PROPERONI® Launches in over 400 TESCO Stores

Properoni® has announced the launch of the UK’s first dedicated pepperoni brand in 418 Tesco stores in October 2023.

Properoni is the signature product of Estom Ltd. which has supplied the UK’s leading pizza restaurant chains consistently for over fifty years. Properoni takes the hero, classic pepperoni recipe, a 150-year-old, traditional beechwood smoked and naturally fermented product, stripping it of preservatives and nitrites to create a clean labelled version. Founder of Pizza Express, late Peter Boizot, considered to be the father of pizza in the UK, identified this pepperoni as ‘the very best’*.

The Tesco listing is the latest key development for the Properoni brand allowing it to reach and delight many more consumers; the brand having already achieved cult status online, and recognition with both the Great Taste and, notably, the Grocer New Product Awards in 2022.

Tom Horvath Neumann, MD of Properoni, said; "Pepperoni is constantly cited as the nation’s favourite pizza topping. However, although we have supplied the finest pepperoni to leading restaurant chains for decades, this quality of product has never been made available to consumers in grocery retail. Properoni is now the UK’s first dedicated pepperoni brand, taking the best product, with an exceptional flavour profile, and elevating it further with a clean label.

“It has been wonderful to see our many customers thrilled by the quality and taste of our product, and it’s become obvious that wider consumer market is crying out for a better made, superior pepperoni in retail. As a result, we are proud and very happy to be working with Tesco to drive innovation and premiumisation and, we intend, to act as a disruptor in the category. Properoni is significantly superior to existing products on the market, with a better taste and flavour profile and a contemporary, premium pack that will stand out from a sea of plastic trays. Properoni offers a real and visible difference for consumers and our Tesco listing represents an exciting and game changing opportunity to transform the pepperoni market.”

New Hires for an Evolving Business

Estom Ltd. has a 90-year history importing and distributing speciality food products in the UK to the retail, food service and manufacturing sectors. The Company recently initiated, executed, and managed the Zizzi restaurant brand’s entry into grocery retail and is now focussing on its own proprietary brand. The announcement of Tesco listings follows two key appointments:

Nigel Trood joins as Non-Executive Chairman. Nigel spent a decade at Red Bull in the UK including five years as Managing Director. Prior to Red Bull, Nigel was with Britvic and spent over a decade at Sainsbury’s. More recently, Nigel served on the main board of Fresca Group, one of the largest fresh produce companies in the UK. Nigel Trood commented; “I’m delighted to join the business at such an exciting time and to support the team in establishing Properoni as a leading consumer brand. The products quality credentials speak for themselves; indeed, it seems remarkable that such a well-known product as pepperoni has no established brands. Properoni has the flavour profile, heritage, and passion to fill that void and to become a champion of the category.”

Leah Cooper joins as Commercial Director, as a highly experienced FMCG professional with relevant expertise within top four grocers in branded and own label products. Leah spent 15 years at Winterbotham Darby in a variety of roles. Tom Horvath Neumann, MD of Properoni, said; “I am delighted to welcome both Nigel and Leah to the team, adding significant expertise in retail and branded arenas as we look forward to championing the category and driving growth. To date, we have driven trial, built awareness, customer base and loyalty. Now, with Tesco, we wish to drive scale, widen our customer base, and accelerate growth. There are many examples of standout brands like Fever-Tree, Innocent, Gu, which have revitalised or created new categories, that is our aspiration for Properoni.”

A Tradition of Quality Properoni pepperoni and chorizo are made using the same time-honoured, natural curing and fermenting methods that have been used in the town of Gyula in Hungary since 1868. The products’ unique, award-winning flavour comes as the result of slow smoking over beechwood, curing and air drying. No additives or starter culture are used to accelerate ripening, it is all done naturally and expertly, the same simple methods as used in Roman times. Many staple, quality foods – breads, cheeses, wines, and cured meats – are fermented. When that fermentation is undertaken naturally and properly, as we do, it results in an enhanced and diverse flavour profile**. And it’s this ‘doing things properly’ attitude which is at the heart of our brand. With a clean ingredient list, Properoni products are strictly free from all preservatives, nitrites, and additives.

For more information, please visit: www.Properoni.co.uk

Sources *‘The Pizza Express Cookbook’ by Peter Boizot. Hamish Hamilton Books 1976 **Dr. Michael Gänzle; Professor and Canada Research Chair in Food Microbiology, University of Alberta is an academic scholar. He has authored several journals on meat fermentation demonstrating that more diverse fermentation organisms create more diverse flavours.