H-E-B Becomes Cowboys' Official Grocer, Ties $1,000 Sacks to Dallas Charity

H-E-B has officially become the exclusive grocery and pharmacy partner of the Dallas Cowboys, rolling out a multi-year partnership that pairs limited-edition merchandise and player commercials with charity donations tied to the team's on-field performance. The San Antonio-based grocer already donated $500,000 to 10 nonprofits across the Dallas-Fort Worth area as part of the rollout, and it plans to donate $1,000 to the Salvation Army for every sack the Cowboys defense records during the regular season, up to a cap of $50,000.

The deal was detailed in a report from WOAI News 4 San Antonio, which noted that each of the 10 nonprofits receiving the initial round of funding got $50,000 apiece. H-E-B will also serve as the presenting sponsor of the H-E-B Family Tailgate at every Cowboys home game, an activation on the East Plaza of AT&T Stadium that will include food samples, face painting, airbrush tattoos, games and a photo booth. Cowboys fans wearing team gear may receive surprise ticket and merchandise giveaways, and fans can compete for the title of Tailgater of the Game, with the winner receiving a jersey, flag, game-day seats, sideline passes and a $500 H-E-B gift card.

New Commercials Feature Cowboys Stars

The partnership also brings a slate of new H-E-B commercials featuring Cowboys players and personnel, including quarterback Dak Prescott, kicker Brandon Aubrey, safety Caleb Downs, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. H-E-B stores will also feature Cowboys-themed displays and limited-edition merchandise, including a limited-edition Cowboys reusable shopping bag, per the same WOAI report.

“H-E-B is passionate about taking care of Texans, and this partnership with the Dallas Cowboys allows us to do that in a big way,” said Juan-Carlos Rück, according to WOAI. Rück added that H-E-B is “thrilled to bring together two iconic Texas brands.” Cowboys Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones said the partnership gives the team opportunities to “engage fans and create meaningful impact for those in need,” per the same account. H-E-B and the Cowboys also plan to work together on school supply drives, holiday events, youth camps, football clinics and other community programs.

A Familiar Playbook From San Antonio

The Cowboys deal is not H-E-B's first foray into charity-tied sports sponsorship. The grocer's sports marketing formula dates back to 2004, when it partnered with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, spawning a more than 20-year tradition of player-led television commercials featuring stars from Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to Kawhi Leonard and Victor Wembanyama, according to KSAT. H-E-B runs a nearly identical model with the NFL's Houston Texans through its “Sacks for Hunger” program, donating $1,000 for every Texans sack to the Houston Food Bank during the regular season, according to the Houston Texans' own team website.

Cowboys Deal Lands as H-E-B Chases Dallas Proper

The Cowboys partnership arrives as H-E-B aggressively expands its physical footprint across North Texas, including plans to open stores in Carrollton and Denton and additional locations already operating in Allen, Frisco, Irving, Mansfield, McKinney, Plano, Prosper and Rockwall. That flagship push into the Metroplex began in September 2022 with H-E-B's first North Texas store in Frisco, which drew an opening-day line of more than 1,500 waiting customers, according to Local Profile.

H-E-B now plans to build its first namesake store within Dallas city limits, on land it owns at Hillcrest Road and LBJ Freeway. State licensing filings submitted in May indicate construction on the 131,420-square-foot store and multi-story parking structure is slated to begin in March 2027, with completion projected for September 2028 and an estimated cost of $52 million, according to WFAA. Dallas City Council approved zoning for the 10-acre site in December in a 14-1 vote, despite opposition from a neighborhood group that raised concerns about traffic congestion from an estimated 45,000 weekly customers, as reported by CBS News Texas.

Grocer's Dallas Roots Run Deeper Than Namesake Stores

While the H-E-B nameplate is new to Dallas proper, the company's presence in North Texas actually dates back more than two decades through its upscale Central Market banner, which has operated in the region since 2001, including three locations in Dallas. H-E-B has also expanded its value-focused Joe V's Smart Shop brand into the Dallas-Fort Worth area, debuting in South Dallas in June 2024 and East Dallas in March 2025. Those Joe V's stores average 55,000 square feet and keep prices 10% to 20% lower than traditional H-E-B locations by shipping full truckloads directly to stores rather than maintaining warehouse inventory, according to a separate WFAA report.

To support its rapid North Texas growth, H-E-B has also acquired more than 600 acres in Valley View, Texas, for a multi-phase logistics and supply-chain campus, as Hoodline previously reported on nearby land buys. San Antonio-headquartered H-E-B generates more than $50 billion in annual sales across a network of over 455 stores in Texas and Mexico, according to the company's own newsroom. On gamedays at AT&T Stadium, H-E-B's tailgate activation includes a shaded lounge with television screens and a photo booth set inside a large replica of an H-E-B reusable shopping bag, per MySA.