Banza expands distribution of chickpea-based pizza to 8,000+ stores
Launched in October 2020 at Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Target, Banza Pizza has expanded its retail presence by 306% in less than one year including recent rollouts at Stop & Shop, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and Meijer. Banza Pizza is also sold direct-to-consumer on Thrive Market, Fresh Direct, Amazon, and eatbanza.com as part of the company's growing e-commerce presence.
Unlike other better-for-you pizza crusts on the market -- a category which has grown by 41% in the past two years, said Banza -- such as cauliflower which is often combined with cheese and eggs to hold its shape, Banza's chickpea flour-based crust (combined with other plant-based ingredients including olive oil, yeast, and oregano) more closely resembles traditional wheat pizza crust.
According to the company, Banza Pizza offers roughly 1.5x the protein, 2x the fiber and fewer net carbs and sodium than other traditional and better-for-you pizza crusts.
"Our mission is to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans because of their benefits to human health and the environment. "This means making nutritious foods available everywhere people shop, and in every aisle of the store," said Mike Tarullo, chief operating officer at Banza who previously told FoodNavigator-USA in June 2021 that the brand has provided 80% incremental growth to the frozen pizza category.
