Toronto-based Italian restaurant chain PIANO PIANO says its frozen pizza line is now available nationally through new grocery partnerships, marking the company’s latest retail expansion beyond Ontario.
The restaurant group, founded by chef Victor Barry, said its frozen pizzas are now being sold across Canada through a partnership with Walmart Canada, along with distribution through Country Grocer in British Columbia and Coleman’s in Newfoundland.
The expansion builds on existing retail relationships with Ontario grocers including Loblaw’s, Sobeys, Metro, Longo’s and Summerhill Market.
The company said the national rollout represents a major milestone for the business, which began selling frozen pizzas in 2020 after establishing a following through its seven restaurant locations in Toronto, Hamilton and Oakville.
The company said its frozen pizza business has grown from a regional product into a national operation supported by a CFIA-certified and FDA-licensed production facility that produces more than 200,000 pizzas per month.
The company said the pizzas use a 72-hour naturally leavened sourdough fermentation process that originated in its restaurants.
“This pizza was born in our restaurants, out of the same obsession with doing things properly that drives everything we do. The sourdough takes 72 hours. The ingredients are the best we can find. We never cut corners – and that doesn’t change whether you’re eating with us in Toronto or heating up a pizza in your oven in Vancouver or Halifax. Canada deserves a frozen pizza that actually tastes like something,” said Barry, founder of the company.
Barry first gained recognition at Toronto restaurant Splendido before opening the first PIANO PIANO location in 2016.
According to the company, the restaurant business expanded to seven locations across the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding communities before moving into retail frozen foods.
The company said the frozen pizzas developed a customer base among restaurant patrons looking for a similar product at home.
PIANO PIANO said its crust is made using a naturally leavened sourdough fermented for 72 hours before freezing, which it says distinguishes the product within the frozen pizza category.
The pizzas are topped with locally sourced Ontario ingredients, the company said.
PIANO PIANO said its frozen pizzas are now available in more than 350 retail locations across Canada.
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