Central Foods teams up with The White Rabbit Pizza Co to offer vegan and gluten-free pizza bases for foodservice

One of the UK’s leading frozen food distributors, Central Foods, is launching a new range of vegan and gluten-free pizza bases for the foodservice sector after teaming up with the award-winning White Rabbit Pizza Company.

The deal marks the debut of the successful White Rabbit Pizza Company brand into the frozen foodservice sector and comes just in time for Veganuary 2021.

Central Foods is supplying the 10-inch and 12-inch versions of White Rabbit’s outrageously tasty vegan and gluten-free raised crust, stone-baked pizza bases – known as nudies.

The partnership means that foodservice sector professionals can now buy the delicious pizza bases – giving them the opportunity to add their own toppings to create authentic free-from pizzas to serve in their venues.

Founded by Nick Croft-Simon and Matteo Ferrari, who previously worked together at The White Rabbit Pub in Oxford, the White Rabbit already produces a range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free pizzas to the retail sector, which are available in outlets including Waitrose, Booths, Sainsbury’s, Planet Organic and Wholefoods.   

Gordon Lauder, MD of frozen food distributor Central Foods, said: “The White Rabbit Pizza Company has an outstanding reputation for making amazing pizzas, and we are excited to be able to offer their stone-baked pizza bases to the foodservice sector.

“Being vegan and gluten-free, the pizza bases are suitable for customers with dietary requirements but will be equally as popular with all diners. Offering items that suit two different dietary requirements – vegan and gluten-free – helps to avoid menu proliferation and makes it easier for foodservice professionals, which is especially important in the challenging times we currently find ourselves operating in.

“We are very pleased to be supporting The White Rabbit Pizza Company with their launch into the frozen foodservice sector. It means that wholesalers and caterers throughout the UK can work their own special magic on the pizza bases to ensure everyone is able to enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures…authentic pizzas.”

Matteo and Nick were both working at The White Rabbit Pub – Matteo in the kitchen and Nick in the bar – when they came up with the idea of gluten-free, vegan pizzas after spotting that a number of diners were missing out due to their dietary requirements.

Matteo said: “Since founding The White Rabbit in 2015, the business has grown rapidly, and we’re chuffed to be partnering with Central Foods in the foodservice sector.

“Traditionally, pizza is an inclusive meal to be shared by all, and we wanted to carry this into our ethos as a brand: ultimately, the idea was to have people of all diets around the same dinner table eating the same meal, whether they’re coeliac, vegan or an eater of everything. Our partnership with Central Foods will help us to continue to achieve this aim.”