Brazi Bites has launched Pizza’nadas, an extension of the Portland, Oregon, USA-based company’s Empanadas line of frozen appetizers, snacks and finger food specialty products.
The latest offering features a Brazilian cheese bread base made from clean ingredients including tapioca flour, eggs, cheese and milk, stuffed with mozzarella, uncured pepperoni and tomato sauce. Pizza’nadas can be ready to serve in a matter of minutes after being heated up straight from the freezer to an air fryer or oven.
Frozen foods are a “pandemic powerhouse,” growing 21% last year to $65.1 billion in retail sales, according to a report from the American Frozen Food Institute. Brazi Bites’ Pizza’nadas launching this month, offer a twist on America’s favorite pizza bite in a deliciously convenient, better-for-you, naturally gluten-free option that has strong mass appeal.
“As we watched the frozen and nostalgic categories catapult over the past year, it became clear that there was a huge opportunity for us to capitalize on a white space in the market by creating the perfect better-for-you, gluten- and grain-free product to bring the two categories together,” said Junea Rocha, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Brazi Bites. “Shoppers are actively searching for a gluten-free pepperoni pizza bite alternative that actually tastes good and is made with clean ingredients. In fact, a pizza bite option was the number one requested product by our consumers over the past 18 months.”
She continued: “We took the idea straight to R&D, combining fresh mozzarella cheese, uncured pepperoni, and tomato sauce for the inside, wrapping it in our crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside Brazilian Cheese Bread, to create a delicious, naturally gluten-free option.”
Bringing a Latin-inspired twist to an American favorite snack, Brazi Bites Pizza’nadas are certified gluten-free and only use hand-selected ingredients with absolutely nothing artificial.
Brazi Bites Pizza’nadas have an MSRP of $5.99, and are now available at Wegmans, New Seasons, Lidl, and select Safeway locations. Additionally, the company’s core line of Brazilian Cheese Bread and Empanadas are listed at more than 15,000 natural and conventional stores nationwide including Whole Foods Market, Target, Costco, Publix, Kroger and Sprouts. The brand also launched a line of Homestyle Breakfast Sandwiches Spring 2021, available at select Target locations.
