Pompeian, the Baltimore-based olive oil brand it describes as the top-selling in the United States, has signed a multi-year marketing partnership with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, the company announced September 17. The deal adds a professional sports sponsorship to Pompeian's existing consumer marketing portfolio and marks one of the more visible brand integrations in the city's food and beverage sector this season.
The Commercial Terms
The agreement centres on three activation pillars: experiential marketing along RavensWalk on game days, an in-stadium fan-cam presenting sponsorship on the RavensVision big screen at M&T Bank Stadium, and a co-branded product launch. Pompeian will appear at RavensWalk on September 20 (versus the New Orleans Saints), October 25 (versus the Cincinnati Bengals), and November 5 (versus the Jacksonville Jaguars), sampling a branded olive oil-dressed popcorn product and distributing promotional giveaways. The fan-cam integration invites ticketholders to scan a QR code from their seats for a chance to appear live on the stadium's main screen — giving Pompeian a recurring brand impression tied to one of the game's most-watched in-venue moments.
Limited-Edition Product Play
At retail, the partnership materialises as a co-branded Pompeian x Baltimore Ravens extra virgin olive oil, offered in two existing SKUs — Smooth and Robust — in Ravens-branded packaging. The bottles became available at select local retailers beginning September 8, ahead of the season opener. The move follows an established consumer-goods playbook of sports co-branding to drive incremental shelf velocity and trial, particularly within the brand's home market. For Pompeian, which has operated out of Baltimore since 1906, the Ravens affiliation reinforces a local-heritage narrative the brand has leaned into through its broader "Pomp It Up" campaign — a platform built around everyday olive oil usage occasions.
Why the Deal Matters for F&B Operators
Sports sponsorships have become an increasingly productive channel for packaged food and beverage brands seeking mass-market reach as traditional media audiences fragment. For an olive oil brand competing in a crowded specialty oils category — one that has seen accelerating private-label incursion at major grocery chains — stadium visibility and a headline retail SKU provide differentiated marketing surface area that purely digital campaigns cannot replicate. The Ravens drew an average home attendance of roughly 70,000 fans per game last season, giving Pompeian significant in-market exposure across the 2026-27 NFL schedule.
"There's a special energy in Baltimore on gameday," said Michael Vercelletto, Vice President of Marketing at Pompeian. "As a brand that has called Baltimore home since 1910, we're proud to team up with the Baltimore Ravens and celebrate what makes the city such a special place." Ravens Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Kevin Rochlitz framed the deal as consistent with the team's strategy of aligning with community-rooted corporate partners: "Pompeian perfectly fits that mold, having called Baltimore home for more than a century while establishing itself as a preeminent leader in its industry."
Financial terms of the multi-year arrangement were not disclosed. Brands operating in the sports and foodservice sponsorship space have reported activation costs ranging widely depending on league and market size; NFL partnerships at the local presenting-sponsor level typically carry six- to seven-figure annual commitments. For operators and retailers tracking consumer packaged goods marketing strategies, the Pompeian-Ravens deal illustrates how mid-size branded food companies are deploying experiential spend to defend shelf position and cultivate brand loyalty in home markets.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
