Local Company Meeting Spike in Demand for Frozen Pizzas

MAPLE LAKE -- At-home dining is the norm these days, and the demand for frozen pizzas has remained high in Minnesota and the nation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matt Selvig, Advertising and Promotions Manager for Bernatello’s Foods, headquartered in Maple Lake. The local company is known for its line of Brew Pub Lotzza Motzza pizzas. Selvig says, while he can't zero in on exactly how much they've increased production, the rise in demand for items has temporarily affected the range of offerings in grocery and convenience store freezers.

"We've had to adjust the varieties we've been able to produce at our plants," Selvig explained. "We're sticking to the five basic varieties - cheese, pepperoni, pepperoni and sausage, sausage and combination."

Selvig says consumer demand for Bernatello's products has kept their workforce in action - with proper social distancing and cleaning protocols in place. As for pizza variety, Selvig they are working to get caught up before they begin bringing more niche pizzas back into production.

"And actually, we are making great progress in that area," he said. "Then, we'll start to expand and meet the needs of all of those other varieties as well."

Selvig says Bernatello's has also seen a sharp increase in nation-wide online orders, which are filled from their two production facilities in Maple Lake and Kaukauna, Wisconsin.

Bernatello’s distributes directly to stores throughout the upper Midwest, employing roughly 500 people.