At the beginning of this modern cupcake moment, the brick-and-mortar cupcakeries were the centers of action. To experience a brand, the consumer went to a cupcake shop owned and operated by the company or a franchisee.
In the post-pandemic market, leading cupcakeries are moving decisively towards selling in grocery stores and other mass-market retailers. To this end, Magnolia Bakery and Crumbs marketed their products at the 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City.
Appearing in the section for first-time exhibitors, Magnolia promoted its banana pudding cookies in search of new wholesale accounts.
It was recently announced that the banana pudding cookies are now sold in all 96 Costcos in the Northeast. This follows the launch of the Magnolia Amazon store earlier this year.
Magnolia continues to operate company-owned bakeries in the U.S. and franchisees are opening ever more overseas stores.
Since relaunching last November, Crumbs has been selling its cupcakes and cookies online and at grocery stores. Seeking more retail partners, Crumbs exhibited at the Fancy Food Show.
These changes are repositioning cupcakes away from the realm of luxury and exclusivity towards an everyday product accessible to the mass market.
Andrea Adleman | Cupcakologist 