Wonderful Pistachios, a nut brand of The Wonderful Company, has announced a partnership with North American esports organisation Panda Global.
As a result, the brand will become the official snack partner of the Panda Cup Super Smash Bros. circuit.
In addition to becoming a snack partner, the brand has secured a title sponsorship for Panda Cup’s last-chance qualifiers. The Wonderful Pistachios Last Chance Qualifier takes place on December 15th in Los Angeles. The event will also include in-person brand activations.
The deal marks The Wonderful Company’s first foray into the esports market. In recent months, more food and drink brands are solidifying their position within the industry. In September, soft drink brand Mountain Dew partnered with the HBCU Esports League to launch a series of collegiate tournaments.
For Panda Global, the deal marks its second food collaboration for the Panda Cup. Earlier this year, the organisation joined forces with food delivery platform Grubhub resulting in the company becoming the circuit’s official delivery partner.
The Panda Cup is the first North American Super Smash Bros. circuit officially licensed by Nintendo. The finals take place on December 16th-18th where players compete for a share of $100,000 (~£93,946) in prize money.
Allan Bunney, CEO of Panda Global, spoke on the deal: “I’ve always made sure to have a bag of Wonderful Pistachios in my pantry long before we found out they’re big fans of Super Smash Bros.
“We’re very excited that Wonderful Pistachios is joining the Panda Cup to celebrate our community and help us take things to the next level. And I’m looking forward to all the pistachio flavours they’re bringing with them!”
