NEW YORK — Banza, the popular brand of chickpea-based foods such as pizza and pasta, announced two new plant-based pizza varieties that will be hitting the shelves this month.
The two new pies are both vegetarian and are a result of the brand’s partnership with two pioneers of the plant-based meat and cheese world, Beyond Meat and Follow Your Heart. The new Supreme pizza is a spin on the traditional supreme, featuring tomato sauce, dairy-based mozzarella, provolone and white cheddar, red onions, and red and green peppers, and is topped with Beyond Sausage Italian Crumbles. The other new flavor is not only vegetarian but also vegan, with ingredients including tomato sauce with caramelized onion and roasted garlic, and is topped with Follow Your Heart’s creamy plant-based mozzarella.
“Chickpeas, and more broadly beans, are one of the best foods for human health and the environment,” said Brian Rudolph, CEO and co-founder, Banza. “Since launching our crust, we’ve hoped to create a vegan cheese pizza. Consumer research echoed that sentiment, along with an interest in supreme. While we aren’t comfortable using meat, we’re filling the void using a plant-based option. We created these two new varieties to give people another way to enjoy their favorite foods, all while eating more chickpeas.”
The new pizza offerings are catering to the growing number of consumers on the hunt for plant-based options, a market that has enjoyed explosive growth that shows no sign of slowing. Chickpeas are frequent favorites in plant-based diets because of their high protein and fiber content as well as being a sustainable protein source. The partnership among Banza, Follow Your Heart and Beyond Meat allows the companies to bring pizza to those craving more diverse plant-based options.
These new products are just the latest installment of growth for Banza, who expanded into several national grocery chains last month. The company has grown its retail footprint by more than 300% since the pizza launch in October 2020.
The Supreme and Plant-Based Cheese pizzas will begin rolling out in national retailers and e-commerce platforms including Kroger, Market Basket, Thrive Market, FreshDirect, Amazon.com and EatBanza.com today.
