MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corp. is launching Favorite Day, a new store brand featuring indulgent products. Developed by Target’s internal team of food science and recipe developers, the Favorite Day assortment will include more than 700 items across bakery, trail mixes, ice cream, snacks, beverage mixers, candy and cake decorations.
The addition of Favorite Day builds on the success of Good & Gather, the retailer’s flagship owned food and beverage brand, which generated $2 billion in sales last year. Good & Gather products span the categories of dairy, produce, ready-made pastas, meats and more. Target's product developers set out to create a product line built around celebration and indulgence. Favorite Day products are priced below $15 and will be available in all Target stores and online at Target.com beginning in April.
“We’re thrilled to build on Good & Gather’s success and the strength of Target’s food and beverage business by debuting our new owned brand, Favorite Day,” said Rick Gomez, executive vice president and chief food and beverage officer at Target. “Rooted in guest insights and developed by our talented Target team, Favorite Day is a sweet and savory addition that tastes amazing, makes life’s little moments of indulgence even sweeter and continues to differentiate Target’s owned brand portfolio.”
The collection is based on Target’s shopper insights, showing consumers are increasingly seeking treats as a balance to everyday stressors. Products include blueberry streusel bread, miniature everything bagel croissants, assorted macarons, birthday cake ice cream, and caramel macchiato trail mix.
"Our guests love an amazing treat — especially if it's nostalgic," said Thomas Jackson, a food scientist at Target. "So, we leaned into the nostalgia trend with a twist, creating a s'mores chocolate bark complete with Golden Grahams pieces that lend just the right flavor and texture to signal the campfire classic. We turned the orange cream bars we all remember from the ice cream truck into a delicious trail mix, too. And the caramel in our dark chocolate sea salt caramels is reminiscent of something straight out of your grandma's kitchen."
Tapping into the popularity of premium ice cream, Target's product development team aimed to create "more trend-forward, gourmet options for Target guests," said Allen McGee, a food scientist.
"We went through multiple rounds of research and connected with more than 11,000 guests to perfect our recipes," he said. "An overwhelming taste-tester favorite: our caramel cold brew ice cream, made with Colombian cold brew coffee, caramel swirl and espresso chocolatey chunks with real bits of coffee grounds that melt on the tongue for a boost of flavor. it's a coffee-lover's dream, in frozen form."
The Favorite Day brand also includes savory options, noted Paula Zuhlsdorf, senior food scientist.
"I absolutely love the ciabatta bread," she said. "It's a great quality, and you can add a warm loaf to soup or salad and instantly have a lovely, wine-worthy meal."