Since launching its products in U.S. retailer Target earlier this year, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Coast to Coast Kitchen has generated millions of dollars in sales and said it has brought nearly 100,000 new customers into the frozen seafood category.
Now, the company, founded by Emma Hernan, a food entrepreneur and a cast member of the TV show Selling Sunset, is upping its presence in Target with three new products: Lobster Empanada, Sweet Chili Shrimp Empanada, and Crab Rangoon.
The new products join other seafood offerings produced by Coast to Coast, including its New England Crab Cakes, Bacon Scallops, Shrimp Spring Rolls, and Crab Minis, all of which are already sold at Target stores nationwide.
“The products launched exclusively with Target in February for a Lenten special. Due to their amazing success, they are now permanently in Target nationwide alongside the exclusive launch of [our] famous empanadas,” Hernan told SeafoodSource.
Empanadas were the product that helped launch Coast to Coast Kitchen and remain the brand's signature, the supplier said, adding that the Lobster Empanada nods to Hernan's Massachusetts upbringing while Sweet Chili Shrimp reflects her years in California.
Crab Rangoon, meanwhile, was inspired by Hernan's grandfather, Gerry McAdams, a chef who often prepared a crab and lobster spread for family occasions.
“[The new products] bring together my love for both coasts and make my products truly coast to coast," Hernan said in a release. “Food, for me, has always been about sharing a great bite with the people you love.”
Hernan, who is a pescatarian, said she grew up cooking in the kitchen with her grandmother, Margaret Hernan, developing a love for creating dishes and bringing the family together for homemade meals around the table.
Now, she is a third generation entrepreneur and works alongside her mother Stephanie Hernan, who took over operations at Pembroke, Massachusetts-based Yankee Trader Seafood when Emma's grandfather passed away.
As Coast to Coast has grown, Hernan has invested in production capacity. She purchased a manufacturing facility outside Boston valued at USD 7.5 million (EUR 6.6 million) and also owns the company's original USD 5.5 million (EUR 4.8 million) factory. Coast to Coast and Yankee Trader employ more than 100 people, the majority of whom are women.
In addition to Target, many other retailers are also featuring, or will soon feature, Coast to Coast products, and the company will be rolling out new items with some of them, Hernan said.
