Supermarket Perimeter - March 2023 - 32

Deli
Pizza
By Andy Nelson
PIZZA IS A PERENNIAL AMERICAN FAVORITE that, as big as it already
is, somehow continues to get bigger every year.
Grocery prepared foods sections are continuing to thrive post-COVID,
as consumers who got used to saving money by not going out to eat as
much increasingly look to the perimeter for easy meal solutions.
Put those two food facts together and what do you get? Surging
demand for ready-to-eat and heat-and-eat pizza in deli/prepared.
Pizza dough and crust specialist Baker's Quality's current lineup for
the prepared foods sections of grocery stores is " very robust, " said Anne
Cookson, the company's vice president of sales and marketing.
For those looking for more quick-and-easy solutions, Baker's Quality
makes pre-sheeted self-rising pizza crusts, parbaked pizza crusts and
premade flatbreads.
For more traditional applications, the company encourages its
customers to explore its dough balls, since they can provide a wider
range of products such as pizza, calzones and breadsticks, Cookson
said. They also allow customers to control how thin or thick of pizza
they want to make.
In recent years, Baker's Quality has seen tremendous growth in its
dough ball division, she added.
" It's our opinion that the labor shortage is causing grocers to
re-evaluate their practice of making dough in house. We can provide
doughs of the same quality but with increased consistency and ease
of use. "
In addition, the company has launched a retail-specific crust brand,
Crustology, that's meant to fill the gap between premade frozen pizzas
and delivery.
32 - MARCH 2023
Several of Baker's Quality partners in the Midwest, in particular,
are using Crustology crusts to create pizza kits in their deli sections,
Cookson said.
With Crustology, rather than purchasing a pre-made pizza, customers
can buy one kit with all of the necessary ingredients and enjoy the pizza
making process at home with their family and friends.
When it comes to trends in the pizza world, Baker's Quality has found
that customers are consistently asking for products that align with
nutrition goals, Cookson said - better-for-you crusts that shoppers feel
good eating and feeding their families is a prime example.
" We launched our Crustology brand with the intention of serving a
better pizza at home. We're always focused on providing products with
clean ingredient statements and improving the quality of our products
naturally. "
(Healthy) Detroit-style
The latest pizza innovation from Rich Products combines a top health
trend with a top pizza trend.
Rich's Gluten-Free Parbaked Detroit Style Pizza Crust is a 9 " x7 "
premium personal-sized crust that, like other parbaked pizza crusts
from Rich's, offers operators the flexibility and ease of a freezer-to-oven
format that bakes up reliably and consistently every time with minimal
skill required, according to the company.
Detroit style pizza is designed to offer a crusty edge for convenient
eating. The thick crust is first loaded with toppings, then a layer of
cheese, with the sauce added last. The result, according to Rich, is a pie
that bakes up with crispy, caramelized cheese around the edges.
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Baker's Quality
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Supermarket Perimeter - March 2023

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