In a move that extends its basic baking product line into the sweeter cake-mix category, Robin Hood Multifoods has entered into an agreement with a u.s.-based company to sell, distribute and eventually manufacture several brand-name food products, including those falling under the Duncan Hines label.

The five-year agreement between Robin Hood and Aurora Foods makes sense because of the complementary products each brand offers, according to Don Canning, spokesperson for Markham, Ont.-based Robin Hood. Aurora, of Columbus, Ohio, specializes in buying brand-name food products and outsourcing their distribution and manufacturing to other companies, says Canning.

Besides Duncan Hines, which was a Procter & Gamble brand until 1997, Robin Hood will also take over the Mrs. Butterworth’s brand in Canada.

Robin Hood’s consumer line includes home baking products (primarily a range of baking flours), along with a family of specialty mixes, such as those which make angel food cake and gingerbread houses (for the Christmas season), according to Canning. Duncan Hines, meanwhile, is well established as a ready-mix brand, with products such as layer cakes, brownie mixes, frostings and icings.

Canning says the two lines will work well together because, while there are still avid bakers in Canada who insist on baking from scratch, there is also a growing number of bakers who prefer to save time and effort with mixes. This time-pressured group tends to live in Canada’s urban centers, according to Canning. However, that’s not to say that Canadians are losing their love of baking from scratch, he insists. ‘Both are very strong markets.’

Before the deal with Aurora, Robin Hood had already tapped into the mix market with last year’s introduction of bread machine mixes – which also marked the company’s return to tv advertising after many years of print-only efforts, says Canning.

Although the two brands will remain distinct, Robin Hood identification will appear on Duncan Hines packaging and consumers can expect to see copromotional efforts in the future, according to Canning. He points to the company’s annual in-store Baking Festival promotion, held each fall, as an obvious starting point.

Canning says it’s too early to say what effect the deal will have on advertising. Robin Hood’s agency in Canada is Ogilvy & Mather.