Baking & Snack - October 2015 - 40

PIZZA

a trend in the pizza aisle," he continued. "It's not directed
toward healthy but what millennials looking for."
This means swapping out mozzarella with goat cheese
and casting sriracha as a viable topping. It also means
looking outside of pizza's native Italy for inspiration.
"Pizzas made from the traditional tomato-andmozzarella foundation are giving way to more complex
Mediterranean, Latin and Asian flavors, like tapenade,
aioli and Thai prepared on non-traditional bases such
as flatbreads, thin crusts, naan and other ethnic breads,"
Ms. Reeves-Collins said.
Variety and global/ethnic inspirations are dominating
the pizza industry as exhibited by Pizza Hut, Wichita,
KS, and a part of Yum! Brands, which just last year overhauled its menu in order to grab these trends by the
horns. The pizza chain expanded its crust choices from
one to 10, including salted pretzel and honey sriracha;
one sauce choice to six; and zero premium toppings to
five, including Peruvian cherry peppers. Pizza Hut also

Consumers willing to try new regional or themed pizzas
Age range
18 to 24 ............................................................................... 34%
25 to 34 ............................................................................... 38%
35 to 55 ............................................................................... 30%
45 to 54 ............................................................................... 20%
55+ ...................................................................................... 12%
Total .................................................................................... 25%
599 consumers aged 18+
2014 The Pizza Consumer Trend Report, Technomic

incorporated sauces such as Buffalo or balsamic vinegar
lightly drizzled on a pizza after it's baked - a symbol of
an upscale, premium product, an attribute that appeals
to consumers today.
"Today's 'next generation' pizza consumer is seeking
a much more upscale, elegant and one-of-a-kind taste
experience, so all these new pizza industry participants
will need to ensure they are able to meet the demand
consistently," Ms. Reeves-Collins said.
The importance of quality rings true in the data as
well. According to Mintel, in April 2014, 41% of survey
respondents said they buy pizzas with naturally rising
crusts; 36% looked for pizzas with hand-tossed crusts;
25% buy craft/artisanal pizzas; and 20% buy pizzas with
toppings they haven't tried before. All of this suggests
that quality is a priority for shoppers when they purchase store-bought pizza.
Those numbers also indicate that the crust is crucial
to purchasing decisions. Pizza manufacturers are finding
value in leveraging this importance with crust innovations. Bakers aren't only getting creative with toppings
but also with types of crusts, whether flavored, woodfired or artisan-style.
"Wood-fired, stone-deck and Neapolitan pizzas are
becoming all the rage again in restaurants," Mr. Charles
said. "That's spurring demand across the channels we
service for similar items."
According to Mr. Mafoud, this can be attributed to
consumers wanting to bring restaurant quality home
during the Great Recession and also to the globalization of popular culture. "In the past 20 years, people
have gotten to know pizza by traveling to New York and
Europe, and now we see more artisan pizzerias and bistros," he said.
To facilitate bringing that pizzeria quality home,
Damascus Bakery introduced Brooklyn Bred, a crusty
fermented pizza base that consumers can purchase to
create their own pizzas at home. "Every pizza starts and
ends with the crust," Mr. Mafoud explained. "Everyone
has ideas about pizza, so we're giving them the most important and difficult component, the crust. The rest is
simple."
The rectangular shape of the crust even facilitates creativity in toppings, he asserted. When confronted with
a round pizza crust, people default to tomato sauce and
mozzarella. When confronted with Damascus Bakery's
rectangular crust, consumers feel free to use their imagination in creating their pizzas.
"They're incorporating their secret recipes," Mr.
Mafoud said. "They're putting duck on it, or eggs.
They're opening cookbooks and turning on the Food
Flatbreads reinvent pizza into an upscale entrée or appetizer.
Damascus Bakery

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