“We always want to be driving the conversation on pizza toppings,” said Colby Strilaeff, Foodservice brand manager at Hormel Foods. “Greg reached out, and it was a great idea. His thinking was right in line with ours at the time, and I think that this sort of synergy across the company is testament to the culture of innovation we have here at Hormel Foods. To maintain our status as an industry leader, we have to innovate, and that starts with each and every one of our valued team members.”
Shredded pepperoni is indeed popular in many parts of Canada, but the application is still largely unpracticed in the United States. In that void, the Foodservice team at Hormel Foods sensed an opportunity for innovation.
The new product not only solved the key pain-points for operators. It was also unique in the marketplace.
“There’s nothing else like it in the market,” Strilaeff said. “The versatility of this product is what makes it such a win for foodservice operators. Ribbon Pepperoni is a timesaver and a game-changer.”
Within a few weeks of the initial sampling, HORMEL® Ribbon Pepperoni was already on Harris’ menu as part of the all-new “Torres Triple Pepperoni Pizza,” a feast of three HORMEL® pepperoni varieties on top of a traditional Casey’s pie, with hot honey sauce drizzled over the top. The specialty pizza is already popular, Harris said. The entrée’s name even pays homage to the Hormel Foods account executive who inspired the idea.
“Steven (Torres) says, hey you could put all three pepperoni varieties on there and can call it the ‘triple hot’ pizza or something like that, and I thought, hey that’s a good idea,” Harris said. “So we were like, hey we’ll give him a shoutout.”
The “Torres Triple Pepperoni Pizza” may be the first option on Harris’ menu to include ribbon pepperoni, but it may not be the last, as Harris also recognizes the non-pizza potential of the product. Beyond pizza, his restaurant also offers options like subs, wraps, pastas and salads.
“For certain dishes,” Harris said, “it would be a nice thing just to throw on that ribbon pepperoni and let it spread out nicely, versus having to count out 10 or 12 slices of pepperoni and place them all individually. You could just spread it and go. I like the sound of that.”
“It was the talk of the show,” Strilaeff said. “Ribbon Pepperoni is unlike anything else out there, and I think that’s what led to the buzz around our booth. People wanted to get a look at it and try it for themselves.”
Hormel Foods has a history of showcasing exciting new products at Pizza Expo. In 2023, FONTANINI® Cup & Char Sausage and ROSA GRANDE® Cup & Crisp Pepperoni were both a big hit at the Hormel Foods booth. This year, the makers of HORMEL® Ribbon Pepperoni continued the company’s legacy of success at the famous pizza trade show with another bonafide winner.
“Introducing new products has been a winning strategy for us at the show,” Strilaeff said. “We certainly experienced that last year, and this year the response to Ribbon Pepperoni was huge. People attending the Pizza Expo just know they’re going to see something new and exciting at the Hormel Foods booth every year, and we take pride in delivering those experiences for people.”
