Baked by Melissa will enter the at-home baking aisle in Target stores as the retailer tries to persuade shoppers to spend more at its locations this holiday season.
As of Sunday, Target is exclusively selling the brand’s cupcake kits, liners and a cupcake pan, all in the dessert company’s signature bite-size portions. The line includes three cupcake flavors: Christmas Tie-Dye, Marshmallow Hot Cocoa and Red Velvet.
The company’s entry into at-home baking comes as a number of restaurants turn to consumer packaged goods to boost sales in an otherwise challenging time for the industry.
Some players, such as California Pizza Kitchen and TGI Fridays, have licensed their brands for frozen foods for decades. But other restaurant chains, including Chick-fil-A and Dutch Bros, have leaned into grocery products much more recently. For smaller companies, such as Momofuku or Carbone, space on a grocery shelf helps extend brand reach and gives consumers a chance to try their food without a reservation and at a much lower cost.
Founded by Melissa Ben-Ishay in 2008, Baked by Melissa has nine permanent locations in the New York area and ships its minicupcakes nationwide.
The regional chain has garnered attention outside the city thanks to Ben-Ishay’s social media presence. On TikTok, the Baked by Melissa account has more than 2.8 million followers, fueled by popular recipe videos, such as for her green goddess salad dressing. Ben-Ishay’s social media stardom has led to collaborations with Ferrero and Wonder.
Baked by Melissa had discussed at-home baking products for years, but Ben-Ishay only decided to take the plunge a year ago during a trip to Target with her two kids, she told CNBC. A spin through the baking aisle made her decide Baked by Melissa “should be here,” she said.
“I love baking cake mix. I truly do. And, quite frankly, sometimes I just think it tastes better,” Ben-Ishay said.
But retail moves more slowly than Baked by Melissa’s usual pace.
The dessert company needed just a few days to create New York Knicks-branded minicupcakes after the team won the NBA championship in June, for example, but figuring out retail products meant “a lot of waiting and approvals and new partners,” Ben-Ishay said.
Twelve months later, the cupcake mixes have arrived on 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 woo back its core customer after a disappointing holiday season last year. That prototypical Target shopper often looks a lot like Ben-Ishay.
“We started with Target because I’m a 42-year-old mom of two, and I find myself there a lot,” she said.
