We spoke with a number of influential people in the sector to learn more about the manufacturing procedures that go into making frozen pizza and how new trends are seamlessly incorporated into existing processes. This is the second part of the article, and you can read the other interviews here.
Mauro Parretti, Managing Director, Svila Srl
FFE: What recent trends in the frozen food industry have you noticed and how have they impacted your manufacturing?
Mauro Parretti: There is a growing demand for products that are free from artificial additives, preservatives, and excessive sodium. This trend has led us to develop healthier frozen options and to a smart and wise selection of vendors. Consumers are looking for products with clear and transparent labelling, showcasing simple ingredients and this is the way we make our pizzas.
FFE: How do you approach product development to stay ahead of the competition and meet the evolving tastes of consumers when it comes to toppings?
Mauro Parretti: We research to understand consumer preferences, emerging trends, and evolving tastes, seeking feedback from consumers through surveys and social media platforms, discussing with clients and meeting customers during live shows or the international fairs we attend every year. We also invest in culinary innovation by collaborating with culinary experts. These collaborations allow us to experiment with unique flavors, ingredients, and combinations to create exciting and new topping options. We also draw inspiration from global cuisines, seasonal ingredients, and food trends to develop innovative pizza toppings.
FFE: How do you ensure that your products are of high quality and meet the expectations of customers who are increasingly looking for healthier and more natural options?
Mauro Parretti: We prioritize sourcing high-quality ingredients for our frozen pizzas, connecting with trusted suppliers and prioritizing ingredients that are natural, fresh, and minimally processed. This includes using real mozzarella and real cheeses, premium meats, and fresh vegetables, as well as sourcing organic and locally sourced ingredients when possible. We also develop alternative crusts to cater to customers looking for healthier options. This may include whole grain crusts, or crusts made with a mixture of grains. These options provide more dietary choices and accommodate various dietary restrictions.
FFE: With the rise of plant-based diets, how are you incorporating vegan and vegetarian options into your pizza and pinsa offerings?
Mauro Parretti: With the increasing popularity of plant-based diets, we are also incorporating vegan and vegetarian options into our products. Our pizzas and pinsas often feature a variety of vegetable toppings that are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. These options include mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, spinach, tomatoes, olives, and more. These toppings are combined creatively to provide a flavorful and colorful experience matching the flavors of our home-made tomato sauces. To cater to the demand for vegan or vegetarian options that mimic the taste and texture of meat, we experiment with plant-based meat substitutes as toppings such as jackfruit “pulled pork” as alternatives to traditional meat toppings.
FFE: What steps are you taking to reduce the environmental impact of your manufacturing processes and packaging?
Mauro Parretti: We are prioritizing sustainable sourcing of ingredients like organic ingredients, supporting local and regional suppliers, and ensuring responsible agricultural practices. Sustainable sourcing helps reduce the environmental impact associated with farming practices, such as pesticide use and
deforestation. We are also implementing energy-efficient practices within our manufacturing processes. This involves investing in energy-efficient equipment, optimizing production lines, and using renewable energy sources where possible. By reducing energy consumption, we are lowering our carbon footprint. We are also working to minimize waste throughout the production process implementing waste management systems and we are implementing the use of recycled cardboard and plastic.
FFE: Please list new product launches or innovations.
Mauro Parretti: Our new products include the “Sottile” line that is the result of months of research and experimentation on a thinner and crunchier pizza crust. We wanted to achieve an interesting result from a tasting point of view, making the toppings protagonists and pairing them with a super fragrant and tasting base. We have decided to start this new product line with toppings that really boost the flavor of the ingredients and that match perfectly with the crunchy crust! On top of the list, we have the “4 formaggi” with a perfect combination of mozzarella and other three cheeses such as Edamer, Emmental, and Gorgonzola. In the Sottile line we also have a veggie pizza and a classic salami pizza. The line is completed for the moment by the ham and mushroom, but we are still developing new recipes to be added soon!
FFE: Are there any new markets or customer clusters that you are targeting with your frozen pizza products? If so, how are you tailoring your products and marketing strategies to reach these groups?
Mauro Parretti: Now our products are distributed in more than 55 countries all over the world, and we are working to expand our products even more. We would like to be able to assert ourselves in a more important way in the northern European market and deeply experience all the possibilities that we are seeing in the Middle East. For this specific market where we are already developing recipes and distributing products, but we would love to maximize our presence in the local supermarket. A similar concept applies for the Far East Market and for all those countries that are expressing interest in the frozen market possibilities.
Michela Guarnieri, Export Sales Representative, Matteo Srl
FFE: What recent trends in the frozen food industry have you noticed and how have they impacted your products manufacturing?
Michela Guarnieri: The trends we have seen in the pizza market are the research of the customer for crispiness and lightness in the base and in Matteo Srl we believe that the Pizza Romana is the perfect product to match the new trends, due to the high hydration of the product, the double fermentation, and hand stretch process. Matteo Srl keeps an eye on the continuous requests from the market and always develops new handcrafted products that are able to satisfy those requests.
FFE: How do you approach product development to stay ahead of the competition and meet the evolving tastes of consumers when it comes to toppings?
Michela Guarnieri: We have a double way to research and develop new products: one is internal and is focused in finding new trends from the market by applying them on our products and processes, while the second one comes directly from the market through the long relationship we have with our customers and new requests coming from them, that lead us to discover new tastes and evaluate new product, also including using raw materials that are not commonly used. This is a challenge that our company meets without worries and in complete transparency.
FFE: How do you ensure that your products are of high quality and meet the expectations of customers who are increasingly looking for healthier and more natural options?
Michela Guarnieri: The high quality of our products is granted by our international standard BRC and IFS that have become, for quite a while now, a norm for us. During the R&D process our team also looks for healthier raw materials, so that we are able to bring forward special projects based on finding the best way to balance good taste with healthier products. This is also possible because we have selected our suppliers with accuracy. Our customers can always find an open channel with us, exploring the artisanality of our products but including something tailor-made for them.
FFE: With the rise of plant-based diets, how are you incorporating vegan and vegetarian options into your pizza and focaccia offerings?
Michela Guarnieri: We believe both the vegan and vegetarian will increase as new trends; the vegetarian one has similarities to Mediterranean ingredients and is closer to our eating. That’s why our Focaccia Romana, due to the raw materials used, is already a vegetarian product really well appreciated by customers which have taken it in their diets as a vegetarian meal. The vegan offer is still a work in progress, in order to find good raw material and ingredients for a good quality proposal. We faced this trend doing some tests with vegan products and found something really interesting, so hopefully it will soon become a reality for all.
FFE: What steps are you taking to reduce the environmental impact of your manufacturing processes and packaging?
Michela Guarnieri: One of the major steps that our company is taking is installing photovoltaic panels on our factory, we have started this project months ago and hopefully we will be able to start using solar energy soon. We have also taken steps to reduce all the excess material, changing the boxes, without impacting the quantities contained and the size of the plastic bags, which were often exceeded, to better optimize the spaces and reduce the extra packaging material. The new goal 2023 of our team is also researching suppliers that are able to provide us with organic single packaging that follows BRC & IFS standard to be inserted in our supply chain.
FFE: Please list new product launches or innovations.
Michela Guarnieri: We have included pizza in our range of products, which is big news for our company. It’s made with the dough of our Focaccia Romana, and this comes in two different shapes, rectangular pizza in different sizes or the round one. We have also developed a high-end version of it, a round pizza, available in different flavors like margherita, ham, pepperoni, and red cheese, with a higher level of baking that gives the final customer the possibility to have the products ready in just a few minutes from frozen. This is perfect for those that have a short time available for baking or for using the oven.
FFE: Are there any new markets or customer clusters that you are targeting for Matteo’s frozen products? If so, how are you tailoring your products and marketing strategies to reach these groups?
Michela Guarnieri: Matteo srl and its team is well-known for flexibility, reactivity, the skills acquired over the years, and customer loyalty. These peculiarities combined with the possibility of being able to almost always do what the customer asks in terms of formats and weights, always focusing on quality and differentiation with respect to the market, makes us “unique”. Our target is only the “happy customer”, so we work hard to reach him.
Giuseppe Lombardi, Head of the Foreign Trade Office, Mediterranea Quality Food Srl
FFE: What recent trends in the frozen food industry have you noticed and how have they impacted your manufacturing?
Giuseppe Lombardi: The world of frozen food is constantly evolving. There is no particular trend to follow, there is constant attention to what is offered. The goal that we at Laltrapizza have is to offer the consumer a product of high quality. The importance of frozen is well known, the growth trend tells us that from the time of the COVID-19 pandemic onwards the consumer preferred to buy mostly frozen products. In this form, the product is received correctly, more easily stored and it also retains the original organoleptic qualities, which is very important. That’s why at Laltrapizza we keep constant interest in the frozen topic.
FFE: How do you approach product development to stay ahead of the competition and meet the evolving tastes of consumers when it comes to toppings?
Giuseppe Lombardi: At Laltrapizza we offer innovative solutions to our partners. Innovations that concern above all the way of storing goods, as we offer a shelf life of 15 months on our products. We produce pizza bases and pinsa white, giving the consumers the opportunity to season their pinsa with the condiment they desire. Producing for both the Horeca and retail channels means we offer this opportunity to both restaurateurs and families. The freedom to prepare a pizza or pinsa as you want is a choice that customers appreciate. This allows those who use pinsa bases to be able to work their magic.
FFE: How do you ensure that Laltrapizza products are of high quality and meet the expectations of customers who are increasingly looking for healthier and more natural options?
Giuseppe Lombardi: The quality of our products is certified first using raw materials, all strictly of Italian origin. The wheat for the flour used follows the strict selection processes that we at Laltrapizza impose on ourselves. Olive oil comes from the regions of Southern Italy, known as a quality product. In addition, our products are entirely hand-laid by our master pizza makers and processed in Italy. Our attention then continues through out the production chain from packaging to final delivery. Everything is done to provide an excellent product.
FFE: With the rise of plant-based diets, how are you incorporating vegan and vegetarian options into Laltrapizza pizza – pinsa offerings?
Giuseppe Lombardi: As I said, the quality of the product is a mantra for us. Using only natural products, we can offer those who observe vegan or vegetarian diets the opportunity to include our products in those diets. The needs of our customers change, and we are always ready to listen to them. We care about all categories of people, in fact, in our line of products we also think of people that are intolerant to gluten as we also have, in our portfolio, gluten-free products.
FFE: What steps are you taking to reduce the environmental impact of your manufacturing processes and packaging?
Giuseppe Lombardi: As for the energy aspect, we rely on everything that the market offers for savings and reducing our environmental impact. Our machines are powered by energy supplied by companies that guarantee a good part of green production. Laltrapizza has always been sensitive about this topic. For packaging, we will soon be using, by the end of this summer, a new recyclable material that will have a much lower impact on the environment.
FFE: Please list new product launches or innovations.
Giuseppe Lombardi: At TUTTOFOOD in Milan we presented three new products in our line. Pinsotto, which is a classic Italian sandwich with a peculiarity, is made from the dough of pinsa. 120 grams of soft bread inside and crunchy outside. Then we presented the focaccia in its two versions, classic with flour type 1 and multi-cereal. The soft and tasty focaccia that we all know can also be used as a bread substitute. The peculiarity of this product is that it can be used even without heating it in the oven.
FFE: Are there any new markets or customer clusters that you are targeting with your frozen pizza – pinsa products? If so, how are you tailoring your products and marketing strategies to reach these groups?
Giuseppe Lombardi: Laltrapizza is present with its pinsa bases and pizza in Europe, Canada, the US, South Korea, and many other countries. The excellent results push us to do more. In fact, we find the Middle Eastern markets interesting. Our strong point is that we offer a quality product that can be at the same time suitable for these markets, as among other things we have Kosher and Halal certifications. Moreover, commercial communication is different, and we try to conform. Markets are constantly changing, and we must keep up to date, and we do that by using local human resources.