Cheesies, the disruptive fridge-free, crunchy snacking cheese brand, has been named the Official Snack of the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival. A bold move designed to drive trial, boost visibility, this unique partnership complements its growing front-of-store presence across UK grocery this summer.
This marks the first time the Fringe has partnered with a snack brand, putting Cheesies in front of over 750,000 festival-goers throughout August, while supporting a nationwide grocery push into Waitrose, Co-op, and key food-to-go fixtures.
“This summer’s a big moment for Cheesies,” said Ed Hauck, Cheesies’ Commercial Director. “The Fringe gives us cultural reach, the Waitrose and Co-op wins give us commercial muscle and together they prove what we’ve believed from day one: cheese belongs in more places than just the fridge. We’re showing that a challenger brand with the right product, the right strategy and a bit of audacity can deliver ‘grate’ marketing, with jokes, snacks, and serious shelf space.”
Sampling, visibility and artist support
Cheesies will distribute 50,000+ free samples from branded stands across the Royal Mile, the Mound Precinct, and other high-footfall zones. The brand will also be available in the official Fringe shop and select venue bars.
To support performers directly, Cheesies is delivering daily drops to Fringe Central, including at the high-profile “Meet the Media” day, turning the snack into a backstage staple for artists and press alike.
Stand-up, stock up – Cheesies comedy club hits Waitrose
To launch the partnership, Cheesies transformed Waitrose Canary Wharf into a pop-up comedy club, complete with Fringe stand-up, in-store sampling, and activations spotlighting the brand’s addition to the Waitrose Meal Deal.
Rapid grocery expansion nationwide
Cheesies continues to scale fast across the UK, with a focus on food-to-go, impulse and ambient snacking. Recent distribution wins include:
Waitrose is elevating Cheesies to prime placement in its stores this summer – moving the snack to front-of-store and food-to-go placement in 289 superstores, with Cheddar and Goat’s Cheese now included in its Meal Deal – a first for the brand
Cheddar now stocked in 700 Co-op stores nationwide
Ongoing distribution expansion across Sainsbury’s, Asda, Ocado, Holland & Barrett, and independent retailers
Positioned as a fridge-free, protein-rich alternative to traditional impulse snacks, Cheesies is tapping into rising demand for premium ambient products that deliver on flavour, convenience and function. No fridge, no faff.
A Christmas cracker of a finale
Cheesies will round off the campaign with a limited-edition “Fringe Edition” Christmas Cracker, filled with snacks and jokes written by actual comedians – with royalties paid and credit given for every gag used, to continue support for the artist community.
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Cheesies as the Official Snack of the Edinburgh Fringe. The Cheesies brand is bold and fun – two things at the heart of the Fringe – and we’re looking forward to sampling lots of delightful snacks throughout Edinburgh this August.”
Comics can submit their cheesiest one liner here: cheesies.co.uk/EdinburghFringe
Winners will be chosen after the Fringe has finished, and the Limited Edition crackers will be available to buy on the Cheesie’s website, TikTok Shop, Fringe shop and selected retailers.
