CAMDEN, NJ. — For the Campbell Soup Co., the growth of Goldfish snack crackers has gone swimmingly in the US market, yet the food company sees more expansion opportunities for the brand at home as well as north and south of the border.

Goldfish became a billion-dollar brand for Campbell Soup earlier this year — joining Campbell’s and Pepperidge Farm — and anchors the snack lineup as one of the company’s leadership brands, said Mark Clouse, president and chief executive officer, at Campbell Soup’s annual Investor Day event last week at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Manhattan.

“Our leadership brands represent approximately 83% of our total snack sales,” he said. “They include favorites such as Goldfish, Pepperidge Farm, Cape Cod and Kettle, just to name a few.”

Campbell Soup’s leadership brands in snacks and across its food portfolio reflect the “largest macro drivers for consumers in food today,” offering value, versatility, high quality, elevated experiences and flavors, and “greater permissibility,” said Clouse.

“Our snacks with permissible indulgence, elevated flavors and cleaner labels align well with consumers seeking to maximize their snack moments,” he said. “A handful of Goldfish to bridge a meal, a two-pack of Milano’s (cookies), can satisfy these moments. We’ll remain vigilant and proactive to ensure we can help consumers if that need grows.”

And that need has grown sharply for the Goldfish brand. From fiscal 2019 to 2024, the Goldfish brand generated 50% net sales growth, and it now accounts for a quarter of Campbell Soup’s snack portfolio, said Christopher Foley, executive vice president at Campbell Soup Co. and president of the Snacks division.

“We’ve transformed this brand from a kid snack to an all-family snack,” he told investors. “For the fifth year in a row, Goldfish is the No. 1 favorite snack amongst teens. Looking at household penetration, our all-family households grew by 1 million in just this past year and, importantly, those Gen Z households gained significant household penetration, six times faster than the total rate of our all-family (households).”

Campbell Soup forecasts $1.3 billion in net sales for Goldfish by fiscal 2027, which would make it the single largest brand in the company’s portfolio, Foley noted.

“When you look back to 2019, we’re on course to double this brand in 10 years,” he said. “This is not incremental progress; this is exponential expansion against our single strongest brand in Snacks.”

Foley described innovation as “the key growth engine for Goldfish,” adding that the company has invested twice the innovation dollars as the brand’s closest competitors.

“We’re creating consumption occasions and attracting new consumers with extensions beyond the core,” he said. “We’ve built compelling brand partnerships to bring Old Bay, Frank’s RedHot and Hello Kitty (varieties) to life with Goldfish. We have innovations that combine our expertise in multiple categories with winning platforms to expand our market presence.”

In the United States, Goldfish now offers more than 30 varieties, ranging from limited-time flavors like Spicy Dill Pickle to permanent additions like Mega Bites, a “reboot” launched in 2022 that enlarged the regular Goldfish cracker by 50% and brought more robust flavor plus a crispy, flaky texture.

“We continue to find new ways to satisfy snackers of every age with craveable moments, cultural relevant activations and retail execution,” Foley said.

During the week of Investor Day, Goldfish also got a spotlight at New York Fashion Week as runway models for designer Kate Barton toted glass purses containing Goldfish crackers.

Campbell Soup, too, has taken the Goldfish brand in another direction with the rollout of Goldfish Crisps. Launched in January, the potato-based snack brings the light and airy, crispy qualities of potato chips to the Goldfish form and comes in a larger, sharable bag and “chip-inspired” flavors like sour cream and onion, salt and vinegar, and cheddar.

“This is one of our largest innovation launches in recent history,” Foley said. “It’s projected to be north of $75 million this fiscal year. We combine the iconic shape of Goldfish and the craveable quality of chips. It’s how Goldfish does chips.”

Foley pointed to expansion opportunities for Goldfish outside the food-at-home arena as well.

“In the US, we aim to boost Goldfish’s presence and brand exposure by leveraging our away-from-home business,” he said. “We saw a strong 13% increase in North American foodservice in our net sales compared to the previous year.”

Though the United States remains “our most important market” for Goldfish, “we really think about Goldfish across total North America,” Foley said, citing strong brand traction in Canada and Mexico.

“North of the border, in Canada, it’s a fast-growing market for Goldfish,” he said. “The pace of growth is nearly double that of the total cracker category, and we are outpacing all competitors. Our strategy there is twofold: extend into new occasions and channels — mirroring the successful US playbook — and age-up our consumer base through targeted innovation and communication. Goldfish gained half a point of share in fiscal 2024 and is on the verge of being in the No. 1 position. This is outstanding growth, and we’re set to accelerate it more in Canada against this trend.”

In Mexico, Campbell Soup plans on “launching the Goldfish brand in a big way,” said Foley.