Foodservice

McLane Debuts Proprietary Pizza Brand

With new program, distributor adds category director of fresh food and corporate executive chef
Photograph courtesy of McLane Co. Inc.

McLane Co. Inc. has unveiled the name and branding for its new proprietary pizza program made for convenience stores: Prendisimo. The reveal—occurring at the 2023 NACS Show in Atlanta today—comes after the distributor’s recent launch of McLane Fresh, an expansion of its foodservice-at-retail program, at the McLane Engage trade show in August.

Prendisimo, which translates to “take away” in Italian, is the latest in the McLane Fresh family of brands.

“Prendisimo is more than just incredible pizza, it’s a highly marketable brand that attracts and appeals to consumers, supported by the end-to-end solutions that McLane Fresh offers,” said Vito Maurici, McLane’s customer experience officer. “McLane is scaling our offerings across the board, creating programs and products that are more accessible and customizable than ever. We are proud to introduce Prendisimo and look forward to partnering with our customers to make a variety of quality fresh foods a reality for convenience stores of all sizes nationwide.”

As the McLane Fresh program continues to grow, Anne Hughes and Jeremy Reinicke have joined the team as category director, fresh food and commissary and corporate executive chef, respectively.

With more than 15 years of experience working with notable quick service restaurants (QSRs) and retailers, Hughes brings fresh ideas and proven marketing expertise to the expanding program, while Reinicke’s extensive professional culinary experience will invigorate menu innovation for the program, the company said.

“Anne and Jeremy share in our vision for the future of convenience, and their skills, experience and perspective will help bring that vision to life,” said Farley Kaiser, McLane’s senior director of culinary innovation. “We are excited to have these incredible additions on board the McLane Fresh team as we build on the momentum of our core brands to ideate new products, programs and extensions for our customers.”

In addition to Prendisimo, the McLane Fresh family of brands includes CupZa!, a recently launched beverage program that includes bean-to-cup coffee, cold brew, iced tea and lemonade; and new products from Central Eats including a Texas toast grilled cheese, maple sausage waffle and cheeseburger.

McLane offers customizable solutions for retail and restaurant customers from ordering and fulfillment to equipment and in-store merchandising, aimed at eliminating barriers of entry for smaller retailers and solving logistical challenges for large chains.

Founded in 1894, McLane is one of the largest distributors in America, serving convenience stores, mass merchants and chain restaurants. With headquarters in Temple, Texas, McLane has more than 80 distribution centers across the country, employs more than 25,000 teammates and delivers to nearly every U.S. zip code. McLane is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Omaha, Nebraska.

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