Food startup Belgian Boys has secured over 2,000 additional points of distribution across the country for its refrigerated breakfast line at Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Meijer, Kroger, and more, bringing total store count to over 7,000. Earlier this year, Belgian Boys made a strategic choice to move its fan-favorite breakfast line of Belgian Waffles, Bite-Sized Pancakes, Brioche French Toast, and Crêpes from the frozen aisle to its “native” location: the fresh section, which resulted in up to a 5x increase in sales velocities at major retail locations.
Belgian Boys has had a busy 2022 with a new breakfast innovation, numerous new doors, and the shift from frozen to fresh. Recent data shows the brand’s growth for the first half of 2022 (+271%) outpaced the total category growth for frozen pancake/waffle, refrigerated prepared breakfast, and refrigerated sweet breakfast. New retail availability will be evident coast-to-coast; however, Belgian Boys is especially excited about its major retail presence on its home turf in New York with Whole Foods Market Northeast.
“This expanded distribution is an integral part of our brand’s mission to bring tasty, European staples into households across America. We’re overjoyed by the demand from consumers and major retailers for our indulgent yet convenient breakfast offerings,” said Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys. “All of our breakfast assortment can be ready in a matter of minutes, which helps take the guesswork out of morning mealtime and are ideal for busy mornings. We are helping to pioneer a refrigerated breakfast destination in-store and offer consumers products that win in taste and ingredient quality.”
Belgian Boys first entered the U.S. market on a mission to bring non-GMO, premium European foods to the mainstream. The brand quickly learned that, unlike European consumers, many Americans look for breakfast options in the frozen aisle versus the fresh section. Belgian Boys ran an incubated test over three years, imitating European retail breakfast placements, and the results were staggering. Not only did velocities increase, but consumers preferred to buy breakfast meals in the same place they find staples like milk, eggs, yogurt, and orange juice. The brand pushed breakfast indulgence into new territory earlier this year with the debut of Brioche French Toast, which originally launched exclusively in 600 Target stores in February 2022 and is now available nationwide for all retailers.
The brand has built awareness in recent years with strategic partnerships with brands like JetBlue, Drybar, Misfits Market, and others—and will launch several new exclusive products in 2023. Check out the entire selection at belgianboys.com.
