Tulip Food Company and the Pizza Hut chain in China have signed an agreement for the supply of approximately 500 tonnes of pepperoni per annum - the equivalent of about 160 million slices of pepperoni, topping more than six million pizzas.
Tulip’s relationship with Pizza Hut in Asia began three years ago when its Svenstrup factory was registered and approved for export. Previously, Tulip Food Company had half of the pepperoni.
Senior export manager Niels W. Thomsen said: “It is with our arms over our heads that we can now tell that from August we have 100% of the pepperoni business for Yum! Brands' many Pizza Hut stores in China. We are sitting on the whole pepperoni business for Hong Kong, and it is only a year ago that we got an agreement in place about 50% of the deliveries to Pizza Hut in China. So we had no idea at all that after eight months of shipping we would end up with the whole business.”
Tulip's international sales director Mike Sauerberg added that this deal would also act as an endorsement for the brand. “In addition to the good taste, food security and delivery ability are highlighted as some of the most important parameters in choosing Tulip's pepperoni. Besides Pizza Hut is Yum! Brand owner of restaurant chains KFC, Taco Bell and Little Sheep - and high pressure is being worked on to sell the good Tulip products to the group's other chains. At the same time, pepperoni deliveries have now been opened for another giant pizza chain in Chinese.
“Although the trees do not grow into the sky with the Pizza Hut agreement, it is extremely important for our other business in China. It is very important to be able to tell other potential partners that we have been selected as the sole supplier to one of the largest pizza chains in the world after an eight-month trial period - it is a quality stamp that testifies to good quality, service and competitive price. In fact, this agreement has been crucial to the fact that Domino's chain in China, after many and long efforts, has now also chosen to test our pepperoni.”
As well as selling pepperoni to Pizza Hut, Tulip has begun exporting mortadella and other sausages from Svenstrup to retail outlets in China. The business already sells canned ham pork luncheon meat that is produced at Tulip's factory in Vejle to the Asian market.
