London-founded, Cincinnati-manufactured Doughlicious is making a two-pronged push into holiday retail this season: a 12-Day Advent Calendar exclusive to Target at $11.99, launching December 1, and a new standalone Peppermint White Chocolate Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites pack hitting Whole Foods Market and other national retailers at a promotional SRP of $4.99, available beginning in early November.
The moves signal an accelerating U.S. retail strategy for the brand, which was founded in London in 2017 by Kathryn Bricken and now manufactures out of Cincinnati. For c-store buyers tracking frozen novelty and better-for-you snack trends, both launches reflect broader category momentum: frozen snack bites positioned at 100 calories per serving have been gaining shelf space as consumers seek permissible indulgence in the freezer aisle.
Inside the Advent Calendar
The Target-exclusive advent calendar packs 12 bite-sized cookie dough and gelato flavors behind its doors — three are existing Doughlicious SKUs, while nine are calendar-only exclusives. The full lineup includes Gingerbread, Eggnog, Cereal Milk, Snickerdoodle, Caramel Kettle Corn, Vegan Chocolate Truffle, Pumpkin Pie Crumble, Cookies & Cream, Peppermint White Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, and Bûche de Noël, plus a collaboration with candy brand Rotten® as Door #7. The Rotten Cherry Bomb combines sour cherry cookie dough, vanilla gelato, and Rotten Sour Crunchies. Michael Fisher, founder and CEO of Rotten, called the partnership a natural fit, noting the calendar gave his brand access to "one of the best holiday items at Target."
Bricken framed the calendar as a product-development vehicle as much as a retail opportunity. "We're constantly experimenting with new flavors, and the calendar lets us bring some of our favorites to life alongside the Doughlicious flavors people already love," she said.
Retail Reach and Format Strategy
The Peppermint White Chocolate Bites represent Doughlicious' first time offering that flavor in a standalone retail pack — previously it appeared only as part of the advent calendar assortment. The format fits a well-established convenience and specialty grocery pattern: limited-edition seasonal SKUs at accessible price points designed to drive trial and incremental basket ring without cannibalizing core items.
All Doughlicious products are made with gluten-free oat flour and contain no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives — attributes that resonate in premium grocery and are increasingly relevant as better-for-you frozen snacks expand their footprint in non-traditional channels. While the brand's current confirmed distribution is through Target and Whole Foods, operators in convenience-adjacent frozen foodservice should watch how limited-edition holiday formats like this one perform as proof-of-concept for year-round SKU expansion.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
