Ghirardelli enters refrigerated bakery category with premium cookie dough debut
Ghirardelli has launched its first refrigerated cookie dough line in the United States, offering two flavors and national retail distribution starting in June 2026, and is positioned to bring the brand’s premium chocolate into the refrigerated bakery aisle.
USA – The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company has officially announced its expansion into the refrigerated food sector with the launch of its first-ever line of premium, ready-to-bake cookie dough.
The strategic rollout marks a significant brand extension for the San Francisco-headquartered confectioner, which has historically focused on gourmet chocolate squares, gift boxes, and dry baking mixes.
By shifting into the chilled grocery aisle, the company aims to capture growing consumer demand for high-quality, convenient home-baking options that require minimal preparation.
The new product line debuts nationwide with two distinct, chocolate-forward flavour profiles that leverage Ghirardelli’s signature chocolate formulations.
The first option, Classic Chocolate Chip, is engineered using the brand’s premium baking chips to deliver a traditional soft, chewy cookie with golden, crispy edges.
The second option, Chocolate Chip Brownie, offers a rich, fudgy profile inspired by the company’s highly popular commercial dry brownie mixes.
Both varieties are packaged as pre-portioned dough rounds, eliminating the need for measuring or mixing while ensuring consistent portion control and baking performance.
According to David Dulyx, Vice President of the Licensing and Professional Products Division at Ghirardelli, the development of the refrigerated range was explicitly driven by the goal of delivering an authentic, scratch-made dessert experience with modern retail convenience.
Dulyx noted that the ready-to-bake format makes the brand’s premium chocolate profiles more accessible for immediate, everyday consumption occasions.
To align with contemporary kitchen habits, the dough has been structurally formulated for versatile preparation, allowing retail consumers to bake the treats in either a conventional home oven or a countertop air fryer.
The product expansion is heavily backed by Ghirardelli’s vertically integrated, bean-to-bar supply chain.
As one of the few large-scale chocolate manufacturers in the United States to maintain complete control over the entire production cycle, from raw cocoa bean sourcing and proprietary roasting techniques to final formulation, the company expects to maintain strict quality standards across the new chilled line.
The premium cookie dough range has begun rolling out with initial retail partners, including Walmart and Giant Eagle, at a suggested starting retail price of US$4.97 per package, with physical distribution scheduled to scale across Target, Publix, and the Kroger family of stores through the summer trading window.
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