Goodwell Foods Finds A New Home

Private label pizza supplier Goodwell Foods has a new home in the community of Pittsfield, N.H., in the former location of frozen pizza maker Rustic Crust, which recently went out of business.

According to the Concord Monitor, the assets of Rustic Crust were acquired by Vikram Mansharamani, the founder of Goodwell. The company opened in December and makes between 50,000 and 60,000 frozen pizzas daily. 

Rustic Crust, which was founded in 1996, closed its doors due to “economic and industry forces beyond (the company’s) control.” It sold frozen pizzas and ready-made crusts to a variety of well-known grocers, including Whole Foods Market, Market Basket, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, and Publix, according to published reports. 

Goodwill produces a variety of pizzas for retail private label programs. The company was started by Mansharamani after he saw an opportunity to jump on the sales growth of the frozen pizza segment.

“We are trying to do good by giving everybody here opportunities to rise, by being a good neighbor in the community, by actually producing high-quality, low-cost pizzas for American consumers and by producing a supply chain that’s American-made,” he told the Concord Monitor.

Frozen pizza has long been a staple of the frozen food aisles for leading grocers and mass merchants and some retailers have worked to upgrade their assortments. Among the more notable was the recent Good & Gather Collabs launch by Target. The retailer teamed with James Beard Award-winner Ann Kim to develop a unique frozen pizza selection. 

Now available is the Pickle Pie Woodfired Pizza, Four Cheese with Sweet & Spicy Chili Sauce Woodfired Pizza, Spicy Sausage and Sweet Pepper Woodfired Pizza, and Tavern-Style Uncured Pepperoni & Jalapeno Woodfired Pizza.