August 5, 2026
Photo courtesy of Target
As Target Releases its Private Label Cookbook, Should Competitors Consider Their Options?
Target has been aggressively expanding its private label footprint over the course of the past few years, launching Dealworthy in 2024 and significantly boosting its assortment (by ~600 items) of Good & Gather and Favorite Day products just last year.
Now, according to an Aug. 3 press release, Target is further doubling-down on backing its private label push with a cookbook — “Good & Gather: Discover Delicious Every Day” — featuring 100 recipes based entirely around ingredients and items available within the range.
“Families want great taste, trusted ingredients and incredible value, which is why Good & Gather has become a go-to for guests,” said Target’s SVP of merchandising, food, and beverage John Conlin.
“This cookbook is a natural next step for the brand, and it showcases what makes Target different in food and beverage: we’re making food discovery and inspiration feel easy and approachable for busy families, with delicious, affordable recipes for any occasion,” he continued.
Target's Good & Gather brand releases its first cookbook Tuesday with 100 recipes developed by the retailer's test kitchen team. The retailer priced the cookbook at $24.50. https://t.co/7qUARK8ikm
— Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal (@MSPBJnews) August 4, 2026
Among the appetizing recipes cooked up by Target’s test kitchen — manned by culinary experts, food scientists, and trend researchers — are steak and potato kabobs with a blue cheese yogurt sauce, chicken and vegetable soup with potstickers, pomegranate dragon fruit shortcut shrub, mango and coconut overnight oats (for the health conscious foodies out there), and potato chip butterscotch cookes (for the late-night snackers, by contrast). Chicken parm meatball melts, spice sesame tuna wraps, and a microwavable Caprese eggs-in-a-mug are also advertised.
“The magic of the Target test kitchen is that we combine food science and culinary expertise with an understanding of how busy families shop and cook,” said director of trend for food and beverage at Target, Diane Douglas.
“Our team has decades of experience developing recipes and products, so every dish in this cookbook was created with approachable ingredients and tested with everyday kitchens in mind — using familiar appliances and tools to make sure the recipes are easy and delicious,” she added.
The cookbook was launched in stores and on Target’s website Aug. 4, priced at $24.50, and appears to be off to a hot start in terms of sales. The hardcover weighs in at 272 pages and boasts several vibrant, full-page depictions of each of the test kitchen’s finished products.
Target Zeroes in On, and Enhances, Past Cookbook Concepts Promoted by Competitors
While the cookbook is a bit of a novel idea in terms of its execution, similar (but not exact) attempts have been made in nearby territory in the past: Walmart famously published its own cookbooks in past years — although the ingredients and products were not entirely based on Great Value offerings — and Costco publishes “Kirkland Signature Recipes” on its website, with some recipes incorporating Costco’s private label products into the mix.
BrainTrust
Nicholas Morine
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Do you believe it’s wise of Target to backstop its private label push with a traditional product such as this cookbook? Why or why not?
In your opinion, can other retail competitors avail of what may be seen as “older” or in some cases past-their-prime marketing materials to bolster their own brand offerings? Do any opportunities stand out to you?
Poll
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Given that over 20 million physical cookbooks were purchased in the US last year, I am not sure that the format can accurately be described as being entirely past its prime. That said, this is not a bid by Target to sell cookbooks. It’s to inspire consumers, strengthen Target’s credentials as a food destination, and improve perceptions of the grocery offer. This is part of a broader effort to move food from something consumers happen to buy while visiting Target to more of a primary reason to visit. Obviously, this needs more than a cookbook, which is why there a raft of other actions in play such as range development, bringing in more small brands, and improving store presentation.
Here’s why I like this. Once a customer has a Target cookbook on their shelf, they potentially see the Target name every day they are in the kitchen. It’s subtle, but it’s always there… Target!
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Given that over 20 million physical cookbooks were purchased in the US last year, I am not sure that the format can accurately be described as being entirely past its prime. That said, this is not a bid by Target to sell cookbooks. It’s to inspire consumers, strengthen Target’s credentials as a food destination, and improve perceptions of the grocery offer. This is part of a broader effort to move food from something consumers happen to buy while visiting Target to more of a primary reason to visit. Obviously, this needs more than a cookbook, which is why there a raft of other actions in play such as range development, bringing in more small brands, and improving store presentation.
Here’s why I like this. Once a customer has a Target cookbook on their shelf, they potentially see the Target name every day they are in the kitchen. It’s subtle, but it’s always there… Target!