“Baked by Melissa” enters the home baking corner target Retailers are trying to convince shoppers to spend more in stores this holiday season.
As of Sunday, Target exclusively sells the brand’s cupcake kits, liners and cupcake pans, all in the company’s signature bite-sized sizes. The line includes three cupcake flavors: Christmas Tie Dye, Marshmallow Hot Cocoa, and Red Velvet.
The company’s move into home baking comes as many restaurants are turning to consumer packaged goods to boost sales during a difficult time for the industry.
Some companies, such as California Pizza Kitchen and TGI Fridays, have been licensing frozen foods to their brands for decades. But other restaurant chains like Chick-fil-A; dutch brotherslately I’ve been leaning more towards groceries. For small businesses like Momofuku and Carbone, space on grocery store shelves increases the brand’s reach and gives consumers the opportunity to try food without a reservation and at a much lower cost.
Founded in 2008 by Melissa Ben-Ishay, Baked by Melissa has nine permanent locations in the New York area and ships mini cupcakes nationwide.
The regional chain is gaining attention outside the city, thanks to Ben-Ishay’s social media presence. On TikTok, the Baked by Melissa account has over 2.8 million followers, fueled by popular recipe videos like her Green Goddess salad dressing. Ben Ishay’s social media stardom has led to collaborations with Ferrero and Wonder.
Baked by Melissa has been talking about home baking products for years, but the company’s president, Ben Ishay, told CNBC that he only decided to take the plunge a year ago on a trip to Target with his two kids. After wandering through the baking aisles, she decided that Baked by Melissa “should be here.”
“I love baking cake mixes. I really do. And frankly, sometimes I think cake mixes taste better,” Ben Ishay said.
But retail is moving at a slower pace than Bake by Melissa’s usual pace.
For example, after the New York Knicks won the NBA Championship in June, Ben Ishay said it took the dessert company just a few days to create New York Knicks-branded mini cupcakes, but it took “a lot of waiting and approval and new partners” to come up with the retail product.
Twelve months later, the cupcake mix is now in stores, just in time for the all-important holiday season.
The next two months will be critical for Target, as the retailer looks to win back key customers after last year’s disappointing holiday season. That typical Target shopper looks a lot like Ben Ishay.
“I started Target because I’m a 42-year-old mother of two and I use Target a lot,” she said.
