Hickory Farms Acquires Wicked Good Cupcakes

CHICAGO — Hickory Farms, America’s favorite food gift retailer, announced today that it has made the sweet acquisition of Wicked Good Cupcakes. The online mason jar cupcake shop, started by a mother and daughter as a way to spend more quality time together, quickly became known for their delicious gourmet cupcakes in a jar and a successful debut on ABC’s Shark Tank in 2013.

The founding story of Wicked Good Cupcakes is wickedly unique. In 2010, mother-daughter team Tracey Noonan and Danielle Vilagie began taking cake-decorating classes. Their passion quickly grew into a business as they launched their first store in Cohasset, Massachusetts. As their reputation grew, they found themselves getting hundreds of requests to ship their product across the country. However, they couldn’t find a way to both effectively ship cupcakes and ensure they arrive fresh and intact. From this challenge, their signature mason jar cupcake was born. By filling jars with freshly baked layers of cake, frosting and filling, they were able to create an easily shippable product that would remain fresh for up to ten days without refrigeration. After being featured on Shark Tank and attracting the attention of Kevin O’Leary, a.k.a “Mr Wonderful”, who called it “the best investment” he’s ever made on the show, their business took off like a rocket ship.

Hickory Farms started with that same entrepreneurial spirit 70 years ago by offering cheese and farm-fresh products at Ohio farmer’s markets, so the company can truly appreciate the story of Wicked Good Cupcakes. Following their amazing growth as a Shark Tank success story, the company is ready to bring their delicious baked goods to even more customers as part of the Hickory Farms family. Wicked Good Cupcakes will be an important part of Hickory Farms’ expanding assortment of food gifts for year-round gifting occasions, such as Birthdays, Thank You Gifts, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

“We are extremely excited to add this wonderful company to the Hickory Farms family.” said Diane Pearse, Hickory Farms CEO. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to offer these decadent and beautifully packaged desserts to Hickory Farms customers. Take one look at the website, and you’ll see the most delightful flavor choices including the Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcake, Cuckoo for Coconut Cupcake and so much more.”

With the rise in demand for gifts containing both sweet and savory options, the addition of Wicked Good Cupcakes to Hickory Farms’ repertoire will give customers a new and exciting way to connect with loved ones through the gift of great taste.

“When we started this company as a fun family endeavor 11 years ago, we never dreamed that it would take off like it did,” said Tracey Noonan, Wicked Good Cupcakes co-founder. “We’ve been impressed with the transformation at Hickory Farms in the last few years, as they’ve refreshed their brand, expanded the product offering, and grown with year-round occasions. To now be part of the Hickory Farms family, a company with a storied and respected past and exciting future, is truly a dream come true and will help us reach even more fans.”

Hickory Farms plans to begin offering Wicked Good Cupcakes at hickoryfarms.com later in 2021, and the full assortment of cupcakes continues to be available at WickedGoodCupcakes.com.

ABOUT HICKORY FARMS, LLC
Since 1951, Hickory Farms LLC has been a leading retailer of food gifts and specialty foods available online, in catalogs, and in leading mass merchants, supermarkets, and a variety of seasonal retail shopping locations in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.HickoryFarms.com or join the conversation on InstagramFacebookPinterestTikTok or Twitter.