Silver Packaging Design · 2025
Doritos x Empirical Nacho Cheese Spirit Influencer Kit
by PepsiCo Design and Innovation
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 22,673
- Verification code FC86843B32 · Verify this award
About Doritos x Empirical Nacho Cheese Spirit Influencer Kit
Doritos x Empirical Nacho Cheese Spirit is an influencer kit created for a limited edition spirit infused with Nacho Cheese flavor. The Nacho Cheese flavor of Doritos is widely known and has been used in dips, popcorn and other products. In 2023, the flavor company Empirical presented Doritos with a new use for the flagship flavor: a Nacho Cheese infused spirit. The packaging introduces the unexpected pairing to media and online audiences. The limited release sold out in less than six hours and received national press attention.
PepsiCo Design and Innovation's Doritos x Empirical Nacho Cheese Spirit Influencer Kit represents a compelling intersection of contemporary brand collaboration and premium packaging craft, positioning itself within the expanding tradition of limited-edition collectible releases that transform commercial products into covetable objects of desire. The design team demonstrates sophisticated understanding of visual hierarchy and material semiotics, employing a restrained palette of crimson, obsidian, and gold that communicates both exclusivity and celebratory occasion. The pyramidal outer structure serves multiple functions: as protective housing, as display architecture, and as symbolic vessel evoking ancient monuments and alchemical vessels associated with transformation and precious contents. The consistent deployment of triangular geometry throughout the kit creates powerful brand coherence while elevating the familiar snack iconography into the refined register of spirits culture. Technical execution reveals meticulous attention to surface finish variation, from the soft absorption of matte black cardboard to the luminous transparency of glass to the warm reflectivity of metallic print elements. The accompanying stemware, with its inverted conical form, demonstrates thoughtful consideration of ritualized consumption, suggesting that this collaboration invites not merely tasting but ceremony. The overall presentation balances accessibility with aspiration, grounding the familiar in unexpected luxury context. One might consider how this object negotiates boundaries between snack culture and spirits connoisseurship, between playful irreverence and genuine craft appreciation. The viewer is invited to contemplate how contemporary design practice increasingly dissolves categorical distinctions, creating hybrid experiences that reward both casual encounter and sustained attention.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Doritos introduced a Nacho Cheese–infused spirit to give a twist on the classic and set the internet ablaze.
The Doritos Nacho Cheese flavor is iconic. It has made its way into a variety of products: dips, popcorn and more. - Inspiration
- In 2023, Doritos was looking for another unexpected use for Nacho Cheese. Coincidentally, flavor company Empirical came to Doritos with a new angle on its flagship flavor: a Nacho Cheese–infused spirit. The limited release sold out in less than six hours and earned national attention from major media, including Forbes, USA Today, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Today Show, and Food & Wine, which described the product as unlike anything you’ve ever smelled or tasted — and not in a bad way.
Colors of Doritos x Empirical Nacho Cheese Spirit Influencer Kit
Get Doritos x Empirical Nacho Cheese Spirit Influencer Kit
Innovative Food & Beverage Experiences
We transform iconic flavors into unexpected products that capture cultural moments. Our award-winning innovation team creates limited-edition collaborations, flavor extensions, and experiential packaging that push boundaries while celebrating the bold tastes consumers love.
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