The test of both innovations will take place exclusively at one Pizza Hut location in Phoenix where Pizza Hut will introduce the new Garden Specialty Pizza topped with plant-based Incogmeato™ sausage topping by MorningStar Farms. Pizza Hut partnered with Zume, a company that claims it is pioneering the shift to a more sustainable future of food, to design the round box. It’s made in Zume’s California facility, says Zume CEO and Chairman Alex Garden, “utilizing our technology development and process for molded fiber packaging.” Especially notable is that it uses sustainably harvested plant fibers and is certified as industrially compostable (where available). With this unique approach to packaging, adds Garden, “we can actually create a closed-loop system from farm to fork through to final disposal.”
“We innovate for human’s sake and we’ll win on taste—PERIOD” says Marianne Radley, chief brand officer at Plano, TX-based Pizza Hut. “At Pizza Hut we don't do anything halfway, and improving the customer experience and delivering a better tasting pizza is our core mission. When we talk about feeding more possibilities we mean it—and I can’t wait to share these two new industry-changing innovations with our customers.”
Not only does the round box contain less overall packaging compared to a typical square pizza box, it interlocks easily to ensure a smoother delivery. In other words, no pizza insurance policy needed and freed up space in the fridge for leftovers. Following the event in Phoenix, Pizza Hut will look at ways to roll the box out more widely in the near future.
“This revolutionary round box—the result of a two-year journey—is the most innovative packaging we’ve rolled out to date,” said Nicolas Burquier, Chief Customer & Operations Officer at Pizza Hut. “The round box was engineered to make our products taste even better—by delivering hotter, crispier pizzas. This box is a win, win—it will improve the pizza-eating experience for our customers and simplify the operating experience for our team members.”
“Pizza Hut is an undisputed leader in its use of technology to deliver on its promise of hot, fast, and reliable food,” says Zume’s Garden. “We’re thrilled to support Pizza Hut’s packaging efforts to provide its fans with a great pizza-eating experience.”
Customers in the Phoenix area are encouraged to stop in at the Pizza Hut restaurant located at 3602 E. Thomas Rd. on Oct. 23 at 11:00 am MST to be among the first to try the limited-run Garden Specialty Pizza, served in the new round box featuring Pizza Hut’s green roof logo, while supplies last. This new product combo will be sold for $10 and be available in-store only. All proceeds raised from the sale of the Garden Specialty Pizza and round box during the one day event in Phoenix on 10/23 will be donated to Arizona Forward, a Phoenix-based sustainability organization.
