Weetabix Breaks Silence on Amari Williams' Shoutout, Kentucky’s Unexpected Cereal Craze
Weetabix has become a household name in the Bluegrass since Amari Williams credited it for his performance vs. Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The English whole-grain cereal that brands itself as “The UK’s favourite breakfast” is now UK’s favorite breakfast as Kentucky fans buy boxes in droves in hopes of fueling the Cats’ run. On Monday, Weetabix’s sales tripled on Amazon, making it the best-selling cold cereal over brands like Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Even though Weetabix hasn’t publicly acknowledged the story or the seven-foot Brit behind them, they are aware. I reached out to Post Consumer Brands, which acquired Weetabix in 2017, and heard back from a member of its public relations team. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a video or phone interview, but Weetabix shared their thoughts on the cereal’s rise to fame in Kentucky via email. They said they’ve seen a “big spike” in search interest and e-commerce sales this week. Sales on Amazon are holding at an average of 880 units per day, up from 300 units per day on Saturday.
“With a number of big basketball fans at Post Consumer Brands, word of Amari’s interview started making the rounds Sunday night,” Weetabix’s representative told KSR. “There’s been a fun energy inside the company the last few days as it’s incredibly cool to have Weetabix be included in conversations around something like the NCAA Tournament.”
After Kentucky’s win over Illinois, we learned that Williams swapped out his usual road game breakfast on Sunday for Weetabix, the breakfast his parents forced him to eat growing up in Nottingham, England. The UK staff found a box at an international store in Milwaukee, and Mark Pope and Brandon Garrison joined Williams for a bowl, crumbling the biscuits and soaking them in warm milk with sugar, per Williams’ recommendation. It worked. Williams finished with eight points, ten rebounds, six assists, and three blocks, and Garrison played well, too.
Weetabix’s reps were not surprised to hear their product was behind Williams’ big performance. They described the cereal as “surprisingly light yet hearty.”
“As a balanced breakfast cereal, Weetabix offers a wide variety of benefits. Being high in fiber, made with whole grains and fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, Weetabix provides the body with the integral nutrients needed throughout the day.”
Last night, UK released a video of Williams, Pope, and Garrison trying Weetabix on Sunday. The trio will sit down to break biscuits again on Friday. Pope encouraged the thousands of fans who bought their own boxes this week to join them.
“Everybody in BBN, I welcome you all, if you guys want to join us for morning breakfast and have some Weetabix on Friday morning as we prepare for the game. Warm milk, to me, is key. Little bit of sugar, and apparently it’s also good with some honey and some bananas if you want to go that way. So Kentucky Weetabix Unity March Towards March Madness.”
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Weetabix also recommended fresh fruit as a topping and said that “adding a drizzle of honey can provide a complimentary sweet taste.” If you really want to boost the flavor and add some nutritional value, they suggested adding nuts and seeds or mixing it with yogurt. As Williams said, warm milk is key.
“Ever since coming to America, I’ve never seen people have cereal with warm milk,” he said Sunday night. “So I feel like that’s something you definitely need. That’s something you’ve got to try if you have Weetabix and warm milk, for sure.”
How does Williams not have an NIL deal with Weetabix yet? The brand said that it has not been contacted directly by Kentucky Basketball, but has “seen and heard from numerous Kentucky fans online offering their support.” They don’t have official endorsements but are intrigued by the possibility of partnering with Williams. Either way, they’re jumping on the Big Blue bandwagon.
“Who knows what the future holds!” Weetabix said. “We’re wishing Amari and Kentucky basketball continued success in their championship quest!”
BBN tries Weetabix
If you needed further proof of Weetabix’s soaring popularity in Kentucky, just check out social media. Fans have been posting pictures and videos of their Weetabix all week. We’re compiling them all for a video that will come out tonight or tomorrow, but here are just a few.
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