Company: Hormel Foods

Website: hormelfoods.com

Introduced: September 2020

Distribution: National

Product Snapshot: Hormel Foods, the makers of Hormel Pepperoni, America's No. 1 selling pepperoni brand* and the maker of the Happy Little Plants products, are introducing new Happy Little Plants pepperoni-style topping at select Papa Murphy's locations across the country.

"Chefs and restaurateurs are very aware of today's dynamic food landscape and consumers' desire to add more plant-based foods to their diets, and we are very excited to bring this great-tasting, plant-based option to our partners at Papa Murphy's," said Anthony Panichelli, foodservice pizza toppings brand manager at Hormel Foods. "The new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping was developed with foodservice operators to ensure pizzeria-level taste, convenience and quality, so much so, that many people may have a hard time tasting the difference between Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping and traditional pepperoni. Our team worked closely with pizzerias, chefs, foodservice operators and pizza experts to develop a plant-based pepperoni style topping that cooks and tastes exactly like traditional pepperoni."

The Happy Little Plants brand was introduced by Hormel Foods in 2019 and celebrates the power of plant protein while offering a great tasting solution for people looking to add more plant-based food into their diet.

The new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping will be making its debut at select Papa Murphy's locations this month in Austin, Dallas, Duluth, Fargo, and Las Vegas. 

"We know our customers are looking for plant-based options to shake up their normal pizza routine and incorporating the benefits of plant-based foods into meals they're familiar with," said Kim McBee, senior vice president, customer experience and brand marketing at Papa Murphy's. "The new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping is perfect for our Cowboy pizza or as a switch to our traditional pepperoni pizzas."

"We are excited for people to try our game-changing Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping and our other plant-based pizza toppings," said Robbie Koons, Happy Little Plants brand manager. "For anyone that wants to add more plant-based foods to their diet, our new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping is the perfect addition to any pizza at Papa Murphy's. Made with the same spice blend as our beloved traditional Hormel pepperoni, it's a quick, easy and delicious way to enjoy the great taste and benefits of plants."

*Based on the latest 52 week IRI data