Rizzo's: Making new and exciting baked goods to sell to our customers!
For the 271st feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with Rizzo's and Co-Founder, Kevin Rizzo. New business venture creating exciting baked goods. 100% DEDICATED GLUTEN-FREE FACILITY | CELIAC SAFE & TESTED | LOCAL PICKUP & NATIONWIDE SHIPPING 🚀
Indulge in gooey Monterey Jack, signature sweet sauce, and rich Italian flavors baked to perfection in a 100% Dedicated Gluten-Free Facility. Safe for Celiacs, crafted for pizza lovers, and zero compromise on taste.
"Together Talks" feature 271: Rizzo's presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur? Share a decision that you made that was detrimental? Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
Story of how it was created?
Rizzo’s started because of my wife’s love of pizza—specifically regular pizza in slice form.
Initially, we set out to take a single component of what you would consider a regular pizza, specifically the crust, and turn it into something of its own. We wanted to make a small piece that included the dough, sauce, and cheese you would normally find in a slice of pizza, but without the traditional slice itself.
That was our original concept. We planned to stuff the dough with cheese, and our initial recipe development and testing were all focused on that idea. However, we quickly discovered that making the product was very labor-intensive.
From there, we moved on to another concept: something we called a pizza hot dog. The proportions of dough, sauce, and toppings were off, though, and there was simply too much dough.
Around that time, products shaped like cupcakes caught our attention, specifically The Pizza Cupcake. We looked at what they were doing and realized they had already put the research and development into a similar concept and demonstrated that there was a market for it. That helped us see the potential for what we wanted to create.
What have been the biggest challenges?
When we first started, we were making a regular wheat-based pizza using wheat flour. What sets us apart now is that our product is 100% gluten-free. Most other similar products on the market are generally made with traditional wheat-based flour, so that gives us a significant point of differentiation.
We also differentiate ourselves through our ingredients. We don’t use marinara sauce like everyone else does, and instead of mozzarella cheese, we use Monterey Jack. We have our custom dough, our sweet sauce that goes inside, and the Monterey Jack cheese. All of those elements help distinguish our product from the competition.
Ultimately, the idea came from my wife’s love of pizza, and we wanted to create something that would give people a different way to enjoy it. As we developed the business, we also found an opportunity to make a product that people looking for gluten-free options could safely enjoy.
I’d have to say one of our biggest challenges has been getting people to realize that we’re here. We’ve been at our current location for two years, and people still come by and ask how long we’ve been in business. We’ve run digital ads, appeared our local newspaper "New Haven Register", on two separate television programs at least once each, and been on WOW Radio here in the Wallingford area a couple of times.
We’ve also done direct mail campaigns through a program called Valpak. They have what’s called a Blue Envelope, where businesses can include their flyers and send them out to households. Even after doing all of that, one of our biggest challenges is that people still don’t realize we’re here.
The primary ways people find us are through Google searches and the Find Me Gluten Free app. We put a lot of emphasis on both platforms, and almost everyone who discovers us seems to find us through one of those two channels. Getting the word out and making sure people know we exist continues to be a major focus for us.
Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
One of the milestones we’ve already reached is getting our product into retail stores. We’re currently in six locally owned, family-run grocery stores, and we’re starting to gain traction. At least three of the six stores have placed multiple reorders, and one store that’s particularly close to us recently placed another order and doubled the quantity. That’s encouraging because it shows us that people are buying the product and that retailers are seeing enough interest to bring it back in.
At the same time, people still need to discover us. We spend a lot of time visiting different stores and doing product demonstrations. For example, we have a store in Woodbury called La Bonne’s Market, where we recently held our second demo. We go there to spark interest, let people try the product, and make sure they know it’s available.
My thinking is that if someone buys our product, discovers that it’s gluten-free, and enjoys it, they may tell their friends who also follow a gluten-free diet. We’re hoping that kind of word-of-mouth recommendation will help us grow.
Another thing we’re working on is becoming gluten-free certified. We recently received our laboratory testing results, and the gluten in our product was almost undetectable. We’re pursuing certification not only for our own peace of mind but also because the organization helping us through the process offers additional opportunities to increase our visibility. Once we complete the certification process, they’ll be able to list our business in several databases that consumers and retailer's access. They’ll also promote us through their own channels to help more people learn about our products.
We’ve also recently been accepted to sell through UNFI Endless Aisle, which operates somewhat like a drop shipping platform. We’ll be able to list our products there so retailers can browse the platform and place orders. We would then ship the products to them frozen, allowing them to stock and sell them in their stores. Retailers will also be able to reorder through the same platform, which will make it easier for us to reach additional stores and expand our distribution.
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business?
Before we started Rizzo’s, I had a home renovation business. I was working in the fix-and-flip market and managed to complete two or three projects before COVID hit. Once the pandemic began, the market took a downturn. Not much was selling, and when properties were available, they were often unattainable. It became increasingly difficult to keep that business moving forward.
Around that time, and even before then, my wife had been talking to me about her love of pizza. I had started kicking around the idea of doing something with her in that space, but I was still focused on the fix-and-flip business.
Eventually, about two years later, I realized I wasn’t really doing anything with the renovation business anymore. I was still paying for licenses, insurance, and other expenses, even though I wasn’t actively working on projects. I was spending money on a business that wasn’t going anywhere.
One day, I approached my wife and told her I was thinking about closing that business and asked what she thought about starting the pizza business instead. She agreed. I told her that if she said no, we wouldn’t do it because I wasn’t going to start the business without her. Once she was on board, I began closing one business and opening the other.
I started working on the transition around October 2021. From 2021 through 2024, we spent a great deal of time developing our recipes, including the flour, sauce, and other ingredients. We sourced and tested three or four different cheeses before settling on Monterey Jack. It took a lot of experimentation to get everything to where we wanted it.
Before we officially launched, I also contacted my cousin, who is a real estate agent, and she helped me find the location we’re in now. Initially, we were looking at shared kitchen spaces, and that probably would have worked when we were making a traditional wheat-based product. However, since we transitioned to making a gluten-free product, having our own space has worked out even better. It allows us to have greater control over our environment and avoid the cross-contamination concerns that can come with sharing a kitchen.
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
One of the biggest things I’ve learned through this business has come from our transition to being gluten-free. We speak with every customer that comes into our store and most tell us how much they appreciate that we are here doing this, how hard it is to find safe places to eat and how they enjoyed trying our product, we even had a customer try us for the first time recently who called in and spoke with my wife Carole, told her how much she enjoyed the product and she had never tasted something like this before.
The following day, she came into the store, and we had the chance to meet her in person. She was just as excited, telling us how amazing the product was. She even said she was going to tell her husband that she wanted to go out for pizza, but then she changed her mind and said she would rather come down to Rizzo’s and get ours. She ended up taking some of our product home frozen so she could enjoy it later.
Experiences like that are incredibly rewarding. Since I’ve been in business before, I already have a sense of how things operate. I’m comfortable reaching out to people, talking with them, and making them feel at ease. I’m also used to contacting different people to find products and services, whether that means sending an email or making a phone call. Those parts of running a business have come naturally to me.
What makes all the work worthwhile, though, is hearing from our customers and reading their reviews. We have people tell us that they have children of a certain age who haven’t been able to eat something like our product in a long time because their parents couldn’t find anything they felt was safe for them. Then they bring our product home, and their child gets to enjoy it with a smile on their face. Hearing stories like that is absolutely amazing.
We recently had a customer come in from out of state with her mother, whom she was taking out for her birthday. They brought their 11-month-old baby with them, and we spent some time talking with them and interacting with the child. He was animated, happy, and smiling. It was such a wonderful experience.
Afterward, the mother sent me three different pictures of the baby eating our product. She also told us how much they enjoyed it, how great the product was, and how much they appreciated having us here. She mentioned that once the food was gone, the baby wanted more. Those are the kinds of experiences we get to hear about, and they make all the time we spend here worthwhile.
For me, that’s what I want to focus on most: interacting with our customers and making a difference for them. I’d much rather spend my time doing that than constantly chasing money. Knowing that we’re providing something people genuinely appreciate is one of the most rewarding parts of running this business.
Share a decision that you made that was detrimental?
When speaking with a new retail partner, we had been discussing delivery fees to their stores. It initially started out with discussions about the costs, which were initially much higher than they wanted them to be, and even after I made an adjustment, they still advised they were too high and advised they wanted free shipping instead.
I ended up absorbing the cost, but afterward, I spoke with a female business owner I’m friends with and explained what had happened. She told me I shouldn’t have handled it that way and explained what I should have done instead. She also told me, “You’ll make that mistake once, and you’ll never make it again.”
I agreed with her. I told her I didn’t think I would ever make that mistake again, and I meant it. That was probably the one time I made a business decision like that and walked away feeling unhappy with how I had handled it. It taught me an important lesson about setting expectations, establishing boundaries, and making sure the terms of a deal work for both sides before moving forward.
Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
One of the moments that brings me the most joy is getting our products into grocery stores, especially because our first account was the one I was just talking about. I reached out to them myself after contacting three or four other markets and never hearing back. This particular market took a little time to respond, but eventually, they got in touch with me, and as you can see, we were able to get our products into their stores.
After that, we started getting into a couple of other markets that I had contacted. One of our more recent accounts is literally right up the street from us. I had reached out to them a couple of times without hearing anything, and then, out of the blue, they contacted me and said they would love for me to stop by with some samples. Once they tried the product, they were enthusiastic about it. They really got behind it, and they’re one of the stores I mentioned earlier that placed a double order.
Experiences like that have made me much more comfortable reaching out to retailers. I will introduce myself, explain what we do, and see if there’s an opportunity to work together. I recently contacted another market after customers came in and asked whether we could get our product into a store near them. A couple of customers had mentioned a particular store north of us, so I reached out to introduce myself again.
This time, I received an email back from the grocery manager and purchasing agent asking me to send samples and a pricing sheet. I sent everything over, and they should have received the samples a couple of days ago. Hopefully, they’ve had a chance to try them, discuss the product, and decide whether they’d like to move forward.
My plan is to give them the week and then follow up next week to see whether they received the samples, whether they have any questions, and whether there’s anything else they need from us. From there, I’ll look forward to hearing what they think.
Overall, getting into grocery stores has been a really exciting part of this journey. Seeing retailers respond to the product, place reorders, and show interest in carrying it makes all the work feel worthwhile. Every new account is another opportunity to introduce Rizzo’s to people who might not have discovered us otherwise.
Where to find us
People can find us on our website, Rizzo's. We recently created a new menu that makes it easier for customers to place orders, and we’re continually updating our online information to make the ordering process as convenient as possible.
Customers can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We post regularly to keep everyone informed about what we’re doing, including changes to our hours, updated menu items, and other news about the business.
More recently, we’ve partnered with ChowNow, and there’s a link on our website that customers can use to place delivery orders. This gives people another way to order directly through us and helps them avoid the additional delivery costs they might encounter through third-party platforms such as DoorDash and others.
People can also order our products for shipping through our website. Another option is to come into our location and take our products home frozen to enjoy later. We have customers who regularly buy our products for their children with celiac disease, take everything home frozen, and prepare it whenever their kids want it.
We offer several different ways for people to enjoy our products, whether they want to visit us in person, order for delivery, have products shipped, or stock their freezers for later. The biggest thing is making sure people know we’re here, understand what we offer, and know how easy it is to get our products.
Piece of Advice
The biggest piece of advice I would give someone is not to let fear stop them from pursuing an idea. If you allow fear to hold you back, you may always look back and wonder, “What if I had tried this? What if I hadn’t tried it? How would my life be different today if I had taken that chance?”
I’ve always told my wife that fear is one of the biggest things I have to deal with. However, I learned from my first experience in business, when I was doing fix-and-flips, that I can’t let fear stop me. I have to push through it, no matter how difficult things get.
If you have an idea or something you want to try, take the time to figure out how to make it happen. Do your research, understand what you need to do, and work through the steps required to get everything in place. You don’t have to have every answer immediately, but you do have to be willing to put in the work and take that first step.
Ultimately, don’t let fear stop you from trying. You may encounter challenges along the way, but you’ll learn from them. I think it’s better to give something a genuine chance than to spend years wondering what might have happened if you had gone for it.
Community Callout
I’d like to give a shout-out to Dee, the owner of Dee’s One Smart Cookie in Glastonbury, Connecticut. She’s the person we get our gluten-free desserts from, and she’s also one of the business owners I mentioned earlier who helped me learn an important lesson about making business decisions.
She was the person I reached out to when I was discussing the situation with the grocery account and the delivery costs. She told me that I wouldn’t make that mistake again, and she was right. She had experienced something similar earlier in her own career, so she understood exactly what I was going through.
It’s helpful to have someone you can call who has already been through those experiences and can offer honest advice. As she explained to me, you learn quickly what not to do. I appreciate having someone like Dee in my corner, both as a fellow business owner and as someone who understands the challenges that come with building a business.
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Rizzo's and Co-Founder, Kevin Rizzo, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!
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