Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Learn how this frozen pizza manufacturer continues to innovate yet still maintain quality and operational excellence.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Learn how this frozen pizza manufacturer continues to innovate yet still maintain quality and operational excellence.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
In 1954, Gaspare (Jack) Fallucca and his wife, Providenza (Zina), immigrated to the United States, bringing with them cherished family recipes and the Italian tradition of family and food.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Palermo’s 250,000-square-foot, BRC Grade A facility features state-of-the-art equipment and on-site bakeries that produce best-in-class crusts.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
(Seated left to right) Angelo Fallucca, chief operating officer; Giacomo Fallucca, president and CEO; Laurie Fallucca, chief creative officer. (Standing left to right) Robert Arne, chief financial officer; Milt Fuehrer, executive vice president of operations; Tom Smith, vice president of human resources; Nick Fallucca, vice president of marketing and R&D; Woodie Adkins, board member; Peter Cokinos, executive vice president of sales. Not pictured: Don Ostergren, executive vice president of sales.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
To make a “big” footprint in the frozen pizza category, Palermo’s collaborated with Walmart to introduce Sasquatch Pizza Co.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
The Screamin’ Sicilian brand was designed to reignite Millennial interest in the frozen pizza
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Palermo’s Urban Pie brand is a line of pizza that reflects a fusion of contemporary flavors.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Photo courtesy of Palermo Villa Inc.
Gaspare (Jack) Fallucca, founder of Palermo’s, stands proud with his three sons, Giacomo, Peter and Angelo. Today, all three sons are involved in the business.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
In 1964, owner Gaspare (Jack) and his wife Providenza (Zina) opened an Italian bakery on Milwaukee’s east side, selling Italian bread, cookies and cannoli. They then acquired the hardware store next door and expanded the lot into a pizzeria named Palermo Villa.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
The owner’s sons, Peter, Angelo and Giacomo Fallucca, sit outside the family restaurant in 1974, which today has evolved into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and encompasses Pizzeria 3301, Palermo’s on-site pizzeria.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
From the pre-melter, the pizzas convey into the spiral freezer for about 20 minutes at -20°F, in which they are frozen solid, before entering the packaging room on the other side.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Pizza crusts enter the spiral freezer, where they are quickly frozen. Palermo’s Milwaukee, Wis., facility can produce up to 6,000 crusts an hour.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Dough bakes in a stone-hearth oven for 60 seconds at 550°F, resulting in a par-baked crust.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Here, a line operator conducts quality control by ensuring that each pizza crust receives a consistent amount of sauce.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Dough balls travel from the proofer into a cross-sheeted system, which is a cookie cutter-like machine that cuts and shapes the dough.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Frozen pizzas travel in a single file into a 250-foot-long packaging line situated on the other side of the freezer.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
(Seated left to right) Jim Auerbach, controller; Jim Koepke, senior materials and logistics manager; Amanda Plato, specification coordinator; Ginny Coulthard, head of stage gate commercialization and strategic initiatives; Larry Ortega, hearth lead B SME; Shantella Taylor, quality assurance auditor; Chad Larson, plant manager; Landon Terry, manager of R&D; John Buchman, manager of corporate quality; Lance Garceau, director of human resources; Leah Price, warehouse associate; Holly Opatz, quality and food safety coordinator; Abbe Obrecht, continuous improvement manager; and Dustin Dragotta, project engineer. (Standing left to right) Tim Holzman, senior director of sales warehouse; Mike Pytlinski, senior brand director; Shannon Petravich, manager of shift operations; Isamir Reyes, processing lead B; Ricardo Diaz, packing operator B; Jose Aviles Hernandez, bakery operator B; and Lando Hammond, operations scanner.
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Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Rough-chopped pepperoni conveys up to the applicator.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Sensors keep the dough in alignment and determine the shape of the crust.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
After the dough is docked and hole punched, the machine applies a bit of oil on the surface to help it breathe and expand.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Here, a flow wrapper overwraps the pizzas with plastic wrap that shrinks with heat to keep toppings in place and preserve freshness.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
After assembly, pizzas travel along a pre-melter, which slightly melts the product to bind together the cheeses and meats before entering the freezer.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Pizzas are automatically packed into a carton and then put into master cases.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
The 4-vault carousel proofer proofs 1,200 dough balls at once through a 16-minute cycle.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Palermo’s practices a safety-first culture that involves safety and quality training, on-site medical professionals, a workplace stretching program and more.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Pizzas travel along a conveyor, where excess toppings like mozzarella cheese are recirculated to be used on another pizza.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
The sauce spouts, which look like free fall-style shower heads, deposit sauce at the appropriate times according to the sensors.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Before entering the freezer, some pizzas receive a water mist to help hold the toppings together.
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Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Palermo’s two on-site bakeries produce the pizza crusts for its Palermo’s, Screamin’ Sicilian and Pmo’s brands.
Palermo Villa, Inc., 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year
Palermo’s 25,000-square-foot freezer is home to 2,600 pallet positions. The company’s warehouse ships out product 24 hours a day.