Baked by Melissa will enter the home baking aisle Target stores are retailers trying to persuade shoppers to spend more at their location this holiday season.
On Sunday, Target is exclusively selling the brand’s cupcake kits, liners and cupcake pans, all in the dessert company’s signature bite-size section. The line includes three cupcake flavors: Christmas Tie-Dye, Marshmallow Hot Cocoa and Red Velvet.
The company is getting into home baking as some restaurants turn to consumer packaged goods to boost sales at a tough time for the industry.
Some players, such as California Pizza Kitchen and TGI Fridays, have licensed brands for frozen meals for decades. But other restaurant chains, including Chick-fil-A and Netherlands Broshas leaned towards more recent wholesale products. For small companies, such as Momofuku or Carbone, the space on store shelves helps to extend the brand’s reach and gives consumers the opportunity to try food without reservations and at a lower cost.
Founded by Melissa Ben-Ishay in 2008, Baked by Melissa has nine permanent locations in the New York area and delivers minicupcakes nationwide.
The regional chain has gained attention outside of the city thanks to Ben-Ishay’s social media presence. On TikTok, the account Baked by Melissa has more than 2.8 million followers, supported by popular recipe videos, such as for the green goddess salad. Ben-Ishay’s social media fame has led to collaborations with Ferrero and Wonder.
Baked by Melissa has discussed in-home baking products for years, but Ben-Ishay only decided to take the plunge last year during a trip to Target with his two children, he told CNBC. A roll through the baking aisle made her decide Baked by Melissa “must be here,” she said.
“I like baking cake mix. I really do. And, frankly, sometimes I just think it tastes better,” Ben-Ishay said.
But retail is slower than Baked by Melissa’s usual pace.
The dessert company took only a few days to make New York Knicks-branded minicupcakes after the team won the NBA championship in June, for example, but getting the product to retail meant “a lot of waiting and approvals and new partners,” Ben-Ishay said.
Twelve months later, the cupcake mix is hitting store shelves, just in time for the all-important holiday season.
For Target, the next two months will be critical as the retailer tries to win back its core customers after last year’s disappointing holiday season. The prototypical Target shopper often looks like Ben-Ishay.
“We started with Target because I am a 42-year-old mother of two, and I find myself there a lot,” she said.