ButcherBox embraced retail in 2026 by moving into Target. 07.31.2026 Reba Hatcher, chief commercial officer at ButcherBox, is looking to continuously work for the customers. With the direct-to-consumer meat and seafood company moving a piece of the business into retail at Target Corp. stores in 2026, Hatcher emphasized the importance of providing a well-crafted experience for interested parties, given what they've accomplished in building its subscription and online business. While online grocery shopping grew in popularity in 2020, nearly 60% of Americans still make an average of 2.1 household trips to the grocery store per week, according to ButcherBox data. "When we think about helping consumers solve the 4 p.m. question of, 'What's for dinner?' we know having a retail presence and a non-frozen product is a key driver of ButcherBox becoming the answer to that question on a broader level," Hatcher said. "Whether a Target customer is seeing the ButcherBox brand for the first time in the meat case, or a ButcherBox customer is stocking up in between their next delivery, this selection of products will aid in the dinner time dilemma most families face." In April 2025, Butcher Box partnered with Target's third-party digital marketplace, Target Plus, to make its product available on a new platform. The company noted the marketplace presence gave ButcherBox a deeper understanding of the Target shopper and the insight to develop a unique selection of products to meet these customers in store. Hatcher stated that 33% of the ButcherBox customers live within three miles of Target, making it a destination for people interested in seeing their product on a shelf. They can now go experience it. ButcherBox will be in more than 1,400 Target locations nationwide. While discussing ButcherBox's strategy, Hatcher also explained the importance of focusing on the retail experience for buyers considering its products. The company spent some time in retail about four years ago, but Hatcher feels its latest iteration will return with a new strategy. An important detail is that it will be displayed like other meat products, right on the shelf at Target, and not in the cardboard packaging when delivered to a home. "I think that will hit better because it's matching the consumer and the way they shop in that specific place," she said. However, Hatcher noted that ButcherBox will still have its boxes available online for subscription and that it had around 440,000 subscribers at the beginning of 2026. Working with their Target buyers, Hatcher and ButcherBox explained the importance of having a variety of offerings at the retailer. A major selling point to highlight is its beef products are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, which they've been selling for more than 10 years. Along with beef ribeye steak, sirloin steak and NY strip steak, ButcherBox will also sell two varieties of ground beef, 85/15 and 90/10, at Target. "I think we'll give people a really good first taste at what ButcherBox has to offer and these are cuts that people know how to use," Hatcher said. Hatcher said the sourcing for its retail and online program is exactly the same but noted the company would be making a fresh product for Target as opposed to the frozen meat and seafood it's focused on since the business started. She referenced the effectiveness of the company's procurement team, comprised of a team that has years of experience on the retail side of the business. Understanding the customer. One of the core values for Butcher Box is understanding different data points. Hatcher said ButcherBox uses a customer program while conducting regular surveys that look at everything from member satisfaction to delivery to a net promoter score. "We have all of this great information to understand, who our core consumer is and how are they using our products and what their habits are that form around that," Hatcher said. To engage more with customers Hatcher and others at ButcherBox set out on a 10-city road tour in 2025 to give employees a chance to meet customers participating in the company's loyalty program. ButcherBox hosted dinners with 20-25 people in each city who are part of its loyalty program to thank them for being members and gain insight into how they were using the subscription product. "It was a really great experience and so we're going to do something similar again this year," Hatcher said. "We'll focus on a different cohort of customers just to hear their experience and how they're using it and enhance how we provide our service offering." Keeping an eye on trends. Hatcher pays attention to consumer trends in retail, fueling the passion for her role. She's immersed in how various products succeed and the R&D behind product launches by talking with food company founders, chief executive officers and entrepreneurs. "I'm fascinated by what's happening, especially in consumer goods and what's interesting to people and always staying in it," Hatcher said. Looking forward, Hatcher identified three areas to focus on. First, she plans to monitor value for customers especially when it comes to how much they are spending to keep up with meat demand and the growing focus on protein. "Consumers still don't know how much protein is in everything, even if it is a chicken breast, and we can't take that for granted," Hatcher said. "I think really bringing us back to what does the customer know and not putting too much work on them." She also said the concept of nostalgia is a big part of how people perceive food. "It's been a really hot topic and how we've designed our product road map and some of the things we've taken from what our customers are saying and what are we seeing and what are the things that are really hitting when they're launching." Get better meat and poultry industry search results. Adding Meat+Poultry tells Google to prioritize MEAT+POULTRY stories.

ButcherBox has appointed Josephine Theal as vice president of retail strategy following strong retail performance in the first half of 2026. Theal joins from Target, where she spent nearly five years in the meat and seafood department and supported ButcherBox's January launch across more than 1,400 Target stores. The direct-to-consumer meat and seafood brand is expanding into 330 additional Target Express locations this month, bringing its total Target footprint to nearly 1,800 stores. ButcherBox also launched an exclusive product with Costco Wholesale in the Pacific Northwest this spring, with plans to expand into additional regions by year-end. In 2025, ButcherBox's direct-to-consumer business surpassed $570 million in revenue.