The Pizza Cupcake, known for securing a deal with Lori Greiner on ABC's Shark Tank, has signed a nationwide distribution deal with Walmart. It marks the company's first nationwide expansion in brick-and-mortar retail. The Pizza Cupcake's two flavors, Margherita and Pepperoni, are now on the shelves of over 1,600 Walmart locations in 47 states.
"We are so thrilled to be working with Walmart. We're appreciative of their innovation in the space, and support for small businesses that focus on ingredients, quality, and authenticity," said The Pizza Cupcake Founders Michelle Jimenez-Meggiato and Andrea Meggiato. "While we've come a long way from our first pizza date, and where we were at the time of Shark Tank, we want to continue to share our love for pizza as the go-to-snack for kids' parties, family holidays, and celebrations. Thanks to Walmart, The Pizza Cupcake has now become more accessible than ever!"
The national Walmart launch comes on the heels of The Pizza Cupcake hitting the freezers of hundreds of other retail stores less than a year ago, including Fairway, Fresh Direct, Stew Leonard's, Whole Foods in New York, and Wegmans throughout the east coast.
Event venues have also embraced The Pizza Cupcake, including partnerships alongside Capital One Arena, Citi Field, Microsoft Theater, Harriet's Rooftop at the 1 Hotel West Hollywood, and The Governor's Ball Music Festival.
Launched in 2018 by husband-and-wife team Andrea Meggiato and Michelle Jimenez-Meggiato in New York City, The Pizza Cupcake captured the attention of the nation when the Meggiatos introduced their unique pizza concept on the national television series Shark Tank in 2021. Their appearance is among Shark Tank's most replayed videos of all time with more than 4,800,000 views.
As a native of Venice, Italy and previously a chef trained under the SoHo House brand of restaurants, Andrea Meggiato and his wife, Michelle Jimenez-Meggiato, a first generation Filipino-American and former marketing professional, realized the need for a premium frozen pizza snack made with real, authentic Italian ingredients.
The result was changing the shape and recipe of traditional pizza snacks. The Pizza Cupcake, made with love in Brooklyn, NY, is filled with real mozzarella cheese, and imported Italian tomatoes, along with a trade-secret dough (not traditional pizza dough) that is flaky and savory. The Pizza Cupcake's current omnichannel distribution strategy includes ecommerce, grocery stores, and foodservice accounts such as sports stadiums and concert venues across the country.
The Pizza Cupcake has also garnered attention from celebrities including Chrissy Teigen, and has been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, and Dave Portnoy's Pizza Review. The company's rise has been noted by media including Forbes, The New York Post, Yahoo!, Thrillist, Time Out, Town and Country, BuzzFeed, and ELLE.