Pi00a – a Deaf- and CODA- (Child Of Deaf Adult) family-owned company that blends Neapolitan pizza with Asian flavors – won the grand prize of $10,000, while the watermelon seed-based beverage startup Milkish scooped up the Fan Favorite package, including $2,500.
Pi00a’s victory hinged on it elevating the frozen pizza category with unique flavor profiles and better-for-you ingredients as well as its mission to increase employment opportunities for Deaf people.
“Our goal is to redefine frozen pizza with Asian-inspired flavors. Right now, today, if you go to the store and you see a lot of classic choices, but where are the gourmet ones? We want to offer that,” company Founder Melody Stein signed in ASL, which was interpreted by Julie Gibbens.
The company’s personal-sized premium pizzas are ready in less than 10 minutes and include classic flavors, like margherita, as well as Asian-inspired combinations, like miso eggplant. These attributes help Pi00a (pronounced pie-oh-ah) tap into the macro-trends of “instant gratification” as well as global flavors that the Specialty Food Association identified as growing.
Help wanted: Pi00a leads by example to hire and train Deaf employees
In addition to elevating frozen pizza, Stein signed she wants to lift up the Deaf community and overturn misconceptions about people who are hard of hearing.
“Our goal is to provide opportunities for jobs in the Deaf community. The unemployment rate is 55% in the Deaf community. So, if there is someone with little or no experience, we want to train them. We all communicate in ASL, so we provide 100% accessibility for them to thrive,” she signed.
Stein added that she was rejected from multiple jobs because she is Deaf, which she characterized as “pretty common.” She signed she wants to show people that Deaf people can learn if given the resources, as illustrated by her building a successful frozen pizza business and brand.
For other companies that want to follow Pi00a’s lead, Stein recommends adopting a more inclusive communication style. This might include using interpreters, writing more or tapping Deaf employees on the shoulder before communicating with them.
“We have developed this communication pattern that we use in the kitchen, and everything works out just fine,” she signed.
The prize money and access to professional services Pi00a won from the Fancy Face Off will help the young business scale by purchasing additional equipment and hiring employees.
“We have got a lot of orders, and we are trying to figure out how to increase our efficiency,” Stein signed.
