Golden Cannoli
Since Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery magazine named Golden Cannoli its Bakery of the Year in 2013 (see “Craving cannoli?”), the company has tripled its sales numbers. Now the company is striding into new territory by bringing its Original Cannoli Chips to the snack aisle, sold in resealable stand-up pouches, thereby creating an entirely new segment of snacking. For the complete story, see “Golden Cannoli expands into new categories with innovative cannoli products.”
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Golden Cannoli, with headquarters in Chelsea, MA, offers fresh cannoli to retailers and foodservice operators from coast to coast. The bakery also offers cannoli chips, bringing a sweet touch to the snack aisle.
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Golden Cannoli’s founders, Francesco Bono and Angelo Bresciani, traveled from their home in Italy to Argentina—and eventually to the U.S. in the 1960s—with a plan to learn English, start a business and live the American dream. By 1970, they were running two Italian bakeries and selling their cannoli to other local Boston-area bakeries and restaurants. The demand for their cannoli shells was so great that they started Golden Cannoli Shells Company.
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While Golden Cannoli basically sells two different products—cannoli shells/kits and cannoli chips—those two product areas comprise a wide variety of options. “Supermarket buyers and restaurant owners and chains are always looking for innovation,” says Valerie Bono, owner and chief sales and marketing officer. “They’re always looking for not only quality products at a reasonable price, but they’re looking for a company that can take a call from them and say, ‘We want a cannoli, but we want it just a little different,’” she says, such as a different size, shape or flavor.
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The production space for Golden Cannoli is 25,000 square feet, with seven lines and over 70 employees.
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A strong percentage of Golden Cannoli’s business goes to retailers and foodservice operators who receive shells and pastry cream to fill the cannoli as needed based on customer demand.
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Quality control is central to the success of Golden Cannoli’s traditional cannoli products. Artisan sensibility comes through in the manufacturing process, as all cannoli shells are still hand-rolled onto cylinders before frying. And the company has such strong faith in its signature packaging process that it guarantees zero breakage for every order.
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“The commitment to our mission of creating a mutually beneficial relationship between our customers, suppliers, team members and our community has positioned us as a premier manufacturer of gourmet desserts nationwide,” says Valerie Bono, owner and chief sales and marketing officer. All products are trans-fat-free, natural and kosher, completely lacking preservatives and artificial flavors.
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Cannoli Chips, sold in the snack aisle in resealable, stand-up pouch packages, are the latest addition to the Golden Cannoli lineup. Brendan Rigby, research and development, believes that the time is right for a stronger diversity of cannoli products. “I feel like the entire food industry is in a bit of a renaissance period, where food manufacturing companies, product developers and consumers are really starting to learn more about the science of food and question previously accepted wisdom,” he says. “I think as a society we feel more empowered than ever before to experiment with new ingredients, flavors, cuisines and cooking methods. I think we’re in the right place at the right time to make beautiful new products.”
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For a few years, Golden Cannoli had been successfully selling its Cannoli Chips in the in-store bakery, packaged with traditional cannoli filling as a dip, often with store branding. But selling the product in traditional chip packaging is a game-changer. “You put them in a bag, and it’s like you’ve just cracked the code of cannoli silence,” says Valerie Bono, owner and chief sales and marketing officer. “Now we have buyers calling from all over the world.”
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Original Cannoli Chips, available in Powdered Sugar, Cinnamon & Sugar and Cookies & Cream, are hitting the snack aisle this August and September as part of a national rollout. The products were named as a finalist in the Most Innovative New Products awards at the 2016 Sweets & Snacks Expo.