Make and Take Gourmet and Old Forge Pizza Express Team Up
Co-Branding Agreement Offers Revolutionary Way to Get Fresh
Home-Cooked Food, FasterSYRACUSE, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--Make and Take Gourmet (www.makeandtakegourmet.com), a fast-growingmeal preparation franchise that has already opened 23 locations acrossthe country in their first year, signed a nationwide licensing andmarketing agreement with Old Forge Pizza Express
(www.oldforgepizza.com) to co-brand and offer Old Forge Pizza Expressbake-at-home pizza throughout Make and Take Gourmet's network ofstores. "Take and Bake" pizza is the fastest-growing trend in the U.S.pizza market. The roll out of Old Forge Pizza Express will take placewithin all of the current Make and Take Gourmet stores within the nextfew months. All new Make and Take Gourmet stores will be built outwith Old Forge Pizza Express as part of their business. "Old Forge Pizza Express is a perfect complementary offering toour stores," said Michele Bellso, CEO and Founder of Make and TakeGourmet. "We're pleased to be leading the meal prep industry byoffering this amazing 'take 'n' bake' pizza. We tested it and found itto be the best tasting pizza we'd ever had. I'm thrilled to be able toshare this gourmet pizza with our customers." Old Forge Pizza is a style of pizza that originated in Old Forge,Pennsylvania, which is officially trademarked "The Pizza Capital ofthe World." Concocted by Italian immigrants working the anthracitecoal industry, the pizza has become world-renowned because of itsunique rectangular shape; its light, airy crust; multiple cheesecombinations and its fresh home-grown ingredients. The differentcheese combinations give the pizza a more balanced flavor and yieldsless oil in the cooking process than what occurs when just usingmozzarella. The pizza is made to order for each individual customer. Customersthen take the pizzas home to bake in just 8 to 10 minutes. Customersare guaranteed straight-from-the-oven freshness every time, always ontheir schedule. Bake-At-Home from Old Forge Pizza Express beatstraditional delivery pizza, too. By the time an already-cookeddelivery pizza reaches your door, it's either soupy or soggy andhalf-cold. Old Forge Pizza Express, with locations throughout the greaterScranton/Wilkes Barre PA area, follows the Make and Take Gourmetphilosophy of offering freshly prepared, uncooked meals. Make and TakeGourmet is designed to help families save valuable time and enjoyhealthy, delicious dinners in the comfort of their own home. Make andTake Gourmet develops monthly menus; then shops, slices, and dices allnecessary ingredients. Customers prepare meals from easy-to-followrecipes and then take them home to cook. Customers can also opt tohave Make and Take Gourmet prepare their meals for them! "Offering 'take 'n' bake' pizza is a great opportunity and idea,"says industry expert, Bert Vermeulen, founder of The Easy Meal PrepAssociation. "It is innovations like this that keep the meal prepindustry booming." "We are proud to begin offering customers our unique,great-tasting, bake-at-home pizza in Make & Take Gourmet storesnationwide," said Jeff Mamera, CEO and Co-Founder of Old Forge PizzaExpress. "This is an exciting partnership full of synergy and growthpotential. Our brands share a common vision in serving the freshest,highest-quality specialty foods quickly and conveniently for customersto cook in their own ovens."Make & Take GourmetMichele Bellso, CEO, 315-410-0001mbellso@makeandtakegourmet.comorOld Forge Pizza ExpressJeff Mamera, CEO, 917-402-6756jeff@oldforgepizza.comCopyright Business Wire 2007
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