The Maker of Happy Little Plants® Brand Partners with Papa Murphy's Pizza to Launch New Plant-Based Pepperoni Style Topping

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Sep 17, 2020, 08:00 ET

AUSTIN, Minn., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods, the makers of Hormel^® Pepperoni, America's No. 1 selling pepperoni brand* and the maker of the Happy Little Plants^® products, are introducing new Happy Little Plants^® pepperoni style topping at select Papa Murphy's locations across the country.

Papa Murphy's Cowboy Pizza with Happy Little Plants® pepperoni style topping

Papa Murphy's Pizza with Happy Little Plants® pepperoni style topping

"Chefs and restaurateurs are very aware of today's dynamic food landscape and consumers' desire to add more plant-based foods to their diets, and we are very excited to bring this great-tasting, plant-based option to our partners at Papa Murphy's," said Anthony Panichelli, foodservice pizza toppings brand manager at Hormel Foods. "The new Happy Little Plants^® brand pepperoni style topping was developed with foodservice operators to ensure pizzeria-level taste, convenience and quality, so much so, that many people may have a hard time tasting the difference between Happy Little Plants^® brand pepperoni style topping and traditional pepperoni. Our team worked closely with pizzerias, chefs, foodservice operators and pizza experts to develop a plant-based pepperoni style topping that cooks and tastes exactly like traditional pepperoni."

The Happy Little Plants^®brand was introduced by Hormel Foods in 2019 and celebrates the power of plant protein while offering a great tasting solution for people looking to add more plant-based food into their diet.

The new Happy Little Plants^® brand pepperoni style topping will be making its debut at select Papa Murphy's locations this month in Austin and Dallas, Texas, Duluth, Minn., Fargo, N. D., and Las Vegas, Nev.

"We know our customers are looking for plant-based options to shake up their normal pizza routine and incorporating the benefits of plant-based foods into meals they're familiar with," said Kim McBee, senior vice president, customer experience and brand marketing at Papa Murphy's. "The new Happy Little Plants^® brand pepperoni style topping is perfect for our Cowboy pizza or as a switch to our traditional pepperoni pizzas."

"We are excited for people to try our game-changing Happy Little Plants^® brand pepperoni style topping and our other plant-based pizza toppings," said Robbie Koons, Happy Little Plants^® brand manager. "For anyone that wants to add more plant-based foods to their diet, our new Happy Little Plants^® brand pepperoni style topping is the perfect addition to any pizza at Papa Murphy's. Made with the same spice blend as our beloved traditional Hormel^® pepperoni, it's a quick, easy and delicious way to enjoy the great taste and benefits of plants."

For more information on the Happy Little Plants^® brand, please visit https://www.hormelfoodservice.com/brand/happy-little-plants/.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin's^®, Wholly^®, Hormel^® Black Label^®, Columbus^®, Happy Little Plants^®and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for the 11^th year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

ADD PAPA MURPHY'S
Papa Murphy's Holdings, Inc. ("Papa Murphy's" or the "Company") is a franchisor and operator of the largest Take 'n' Bake pizza brand in the United States, selling hand-crafted, fresh pizzas for customers to bake at home. The Company was founded in 1981 and currently operates franchised and corporate-owned stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. Papa Murphy's core purpose is to help anyone with an oven and 15 minutes serve a scratch-made meal. In addition to fresh pizzas, the Company offers hand-crafted salads, sides and desserts to complete the meal. Order online today at www.papamurphys.com for easy pick up everywhere, and find us on your favorite delivery apps in select markets.

*Based on the latest 52 week IRI data