With the popularity of cupping pepperoni reaching an all-time high in the United States, Hormel Foods has introduced yet another cupping item to its portfolio of foodservice products.
Pizza-topping experts Kyle Flottman and Colby Strilaeff, both brand managers at Austin, Minnesota-headquartered Hormel Foods, have spent years working in the pizza toppings business, and after attending the recently held International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas they identified the five key trends to look for in the coming months:
Rise of Culinary Travel and Regional Flavors
“One of the fastest growing trends in pizza is international flavors, with Thai, Vietnamese and Mexican flavors topping that ever-growing list,” Flottman said. From familiar favorites like chorizo to bold flavors like salsa verde and chicken tinga, a new line of Mexican-inspired toppings from Burke Corporation (Nevada, Iowa) — a Hormel Foods subsidiary — is capitalizing on consumer interests and elevating foodservice operators’ menus.
Use of Non-Traditional Ingredients
According to Flottman, plant-based, dairy-free and pickle pizza are just a few variations that have recently been on the rise. Hormel’s Happy Little Plants pepperoni-style topping is promoted as offering the “burst of flavor people love and expect from real meat pepperoni, but with a plant-based spin.”
Pickle pizza, paired by some with ranch dressing, has also been growing in popularity since first going viral in 2018.
Cupping Sausage
With the popularity of cupping pepperoni reaching an all-time high, Hormel has debuted another cupping item to its portfolio of foodservice products.
“We recently launched the new Fontanini cup-and-char sausage at the 2023 International Pizza Expo with great success,” Strilaeff said. “We couldn’t think of a better combination than Rosa Grande pepperoni and Fontanini cup-and-char sausage on any size or style of pizza, including deep dish.”
Spicy and Complex Flavors
Spicy flavors have long been a staple on pizzas. Flottman expects this trend not only to continue, but also to intensify.
“Many consumers tie food choices to self expression,” he said. “They want spicy, complex flavors on their pizza pies. And we’re not just talking sweet and spicy. Consumers are bending the flavor system with some unlikely matchups, such as chili dog pizza and Thai curry chicken pizza.”
Cup-and-Char Pepperoni Post Bake
Whether customers prefer thin, hand-tossed or deep-dish pizza, who doesn’t love piling on the pepperoni? Vincent Rotolo from Good Pie in Las Vegas helped launch this trend on social media by heaping a pound of pepperoni onto the restaurant’s signature “Triple Pep” pizza, a culinary creation that involves cooking half of the pepperoni in a pan and then placing it on top of the finished pizza.
Hormel Foods has been creating innovative ingredients and value added products for foodservice providers and retailers for a long time, and its new Fontanini cup-and-char sausage and signature curl-and-charred Rosa Grande pepperoni are just the latest examples.
