Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 25
OPERATIONS
Great Kitchens
Great Kitchens Food Co. discovers new
ways to expand its presence in the
take-and-bake and frozen pizza markets.
by Dan Malovany
S
Some businesses search for greatness. Others, like Great
Kitchens Food Co., already have it in their name, and with
it comes mighty expectations to do something special. As
the leader in supplying take-and-bake pizzas to supermarket
and other retail delis, the management team at the
Romeoville, Ill.-based company knows that the bar is high
and living up to its given moniker must be earned. They're
accepting the challenge to take this segment of the pizza
market to a new level by providing value and driving innovation
that makes a point of differentiation in the market.
" You have to put the customer at the core of everything
you do, " said Admir Basic, the company's president and
chief executive officer. " The point is that we will experiment.
We will innovate. We will play with flavors, and if we
see something in a restaurant, online or in social media, we
will try to replicate it. "
Certainly, successful manufacturers in this competitive
arena can't be all things to everyone. However, Basic pointed
out Great Kitchens strives to come close when a new business
opportunity makes sense, and it can deliver on what it
promises. In many cases, he said, it's all about doing small
things in a great way to create customized, restaurant-style
pizzas for private label accounts.
" We often do the products that other manufacturers shy
away from, " Basic observed. " The one thing that differentiates
us from other frozen pizza producers is our flexible
manufacturing. We can apply eight or nine toppings on a
pizza, and we'll hand-apply toppings if we need to. "
There's no topping Great Kitchens when it comes to flexibility.
It's built into every part of the business. Core to the
manufacturing operation is the 155,000-square-foot facility
in Romeoville, which houses six pizza topping lines. Here, the
versatile operation has the capacity to produce 100-millionplus
lbs of pizza annually, including specialty items as well as
traditional cheese, pepperoni, supreme and ultimate meat that
make up 80% of the pizzas sold in the deli and freezer case.
Moreover, the operation provides the finishing touches on
www.bakingbusiness.com / November 2024 Baking & Snack 25
Freshly made
calzones come out
of the new oven
before they travel
up a conveyor to
an enclosed spiral
cooler before
being frozen.
Wayne Dion
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - November 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - November 2024
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - Intro
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - FCa
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - FCb
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 1
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 2
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 3
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 4
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 5
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 6
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 7
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 8
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 9
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 10
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 11
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 12
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 13
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 14
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 15
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 17
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 18
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 19
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 20
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 21
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 22
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 24
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 25
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 26
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 27
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 28
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 29
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 30
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 31
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 33
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 34
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 35
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 43
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 45
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 46
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 47
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 48
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 49
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 50
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 51
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 52
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 53
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 54
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 55
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 56
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 57
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 58
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 59
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 60
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 61
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 62
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 63
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 64
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 65
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 66
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 67
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 68
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 69
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 70
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 71
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 72
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 73
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 74
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 76
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 88
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 89
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 90
Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 91
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Baking & Snack - November 2024 - 116
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-december-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-november-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-october-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-september-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-august-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-july-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-june-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-may-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-april-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-march-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-february-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-december-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-november-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-october-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-september-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-august-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-july-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-june-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-may-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-april-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-march-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-february-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-december-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-november-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-october-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-september-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-august-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-july-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/-baking-snack-june-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-may-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-april-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-march-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-january-2022
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-december-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-november-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-october-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-september-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-august-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-july-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-june-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-may-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-april-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-march-2021
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-february-2021
http://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/2020_12_01
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