Instore - July 2018 - 36

CATEGORY SPOTLIGHT

Pizza ingredients
by Andy Nelson

s consumers demand more from the
ready-to-eat and heat-and-eat pizzas
they buy from the prepared foods sections
of their local grocery store - more quality,
more variety, more health-conscious, more
transparency - ingredient suppliers are
there to meet the need for retailers and the
commissaries and central kitchens that supply them.

Cheeses move beyond
commodity-grade
Several cheeses made at Fairfield, New Jersey-based Schuman Cheese's Turtle Lake,
Wisconsin, facility are a good fit for commissaries, central kitchens and instore kitchens
looking to enhance their retail pizza programs with specialty cheeses, says Allison
Schuman, the company's sales director and
a fourth-generation family member.
"Our Italian-style fontal, signature Copper
Kettle parmesan, hand-crafted asiago and
traditional romano all work nicely as pizza
ingredients," Schuman says. "We've also

Higher consumer expectations are driving
demand for better pizzas. Photo: Schuman Cheese

36 * JULY 2018 * commissary INSIDER

seen a large uptick in more specialty ingredients being used in pizza, and that includes
cheeses that may not be as traditional but
are incredibly delicious, like gorgonzola and
mascarpone."
In addition, many of the specialty cheeses
Schuman Cheese imports from Europe -
Taleggio, for example - are also perfect
for pizza, Schuman says. And the company
works closely with chefs to create custom
shredded cheese blends that serve as a base
or enhancement for a wide range of preparations, including pizza.
One of the things that separates Schuman
Cheese from other companies that supply
commissaries, central kitchens and instore
kitchens with cheese for pizza is its use of
high-end cheeses, which dovetails nicely,
Schuman says, with changing consumer expectations.
"Typically, the pizza market has relied on
commodity cheeses such as industrial mozzarella and parmesan that can be manufactured in high volumes with a lot of uniformity," she says. "These days, with a growing
demand for high-quality ingredients and a
more inventive approach by restaurants and
retailers, they're focusing on purchasing
specialty items and creating new flavor profiles for pizza."

More pizza makers are turning to specialty
cheeses to help stand out. Photo: Schuman Cheese

As grocery instore has upgraded to include
Neapolitan and other, more artisan pizza options, Green Bay, Wisconsin-based BelGioioso Cheese Inc. has been there to meet the
demand, says Oscar Villarreal, the company's vice president of marketing. Provolone,
parmesan, romano, asiano, fontina and of
course fresh mozzarella are among the BelGioioso options for pies marketed instore.

That, Schuman says, is Schuman Cheese's
"sweet spot" - the company prides itself
on producing award-winning, high-quality
cheese at a scale that's economically appealing for the market. And more and more pizza
makers seem to be getting that message.

"As Neapolitan pizza's popularity has grown,
fresh mozzarella has become a staple for retailers," Villarreal says. "Other types of pizzas are also gaining a following across the
country. Roman style 'Pizza al Taglio' is now
of interest. They use a specialty whole milk
mozzarella that BelGioioso has developed
along with the pizzaioli (pizza makers) specializing in these types of pizzas."

"Pizza is very much a growing category,"
Schuman says. "That's partly due to the
number of specialty pizza chains coming
into the market that are focusing on quality over quantity and pushing the envelope
of the traditional pizza. We have the benefit
of being able to answer the demand for exceptional traditional cheeses, and also contribute some of those specialty flavors that
make a really terrific gourmet pizza."

For BelGioioso, the formula for repeat business in the pizza category is pretty simple,
Villarreal says. "Quality separates us from
other suppliers," he says. "We focus on quality ingredients and producing a consistent
cheese and do not cut corners to reduce
costs. We have one recipe for each of our
cheeses, and it's the same quality they would
get when buying bulk presentations for pizza ingredients."

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