OETKER RISTORANTE, the UK’s number one thin and crispy pizza brand [1], is excited to announce a new partnership with the nation’s favourite meat-free brand[2], Quorn®, bringing a whole new vegetarian offering to the frozen pizza aisle.

The total frozen pizza market is growing overall at a rate of 4.3% YoY[3], driven by more shoppers entering the market[4]. With pizza satisfying a wide range of occasions, Ristorante targets the couples’ weekday dinner occasion, being a firm favourite with the widest range of varieties of any frozen pizza, and its distinctive thin & crispy crust.

The innovative Quorn® partnership is expected to help drive growth within the pizza category, at a time when more consumers are opting for dietary and lifestyle pizzas, such as gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian, with a 20% increase in spend within this sector YoY3. The range targets the 2.1m[5] meat-free buyers who don’t currently purchase frozen pizza to drive incremental category growth.

As the market leading thin and crispy pizza brand, Dr. Oetker Ristorante prides itself on offering consumers the Italian pizzeria experience from the comfort of their own home. Combining high quality ingredients and a variety of delicious flavour combinations for consumers to explore.

Similarly, Quorn® is recognised as the leading meat free brand within the UK market and globally, having seen its biggest year of growth since it was launched in the UK in 1985 by Marlow Foods with £19m added in sales. Quorn® offers great tasting alternatives to meat, which is better for consumers and the planet. Its current range offers a wide variety of products to suit all tastes – not limited to those choosing a vegetarian diet as meat-free is becoming increasingly relevant to UK consumers with 47% reducing their meat consumption[6].

Both brands are heavyweights within the frozen category and have continued to grow and diversify their offerings to suit customer needs. This latest union promises to satisfy a yet untapped area of the frozen pizza category and deliver a pizza unlike any other.

Jan McKee, Executive Head of Marketing for Dr. Oetker, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with another market-leading brand, Quorn®, to extend our pizza offering and bring delicious alternative vegetarian pizzas to the frozen aisle.

“There is a growing demand for meat-free meal options from consumers, with many opting for meat-reduction diets, whether for health reasons or due to an increased awareness of the environmental impact.

“We believe this unique, first of its kind partnership will bring a new and exciting offering to the frozen pizza category, that will meet consumer needs – delivering on both quality and taste.”

Andy Smith, Business Development Director at Quorn®, commented: “Coming off the back of our most successful year since the brand’s inception, we’re excited to continue into 2019 exploring new avenues, building brand partnerships and food offerings to meet demand and our growing customer need.

“Pizza is a perfect pairing for Quorn®, and something that we are sure our existing customer base will enjoy. We believe Dr. Oetker Ristorante, as a leader within this field, is the right brand to partner with and have been able to produce something that will both excite and delight consumers.”

There are two delicious varieties available, Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza Pesto and Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza Royale, with one thing in common – transforming the traditional frozen meat-free offering in to a must-have home freezer essential.

Ristorante Pizza Pesto: Thin and crispy, Italian-style pizza is deliciously topped with Quorn® Vegetarian Chicken, sliced red onion, sweet peppers and drizzled with a pesto garnish sauce.

Ristorante Pizza Royale is topped with Quorn® Vegetarian Bacon and mushrooms, complemented by a delicate garlic garnish sauce on the signature Ristorante Italian-style thin and crispy base.

The two new varieties help to address different consumer needs, with both Quorn® Vegetarian Chicken Pieces and Quorn® Vegetarian Bacon options available. Ristorante Pizza Pesto is with Quorn® Chicken, one of the most popular Quorn® products. While Ristorante Pizza Royale with Quorn® Bacon targets those vegetarians who typically switch from red meats first.

The new Ristorante Quorn® Pizzas are being launched to extend the existing pizza menu of nine delicious varieties, made using only the finest quality ingredients, and will be available nationally from October.

The launch will be supported with a fully integrated and targeted “Say Hello to Quorn®” marketing campaign, aiming at drive awareness and trial of Dr. Oetker’s new Quorn® topped Ristorante pizzas, together with shopper activation to signpost the range in store.

[1] IRI: 52 wk – 18 Aug 2018

[2] 1 Nielsen 52 w/e February 2018

[3] IRI, 52 w/e 18 Aug 2018

[4] Kantar, 52 w/e 12th Aug 2018

[5] Kantar 52 w/e 15th July 2018

[6] YouGov