Brakes is launching the Pizzini, a nutritionally compliant grab and go cheese and tomato pizza concept, into schools across the UK early next year following huge success in Scotland since it launched in early 2013. A new cheese and ham variant is also set to launch.
Encouraging pupils to eat in school
Brakes developed the Pizzini concept in partnership with Cosmo’s Pizzas, a small and medium enterprise (SME) based in Bonnyrigg, Scotland, with input from South Lanarkshire and Glasgow City Councils. Designed to encourage pupils to eat in school instead of visiting local fast food outlets, the Pizzini has been a big hit with both school children and caterers, with Brakes now selling around 6,000 cases every month.
Quick and simple to prepare
The Pizzini has a wholemeal base and provides caterers with a healthier version of a classic pupil favourite that is also quick and simple to prepare and serve. It can be press grilled or oven-cooked to ease operational pressures and because it is a grab and go concept it helps to reduce queues.
Branded Pizzini takeaway bags and posters advertising the range are supplied free of charge to ensure the perfect serve and drive awareness of the product.
Joint Business Approach
The partnership is an example of Brakes Joint Business Approach, which has been created to support Scottish Government’s efforts to promote local products and SMEs. Although Brakes purchase in the region of £60m of produce from Scottish manufacturers there has been a limited amount of Scottish products being purchased by school authorities. The new partnership approach helps to identify suitable suppliers and ensures that they are able to meet the required supply chain criteria, enabling them to sell to the public sector.
Wayne Tessier, Brakes Business Unit Director for schools, says: “The Joint Business Approach ensures we can work closely with customers and local suppliers wherever possible to develop solutions that meet their needs and the Pizzini is the perfect example of what can be achieved.
“It’s a virtuous circle: the supplier is given a route to market for a product that meets the operational needs of caterers, the product helps to drive school meal uptake and encourages pupils to eat a healthier alternative to the fast food that they might be eating off-site. Caterers are happy, pupils are happy and so is our supply partner. We expect to see a similar level of success now the product has launched to the rest of the UK.”
Overwhelming feedback
Cosmo Tamburro, Managing Director of Cosmo’s Pizzas, said: “We’re delighted with the success of the Pizzini, we were confident that it would be well received but the feedback from caterers and pupils has been overwhelming. We have a twitter feed on our website and we’re inundated with positive comments from pupils who enjoy the Pizzini. Hopefully it is going to be just as popular with school pupils outside Scotland.”