Houston, We Have A Problem. And A Solution!

The holiday season is a time of joy, right? Imagine our surprise in late October when we started hearing that some of our customers in Houston were anything but joyous. They were big fans of our Premium Eggnog and had discovered we weren’t planning to produce the product this year. The reason? Just an effort to simplify production and distribution. We still planned on producing our Classic Eggnog but not this additional variety.

That’s when the nutmeg really started hitting the fan. A big reason why so many people love Borden Premium Eggnog is it doesn’t have nutmeg. Why is that important? In a word, tradition—lots of tradition. This particular beverage with it unique flavor profile has been a big part of the lives of many people for decades.

One person tweeted, “What in the name of all that is holy did y’all do to your eggnog recipe?” Another Twitter user called it “the nutmeg devil.” Fans started a petition on change.org. People started contacting me directly on Twitter and on our company account. All this for a specialty product made by our local Houston production facility for a limited time only and available only in the Houston metro area.

At Borden, one of our Core Values is Creative Problem Solving, and we pride ourselves on being consumer-driven. Our new tagline “Glass Half-Full Since 1857” highlights the pure joy and optimism of Borden products.

So were we going to be the Grinch that stole Christmas? There’s no joy in that. Team Elsie huddled and made the decision to bring back Borden Premium Eggnog in the Houston area. And thank goodness we did because, while we were determining logistics, an energetic fanbase was growing on a Facebook group.

The race was on to get Borden Premium Eggnog on shelves as soon as possible to help kick off the holiday season, and we shipped product on November 18th. One Facebook fan wrote, “Can’t wait for the original premium eggnog to be back at the stores. I can’t decorate for Christmas without sipping a glass while putting up the tree!” Another person wrote that her family enjoys sitting by the fireplace and drinking our Premium Eggnog.

You probably have food traditions during the holidays. My family and I do. Just the sight or smell of some items is enough to unlock powerful memories and emotions even before you taste the food or beverage itself. Those are powerful connections to make and maintain, and we’re honored to share these moments with Borden customers not just in Houston but in all the regions we operate throughout the year.