Richelieu Foods
“ We ’ ll be starting with flour at one end of the line , and literally palletizing a complete pizza at the other ,” Brian says . “ We ’ ve previously purchased our rising crust products from a third party that has been an excellent supplier to Richelieu . They make high-quality products , but we feel like this is a category in which we can create some differentiation , and the added capacity is a huge bonus . Working in the private label sector , innovation is a big part of our dayto-day , and is generally fun and challenging as it comes from two different angles .
“ Firstly , we have our excellent internal team that develops new creative items and recipes , but then we also receive requests from our industrial , retail and food service customers with ideas of their own . The private label business is heavily focused on customization and clients will often want to tweak our suggestions , based on their knowledge of the sectors that they serve . They are the ones who truly know their customers and may either want to dial things back to suit a more valueoriented demographic or perhaps upscale them for a more premium-driven product . Either way , it creates an incredibly dynamic environment for product development .
“ Not so long ago , our team of five developers partnered with our crust supplier to come up with a focaccia-style base for a pizza . Nobody was really making anything like that , and it tastes great , but we immediately knew that it wasn ’ t going to sell through every retailer , so it was something that we positioned towards customers that serve a premium demographic . Due to the maturity of its category , we don ’ t experience the same dynamism when it comes to the condiments side , although the trend toward spicier products has continued to grow . Many people already have a stable base of condiments
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