BROOKLYN, NY. — The Pizza Cupcake is rolling out to more supermarket freezers across the country.
The brand, created by married co-founders Michelle Jimenez-Meggiato and Andrea Meggiato, has landed or expanded distribution deals with several major retailers in recent months. The namesake handheld item features flaky brioche sourdough stuffed with mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes. Current offerings include margherita and pepperoni.
By early December, The Pizza Cupcake will be sold in 7,000 retail locations, including nationwide at Whole Foods Market, in more than 1,750 Kroger banners including Ralph’s, Fred Meyer, King Soopers and Harris Teeter, and in 270 Albertsons stores across the northern and southern California and mid-Atlantic divisions.
Additionally, the brand is doubling its Walmart presence to more than 3,400 stores and will be available in more than 300 Target stores across the East and Midwest regions. The products also may be found at Wegmans, Giant, Meijer, Foxtrot and others, as well as a smattering of sports and entertainment venues.
Jimenez-Meggiato and Meggiato launched the business five years ago, initially selling the product at New York City’s Smorgasburg open-air food market and catering large corporate parties and events. At the onset of the pandemic, the pair shifted to online orders and local delivery, eventually expanding to nationwide shipping. The startup gained national attention following an appearance on “Shark Tank” and began popping up at regional grocery stores.
“After airing on ‘Shark Tank,’ we did $1 million in sales right after,” Jimenez-Meggiato told , MEAT+POULTRY sister publication, Food Entrepreneur in a June interview. “We were on pre-order for three months. It gave us a lot of visibility in front of millions of people, which was great, and it also helped us formulate our go-to-market strategy for retail.”