Dive Brief:
- Rich Products, a popular food distributor in the c-store industry, has added new items to its line of pizza offerings, according to a company announcement.
- Rich’s new pizza items include an Italian pinsa — a Roman-style crust with a unique dough fermentation process — and an Italian par-baked crust made with double zero-style flour. Both releases are part of Rich’s new Authentically Italian Pizza portfolio.
- Rich’s latest launch comes as c-store retailers grow and evolve their pizza programs as the industry continually competes with quick-service restaurants.
Dive Insight:
Pizza has long been a staple of c-store foodservice programs, but over the past year, several major retailers — Wawa, Casey’s General Stores and GPM Investments among others — have debuted or upgraded their offerings amid consumer demands for freshness and variety.
Crusts and dough make up a significant share of Rich’s pizza products, as the company has dozens of varieties already in its portfolio, according to its website. Its latest additions fit the mold of “globally inspired” pizza products, which over 70% of operators agree they’re experimenting more with now than they were two years ago, according to the announcement.
Rich’s team traveled to Italy in 2023, where it found inspiration for its latest pizza crust options.
“In Europe, we tasted some of the best pizza we'd ever had and saw the opportunity to bring some of these products and innovations to the U.S. and Canada markets,” said Donna Reeves-Collins, senior vice president of Rich’s pizza and flatbread category. “We're excited today to introduce several new Authentically Italian products that will help pizza operators expand their menus and drive excitement for consumers."
Besides its latest crusts, Rich’s Authentically Italian portfolio also includes 8-ounce pizza dough balls that are made with double zero Italian-style flour. Other pizza products in the company’s arsenal include plant-based and gluten-free crusts and fully topped pizzas.
Buffalo, New York-based Rich’s works with 100 operators around the globe and across several industries, including c-stores, universities, healthcare, limited-service restaurants and more.
