Cinnabon has long been thought of as the snack for travelers running through airports and shoppers strolling through malls. What started as a single bakery in Seattle’s Sea Tac Mall in 1985 has grown into a company with 1,200 brick-and-mortar locations in 54 countries. But the chain’s biggest consumer business today is licensing and co-branding partnerships with companies like Pillsbury, Kellogg, Keurig and Pegasus Foods. It also launched a Minibon with Burger King in 2012 and Cinnabon Delights with Taco Bell in 2013.
Kat Cole, president of Cinnabon said that the company’s consumer packaged-goods efforts have "taken off like a rocketship" in the last three years after launching about 10 years ago. "We had the realization that … there was more to the brand than just the roll. There are only so many malls and airports."