The exclusive license holder for a frozen, filled pizza "cone,"Cono Italiano, Inc., Red Bank, N.J.,  said it hiredInterstate Caterers Inc., South Plainfield, N.J., to produce the item.

"We have a high level of confidence that Interstate will manufacture Cono Italiano's product with the highest level of integrity and efficiency," said Mitchell Brown, CEO, Cono Italiano. "They will not only serve as a manufacturer, but a useful asset in marketing and distributing our product."

Brown said Cono Italiano will provide Interstate Caterers with a fully automated filling line to produce up to 1,600 filled cones per hour. The "pizza cone" fillings will include breakfast and snack fillings in addition to the traditional pizza filling creating a diverse selection of different pizza cone options for various times of the day.

Officials said Interstate Caterers also will help Cono Italiano expand its product line. Officials said the new pizza cones will be available for sale to Interstate Caterer's current customers, which include their mobile catering client base, vending and consignment program with convenient stores located at major gas stations.

Interstate Caterers serves the New York tri-state area. Officials say Interstate's commissary processes a range of refrigerated foods. The company also wholesales and distributes snacks, baked products, paper, beverages, dairy, frozen, fresh and prepared foods

Cono Italiano, Inc. owns the North American distribution and manufacturing rights for Pizza Cono. Officials say the Pizza Cone is designed to be a drip free, spill free cone-shaped pizza made of proprietary dough and filled with freshly selected ingredients. The Company intends that the Pizza Cone will be distributed through the fast food market. The Pizza Cone will be distributed to quick-service restaurants (QSR), takeaways, and leisure locations.