Hormel Foods, maker of SPAM and the Happy Little Plants® products, recently announced the launch of its plant-based pepperoni style topping at select Papa Murphy’s locations across the country. Papa Murphy’s is the franchisor and operator of the largest Take ‘n’ Bake pizza brand in the US.
The new Happy Little Plants brand vegan topping will make its debut at select Papa Murphy’s pizzerias this month in Austin and Dallas, Texas, Duluth, Minnesota, Fargo, North Dakota, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Happy Little Plants brand referred to as a “shiny new toy” by Hormel CEO, Jim Snee, was introduced in 2019. It launched its first vegan offering, a GMO-free mince, in March of this year, then in August Hormel debuted the new fully cooked meat crumbles and an uncooked ground plant meat product made using pea protein. The new line includes Breakfast, Italian, Traditional, and Chorizo flavors.
“Chefs and restaurateurs are very aware of today’s dynamic food landscape and consumers’ desire to add more plant-based foods to their diets, and we are very excited to bring this great-tasting, plant-based option to our partners at Papa Murphy’s,” said Anthony Panichelli, foodservice pizza toppings brand manager at Hormel Foods.
“We know our customers are looking for plant-based options to shake up their normal pizza routine and incorporating the benefits of plant-based foods into meals they’re familiar with,” said Kim McBee, senior vice president, customer experience and brand marketing at Papa Murphy’s. “The new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping is perfect for our Cowboy pizza or as a switch to our traditional pepperoni pizzas.”
“We are excited for people to try our game-changing Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping and our other plant-based pizza toppings,” said Robbie Koons, Happy Little Plants brand manager. “For anyone that wants to add more plant-based foods to their diet, our new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping is the perfect addition to any pizza at Papa Murphy’s. Made with the same spice blend as our beloved traditional Hormel® pepperoni, it’s a quick, easy and delicious way to enjoy the great taste and benefits of plants.”
