Seasonal Pasta Shapes: How Novelty Dies Boost Retail Sales
Seasonal pasta shapes are pastas made with novelty dies, like Santa Claus, snowflakes, bunnies, pumpkins and dinosaurs, that turn an everyday pantry item into a gift, a holiday display or a kid-friendly product. At Intermountain Pasta, we make a wide range of bronze-cut seasonal and novelty shapes in Salt Lake City, and they’re available all year.
There’s something about a snowflake-shaped pasta that makes people smile. We see it in our kitchen every time the novelty dies come out and everyone wants to see the first shapes come off the line. Your shoppers feel the same way. Here’s how fun shapes can work for your store or your brand.
Why shaped pasta sells
A bag of dinosaur pasta sells on delight. Novelty shapes give shoppers a reason to pick up something they didn’t plan to buy.
It’s an impulse buy
Seasonal shapes work well near the register, on endcaps and in gift sections. Shoppers see them, smile, and toss a bag in the basket.
It’s giftable
Holiday shapes fit naturally into gift baskets, stocking stuffers, teacher gifts and hostess gifts. A pretty bag of Santa Claus pasta is an easy, thoughtful gift.
Kids love it
Parents are always looking for ways to get kids excited about dinner. Dinosaurs and chickens do a lot of that work for them.
It refreshes your shelf
Rotating seasonal shapes gives regular customers something new to discover, even in a category as familiar as pasta.
Shapes we make
Here are the seasonal and novelty pastas we make today. You can see our full range on our shapes and capabilities page.
Winter and the holidays
- Holiday Pasta: Santa, gifts and Christmas trees
- Winter Pasta: deer, snowmen and snowflakes
- Christmas Linguine
Valentine’s Day
- Love Pasta: hearts
Spring and Easter
- Hippity Hop: bunnies, carrots and eggs
- Chicken
- Sunflower
Summer and the Fourth of July
- Stars & Stripes
Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving
- Harvest: leaves and pumpkins
- Butternut Squash Harvest
- Halloween: bats, pumpkins and witches
- Broom Stick
All year
- Dinosaur
Planning a seasonal pasta calendar
| Season | Shapes | Where it sells |
|---|---|---|
| Winter holidays | Holiday Pasta, Winter Pasta, Christmas Linguine | Gift sections, endcaps, gift baskets |
| Valentine’s Day | Love Pasta | Gift and date-night displays |
| Spring | Hippity Hop, Chicken, Sunflower | Easter baskets, farm and garden displays |
| Summer | Stars & Stripes | Fourth of July and picnic displays |
| Fall | Harvest, Butternut Squash Harvest, Halloween, Broom Stick | Harvest, Halloween and Thanksgiving displays |
| All year | Dinosaur | Kids’ aisles, family sections |
Because our novelty shapes are available all year, you can plan each season on your own schedule. Approved wholesale accounts usually ship in 2 to 3 business days. For private label and custom manufacturing, most orders ship in 4 to 6 weeks, so build that into your holiday plan.
Make shapes even better with color
Shapes get more fun with color. We color and flavor pasta with real food ingredients. Spinach, beet root and butternut squash are a few favorites. A bag of colorful holiday shapes stands out on any shelf, and the ingredient list stays clean. Learn more in our post on naturally colored pasta.
Shaped pasta is still real pasta
Novelty doesn’t mean we cut corners. Every shape we make is bronze-cut and slow-dried, the same traditional Italian way we make our classic pastas. Slow drying helps detailed shapes hold their form, and the rough bronze-cut surface holds sauce just like our everyday cuts.
Three ways to carry seasonal pasta shapes
Wholesale
Approved accounts can stock our seasonal and novelty shapes from the Novelty Pasta category in our wholesale shop. See our wholesale pasta page.
Private label
You pick the pasta, we fill our bags, your brand goes on the tag. We send you the dieline, or we can provide a designer. It’s an easy way to launch a seasonal line under your own brand.
Custom manufacturing
Have your own ingredients, recipe or packaging? We’ll run your product through our dies.
For private label and custom manufacturing, our minimum is between 700 and 1,200 lbs, depending on the cut and how much it takes to fill a dry room. Filling the whole room is how the pasta dries evenly and gets the flavor and texture you love in artisan pasta.
Merchandising tips for shaped pasta
- Use a clear window on the bag so shoppers can see the shapes.
- Pair it with a jar of sauce or a seasoning for a ready-made gift.
- Place it at eye level for kids in family sections.
- Put up a small sign that says what makes it special: bronze-cut, slow-dried and made with real food.
- Bundle shapes into a seasonal set for gift baskets.
Let’s plan your next season
Tell us which seasons matter most to your customers, and we’ll help you pick shapes. Request a quote, email sales@intermountainpasta.com, or call 801-977-9077. Call anytime and talk to a real person.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What seasonal pasta shapes does Intermountain Pasta make?
We make Holiday Pasta, Winter Pasta, Christmas Linguine, Love Pasta, Hippity Hop, Chicken, Sunflower, Stars & Stripes, Harvest, Butternut Squash Harvest, Halloween, Broom Stick and Dinosaur.
Are seasonal pasta shapes only available during the holidays?
No. Our seasonal and novelty shapes are available all year.
Can I sell holiday pasta under my own brand?
Yes. With private label, you pick the pasta, we fill our bags and your brand goes on the tag.
Are novelty pasta shapes bronze-cut?
Yes. Every shape we make is bronze-cut and slow-dried.
More answers in our Buyer FAQ.