Approximately 25 percent of Marshall, Minn.-based Schwan Food Co.’s 2006 revenues (totaling about $4 billion) came from the company’s hearty foodservice business, according to a report in Twin Cities Business magazine.

Pardon the expression, but frozen pizza - supplied to schools, stadiums and other venues - accounted for a big piece of the pie. In fact, Schwan says it is the largest pizza processor to supply schools in the United States.


 

Approximately 25 percent of Marshall, Minn.-based Schwan Food Co.’s 2006 revenues (totaling about $4 billion) came from the company’s hearty foodservice business, according to a report in Twin Cities Business magazine.

Pardon the expression, but frozen pizza - supplied to schools, stadiums and other venues - accounted for a big piece of the pie. In fact, Schwan says it is the largest pizza processor to supply schools in the United States.

Schwan Pizza Category Director Matt Kush shared the following information about Schwan’s Food Service Inc. (SFSI) pizza business:

- “According to a 2008 Technomic, Chicago, report, pizza category growth in the foodservice industry is expected to remain relatively flat over the next few years. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the pizza category is expected to outpace the growth of several key foodservice segments that SFSI supplies, especially in the college, university and convenience store segments. And although the pizza category is not expected to grow very much over the next few years in the K-12 school segment where SFSI dominates the market, there are definite areas of pizza category growth within the school segment  - and SFSI is driving that growth.”

- “Technomic also reports a continuing trend toward higher quality and more operationally friendly pizza solutions throughout the foodservice industry. More and more discerning operators are choosing to make pizzas with sheeted dough over dough balls or par-baked crusts.

“But the fastest growing category trend in the industry is for operators to utilize fully-topped frozen pizza products  in a wide variety of foodservice venues. Especially with soaring ingredient costs, there is nothing more convenient or consistent for an operator than a fully prepared frozen pizza - these products go directly from the freezer to the oven with little or no preparation, and minimal employee training required.”

- “SFSI introduced fully-topped, frozen, rising crust pizza technology to the industry in 2002. Six years later, SFSI continues its consecutive, year-after-year, double-digit growth with the Freschetta Foodservice pizza line for general foodservice, and Big Daddy’s pizza products for schools.

“In its fifth year in the market, 2007 sales of the Freschetta line exceeded 2006 sales by more than 11 percent. After its third year in the market, Big Daddy’s grew an astounding 68 percent in 2007 over 2006 sales and comprised almost 20 percent of SFSI’s total school pizza sales for 2007. Through the second quarter of 2008, both Freschetta and Big Daddy’s continue their unbelievable growth  exceeding 2007 YTD sales by 37 percent and 44 percent, respectively.”

- “SFSI leads the industry in creating innovative pizza products that meet the strictest nutritional guidelines, while looking and tasting like the pizza kids get from their favorite pizza chain. The latest example of this innovation is the line of Big Daddy’s Harvest pizzas that were developed especially to meet a variety of nutrition standards.

Each product in the line features a rise-in-the-oven crust with whole grains, our zesty Big Daddy’s sauce and a unique balance of quality toppings that meet or exceed nutrition standards without sacrificing the look or taste kids expect. Big Daddy’s Harvest sales are soaring, and show no signs of letting up.”