Back in 2006, Doug Fricano was running five high-performing Fricano’s Pizza restaurants in western Michigan, and he believed his sauces – based on cherished family recipes – could be jarred and sold.

Over the next 14 years, Fricano hand-produced and ladled his sauces into quart-sized jars – sometimes as many as 720 per month. His sauces landed at independent grocers and specialty stores before securing shelf space at large supermarket chains such as Meijer. He netted 33 percent off every jar sold, and he sold every jar.

“Make no mistake, I made a living selling pizzas, but the sauces added a little to the bottom line and expanded our name recognition,” Fricano says.

Many pizzerias have their own retail ambitions. They have a reputation, an existing customer base and, above all, a sincere belief their product – from sauces and pastas to dressings and dips – can dazzle the masses.

Consider Brooklyn, New York-born Grimaldi’s Pizzeria.

After more than three decades of dishing up coal-fired brick-oven pizzas, the 47-store chain entered the retail game in December with 24-ounce jars of three different sauces and towering optimism. By the close of 2025, Grimaldi’s leadership hopes to have distributed at least 3 million jars across 10,000 stores.

“We hear retailers are actively seeking new brands – especially those of the quality we’re delivering,” says Victor Rosa, chief operating officer for Grimaldi’s Gourmet Foods.

A Plan for Production

Before even starting the process of selling products at retail, pizzerias first might consider their production capabilities.

“Does your business have kitchen time and staff to dedicate to the production of the product – plus time to market, distribute and merchandize it?” asks Diane Longanbach, an innovation counselor at Michigan State University’s Product Center.

As sales trickle in at the start, the answer might be yes. But if sales surge, how will the pizzeria scale up production? Some might turn to a co-packer, while others might invest in their own manufacturing equipment to address rising demand.

Fricano, for example, purchased 40-gallon steam kettles but never made the six-figure investment in professional manufacturing equipment. He also eschewed a co-packer. “Only a Fricano can make a Fricano’s sauce,” he says.

He kept production bare bones and in-house, recalling one exhaustive sprint in which he made 22 cases (or 264 jars) in four hours. “I could have been in more stores, but I didn’t have the capabilities to do it,” he says.

Longanbach says such tribulations are an argument for a co-packer – or at least outsourcing production. “That way, you’re focusing exclusively on sales, which is enough in itself,” she says.

Eventually, Fricano admits, his passion for bottling sauces waned. He ceased supplying outside stores amid the COVID-19 pandemic, though he continues selling the sauces out of his five restaurants.

“It got to be too much, and I asked myself: Am I in the pizza business or the sales business?” he says.

Checking the Food Safety Box

At MSU’s Product Center, Longanbach is a bit of a dream maker. She helps Michigan-based entrepreneurs (including restaurant owners) transform products from treasured recipes into retail-ready consumer packaged goods (CPG). The process has its hurdles, she acknowledges, but the right mix of intent and investment can deliver success for enterprising souls.

She calls regulations the biggest early challenge – specifically passing a Process Authority Review (PAR) based on Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The PAR protocol, which is used to ensure food safety and determine a product’s shelf-stability potential, includes a review of the item’s ingredients, manufacturing procedures, water content, packaging and product storage.

“This is the most-time consuming piece,” Longanbach says.

Even after PAR, food safety is an ongoing concern that requires vigilant attention. With his sauces, Fricano had to monitor pH levels and temperature. Every time he dropped off 96 cases of sauce at Meijer, he feared one jar with a faulty seal would trigger a recall impacting his financials and, even more, Fricano’s hard-earned reputation.

“Food safety is serious business,” Fricano says. “You have to comply and make sure what you bring to stores is safe.”

Steady Business Plan

While PAR is underway, Longanbach suggests entrepreneurs finalize their business plans, which include branding, marketing and pricing.

For example, where might the product be sold? In the restaurant, certainly, but where else? Longanbach proposes capitalizing on existing brand awareness by starting with grocers and, particularly, specialty food stores within a one-hour radius.

Branding becomes more important as awareness of the restaurant fades with geographic distance. Longanbach says many businesses overlook the importance of an eye-catching, professional label to generate intrigue, and she recommends CPG entrepreneurs engage a graphic designer to produce a colorful, exciting label to capture attention and encourage trials.

“People know you locally but not beyond, so how do make the label jump off the shelf?” she asks.

A unique bottle or jar to complement the label might be an intriguing (albeit dicey) financial proposition if the item cannot be sourced locally in modest quantities. Longanbach suggests checking with local distributors about the packaging they have in stock.

Pizzerias entering the retail game will need to think carefully about pricing as well. A financial spreadsheet accounting for costs to make the product – including labor, ingredients and packaging, as well as wholesale and distribution expenses – will help operators discern the necessary price point to ensure a healthy margin and worthwhile effort.

Since retail inspiration first struck during an October 2023 visit to a San Marzano tomatoes packhouse in Italy, Rosa and his Grimaldi’s peers spent 14 months realizing their retail ambitions. They built a differentiated product that is dairy-free, nut-free, kosher, non-GMO and made with no soy or canola oils. They vetted prospective manufacturers, distributors and brokers and showcased their sauces at the Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas.

“My mind has been absorbing all it can,” Rosa says of the process. “It’s a competitive space, and we’re taking it one step at a time.”

DANIEL P. SMITH is a Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers and magazines.

Read the July 2025 Issue of Pizza Today Magazine

Who are this year’s Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry? We profile six up-and-comers who are making their mark on pizza. Discover why the Grandma style pizza is spreading across the country. See why your pizza could benefit from whole-grain flour. Brush up on inventory management best practices. Learn how to take your products to the retail market. Go to the July Issue.