It reached 1,000 stores, including Albertsons/Safeway in June, and took the top spot as Amazon’s best-selling frozen pizza for the grocery and gourmet food category this summer (it currently sits in sixth place, after five different SKUs by Real Good Foods).
Recently, the company announced that by the end of October, Caulipower frozen pizza crusts will be available in regional stores such as Fresh Thyme, HEB, Hy-Vee, Jewel Osco, and Meijer, as well as national chains like Walmart and Kroger.
Its expansion in a diversity of channels, from natural to specialty to big box, is a testament to increasing mainstream consumer enthusiasm for vegetable substitutes of products typically made of grains.
Drawn to nutrition and story
“People’s positive reaction to Caulipower has been incredibly humbling,” said Gail Becker, CEO & founder of Caulipower. “All we did was listen to what people wanted. They wanted a healthier, tastier version of one of their favorite foods without the time and hassle. So we made one.”
According to the company, using cauliflower instead of wheat means the pizza crust has less sugar and sodium but more fiber compared to traditional crusts.
In addition to its nutrition profile, Becker, a mother of children with celiac disease, told FoodNavigator-USA that she thinks a big draw to the product is the story behind it. “People gravitated to the story of a mom who began the business because she became frustrated with the options she could feed her kids. The overwhelming support from fans has been a key driver.”
What’s next for the company? Becker said that it hopes to expand beyond pizza crust and create other products with cauliflower at center stage. It’s not a pizza crust brand, she said, “Caulipower is a vegetable-based food brand and we are looking to expand our better-for-you options in the future.”