Is This $9 Toaster Pastry a Pop-Tarts Killer?

Monica Watrous
Flings toaster pastry

A Montreal startup’s modern twist on the billion-dollar Pop-Tarts brand is rolling out to more than 500 Target stores nationwide.

Flings, which launched online last year, made its retail debut last week via a new partnership with the Minneapolis mass merchandiser.

Target initially will carry two SKUs – Summer Strawberry and Sticky Cinnamon – that are priced at $8.99 for a 4-pack, compared to $2.79 for an 8-count package of Pop-Tarts. Target also sells Ghetto Gastro’s plant-based toaster pastries at $5.99 for a 4-count box.

Flings stands apart as a gluten-free, low-sugar, high-protein option with no artificial colors. But will Target shoppers bite or balk at the premium price tag?

Billed as “the better rectangle,” Flings toaster pastries are made with whey protein, chickpea flour, egg whites and a sweetener blend of erythritol and stevia extract. A serving has 1 gram of sugar, 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of net carbs, versus Pop-Tarts’ 22 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein and 41 grams of net carbs.

The lineup, which also includes Hot Chocolate, was inspired by the top-selling flavors in the segment. According to Dino Vassiliou, he and co-founder Benjamin Outmezguine have “been hard at work perfecting our recipe and scaling production” over the past few months.

Vassiliou said the Target buyer connected with him on LinkedIn after spotting the brand on Instagram and in Pop Up Grocer.

“They originally wanted to put us in 1,000 stores, and I was nervous with supply, so we agreed to 500 to start,” he said.

The founders’ first fling with a food business led to lots of learnings about navigating the ins and outs of retail. From that experience, Vassiliou said, “We knew that the one thing you can’t do is run out of stock and piss off the retailer.”

Vassiliou and Outmezguine previously founded and operated CoolWay, a low-carb ice cream brand, in Canada for nearly eight years prior to selling the business to its manufacturer. Following the sale, the pair aspired to launch a new food brand with a focus on the U.S. market, which Vassiliou described “as such a beast compared to Canada,” and in a category “that didn’t have much innovation” yet broad, enduring appeal.

Introduced in 1963, Pop-Tarts, owned by Battle Creek, Michigan-based Kellanova (formerly Kellogg Co.), generated $994 million in U.S. sales across grocery, drug, mass market, convenience, military, select club and dollar retailers and convenience stores in 2023, according to data from Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm.

The decades-old breakfast staple is “such a classic item, but it’s so bad for you,” Vassiliou said. “And so we thought, hey, maybe we can disrupt it.”

According to Circana, Pop-Tarts has 88% dollar share in the toaster pastries and tarts category. Private label claims nearly 8%. Brands including Bobo’s, Legendary Foods, Nature’s Path and others have taken swings with specialty offerings featuring organic ingredients, more protein or gluten-free formulations. Each has less than a percentage point of dollar share.

In the year ahead, Flings’ founders will focus on driving sales at Target through in-store promotions, end caps, and Target Circle app deals, as well as expanding into more of its stores. Longer term, the brand plans to explore limited-edition flavors and new categories, Vassiliou said.