Category Analysis Frozen Pizza

The frozen pizza category is in no way slowly down. Whether it’s formulating a hodgepodge of ingredients that satisfy and appeal to everyone’s flavor preferences at the dinner table or finding ways to bring people back to the category who thought their diet restricted that, frozen pizza suppliers are doing their part to keep frozen pizza relevant and the top pick for mealtime.

Bernatello’s Foods

“ Q1 offered a few challenges for Bernatello’s foods but as in years past we handled each of them with the fantastic work of our team members, and overall things are looking bright for our company,” said Matt Selvig, Advertising and Promotions Manager. “Our national sales continue an upward trend including taking the No. 1 spot in overall market share in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City markets. Our products have been on store shelves there for a little less than two years and already we have proven that Bernatello’s brands can compete on the national scene. We continue to see growth and new opportunities in our DSD expansion markets as well. Brew Pub Lotzza Motzza sales grew this year over last in Illinois and Michigan, while Bellatoria Pizzas steadily find themselves in new retailers including Food Lion on the east coast. Overall, Q1 has been very successful and so much of that is attributed to our team’s ability to stay innovative. Recently, we added to new varieties to the Brew Pub lineup; Chicago Style Deep Dish, and Cheese Stuffed Crust. These options allow us to meet the needs of the consumer that knows the high quality and consistency of the Brew Pub Brand. Both the Deep Dish and the Cheese Stuffed Crust diversify our portfolio leading to a larger customer base and greater loyalty to our brands. In today’s competitive market, if you’re not moving forward and pushing for innovation, you’re standing still!”

Bernatello’s Foods attributes its success within the frozen pizza category to the solid partnerships it has curated and sustained throughout the years. “Bernatello’s prides ourselves on the strong relationships we have built with our retail partners,” Selvig said. “We have a strong direct store delivery program which allows for consistency and quality in our products and builds relationships with our community partners. We pride ourselves on the quality of our products. We put our people first within Bernatello’s. Our people are our greatest asset and we take pride in the family-owned company that we are. We focus on honesty, integrity, communication and respect.”

Bernatello’s Foods receives feedback from its retail partners that have come to expect a high level of quality from them. “They are looking to us every day as experts in the category and are wanting to work with us on promotions, ad ideas and new items,” Selvig said. “This feedback from our retailers is essential and assists us in our ability to meet the needs of the customer base by producing new and innovative items that are wanted in the market.”

Palermo Villa

“It’s all about innovation,” Nick Fallucca, Chief Product and Innovation Officer for Palermo Villa said earlier this year. “We will always continue to push the boundaries of innovation and try to break the mold. We have teams dedicated to research and innovation and always have a running list of ideas from possible to impossible. We are proud of the fact that we will take chances on innovation because even if a product fails, we can learn from it and maybe turn that idea into something else later on.”

“We launched our Screamin’ Sicilian brand back in 2013 when the craft beer market was hot. We thought why not make a premium craft pizza to pair with those unique beers,” he continued. “The brand sticks to classic flavors with premium ingredients, but also introduces innovative flavors and ideas – like bratwurst slices and onions, orange chicken, or beer infused crusts. Our Urban Pie brand launched three different vegetable crusts in 2019, and hemp seed infused crusts in 2020. With a brand promise of unique flavors and being ‘Committed to Good,’ meaning that every pizza is made using thoughtful ingredients including rBST free cheeses, antibiotic free meats and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, today

Urban Pie is one of the leading frozen pizza brands in the natural channel.”

Moving forward, Palermo Villa plans to continue to develop “out of the box” ideas to keep breaking the mold. “However, we never lose sight of the fact that consumers want better versions of classic pizza flavors,” Fallucca added. “That means sourcing the best ingredients, creating the best crusts and continuing to innovate on making the everyday pizza experience even better. Ultimately our dedication to being innovative leads to our success in the marketplace.”

In order to keep the frozen pizza category moving forward, Fallucca with Palermo’s Pizza believes retailers need to appeal to budget-conscious shoppers who are expecting restaurant-quality pizza while stretching their dollars. “As consumers are more and more budget conscious in the current economy, we want retailers to consider their frozen pizza sets,” Fallucca said. “Consumers can get high quality frozen pizzas that are often better than pizzerias or carryout for a fraction of the price. That is a benefit to retailers, keeping dollars in their stores versus consumers choosing to spend their dollars in restaurants and for carryout. ”

Rustic Crust

One of Rustic Crust’s more recent product launches is the company’s grilled and seared line of frozen woodfired pizza. “This product takes the guess work out of grilling pizza,” Brad Sterl CEO/President for Rustic Crust, home of the American Flatbreads brand said earlier this year. “Just bake for seven to 10 minutes and you get the grilled pizza that you wanted. We are also continuing to work on some smaller format pizza that will launch in later 2023.”

Necessary questions that Rustic Crust wants to ask retailers to keep driving the category forward are: “How do we all address the ongoing cost increase, and how can we continue to offer value in the set across all types of pizza?” Sterl said. “Since we are primarily in the premium section, how can we work together to provide value offerings and pairings that benefit both the retailer and consumers?”