tasting Table and managing editor at Vice magazine. Grim's former colleague at Tasting Table, editor-in-chief Kat Kinsman, has also joined Extra Crispy as senior editor, food and drinks. The site will also make use of a wide network of contributing writers and content creators.
Danish dairy producer Arla Foods serves as the launch sponsor, coinciding with the company's expansion into the U.S. market. Extra Crispy itself will be a media sponsor for the upcoming CoffeeCon festival, held June 4th in The Foundry's backyard in Brooklyn's Industry City.
"The Foundry is all about identifying emerging audiences and platforms," said Matt Bean, SVP, editorial innovation. "Extra Crispy allows us to experiment with inherently shareable content—from coffee obsessions to Cronuts and the viral food phenomenon of today."
