After launching its recent No Clucks collab with VFC, frozen vegan pizza pioneer One Planet Pizza has announced the hiring of Matt Barney as its new commercial manager. With over 20 years of experience in developing brands, Barney comes with the fetching title of ‘National Pizza Pusher’.
“Family favourites and weekday staples such as pizza are ripe for a plant-based overhaul” – Matt Barney
One Planet Pizza has had a busy year as it continues its upwards trajectory, recently adding the UK’s first vegan Cheezy Doughballs to its expanding range of frozen plant-based pizzas. Earlier this year the father-and-son-founded business enjoyed a successful second round of funding, allowing the tripling of its production capacity and opening entry into Scandinavian markets. Along with the VFC partnership, One Planet Pizza also previously developed a bestselling pizza with Meatless Farm, Applewood Vegan cheese, and Mooshies burger bar.
The appointment of Barney is part of the brand’s plan to step up to the next level, growing on its recent direct-to-consumer success and building on its relationship with Ocado, as well as a pan-European business network across independents and health stores. Since going vegan in 2013, Barney has pursued a career in sync with his values, including most recently working for vegan confectionery market leaders Moo Free Chocolates.
The Future of Frozen
The plant-based frozen food market is seeing increased growth, with One Planet Pizza at the forefront of the growing pizza market, as well as the recent launch of Mighty Plants – an online ‘frozen aisle’ where consumers can shop for multiple sustainable frozen products.
“Family favourites and weekday staples such as pizza are ripe for a plant-based overhaul, creating a brilliant opportunity for a future-thinking brand like One Planet Pizza. With pepperoni and Margheritas still accounting for 80% of pizza sales, our range offers epic tasting versions of famous recipes, plus some unique and innovative combinations, which transform perceptions of what vegan pizza is able to achieve,” stated Matt Barney, Commercial Manager at One Planet Pizza.
“The plant-based market is fast moving, consumer spend has skyrocketed, and new product development is raising expectations from the category all the time. With Matt on board, we’ll be best placed to increase our infiltration into the retail space and drive sales of our pizzas among our direct to consumer channel. As well as bringing his experience of working with some of the world’s best-loved brands, Matt also demonstrated that his values are a great fit for our planet-conscious pizza mission – now we’re truly ready for a worldwide takeover!” added Mike Hill, co-founder of One Planet Pizza.
