Minnesota Vikings harvest latest partner for new stadium

NFL American football franchise the Minnesota Vikings has signed its second major commercial partnership this week, with the addition of agribusiness and food company Land O’Lakes as the third founding partner for its new U.S. Bank Stadium.

Land O’Lakes will also become an official partner of the Vikings and receives rights including prominent signage throughout U.S. Bank Stadium, advertising opportunities with the Vikings Entertainment Network and exclusivity in the dairy products, animal feed and crop input advertising categories.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Vikings agreements with its two other founding partners, MillerCoors and Hy-Vee, have both been 10-year contracts.

“With these founding partners it is important for us to partner with well-respected Minnesota brands or companies that have a significant presence within the state,” Vikings executive vice-president and chief marketing officer Steve LaCroix said. “Land O’Lakes is a global leader that employs thousands in the region and has an incredibly authentic tie to the farming communities across the world, and they are located just minutes from U.S. Bank Stadium, so this is a great fit.”

Earlier this week, supermarket chain Hy-Vee signed up as the second founding partner for U.S. Bank Stadium, which is due to open in July 2016.

U.S. Bank joined as the stadium naming rights partner of the new home of the Vikings in June. That deal will run for 20 years, from the opening of the 65,400-seat stadium in 2016 to 2035.