Hormel Foods Corporation, the maker of America’s best-selling retail pepperoni and a global leader in the foodservice pizza toppings market, shares the latest, hot-off-the-oven pizza topping trends. Hormel Foods brand managers Kyle Flottman and Colby Strilaeff, and experts in the pizza-toppings business, have identified the top pizza topping trends from the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, according to a company release.
A rise of regional flavors and culinary travel. Thai, Vietnamese and Mexican flavors are the fastest-growing international flavors in pizza, Flottman explains. Burke Corporation, a Hormel Foods subsidiary in Iowa, has introduced a new line of Mexican-inspired toppings to help elevate foodservice operators’ menus.
Cupping sausage. With the popularity of cupping pepperoni or rounds with edges that curl toward the heat source, the company has recently expanded its “cupping” offering to include its new Fontanini cup-and-char sausage. Strilaeff says it goes perfectly with the company’s Rosa Grande pepperoni on any style of pizza.
Spicy and complex flavors. Consumers want bold and intense flavors on their pizza pies, with chili-dog pizza and Thai curry chicken pizza being unlikely but popular matchups, Flottman suggests.
Cup-and-char pepperoni post-bake. Trending on social media, thanks to Vincent Rotolo from Good Pie in Las Vegas, who started a buzz after loading on a pound of pepperoni to the restaurant’s signature “Triple Pep” pizza. This technique involves cooking half of the pepperoni in a pan and then placing it on top of the finished pizza.
Non-traditional ingredients. Unique and slightly quirky flavors including a pickle pizza paired with ranch dressing, have been growing in popularity, the experts say.
Hormel Foods aims to create innovative and delicious products for foodservice providers and retailers, including its famous signature toppings, says the release. For more information about Hormel and the company’s pizza toppings, visit their website.
