T. Marzetti has a history that stretches back to 1896, when Theresa and Joseph Marzetti came to America and opened a small restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to its great food, it was especially known for its house-made salad dressings and sauces. Some customers would buy and take bottles home with them.
By 1955, the upstairs of the restaurant became a full-scale factory, and soon Theresa Marzetti’s dressings were appearing in grocery stores throughout Ohio. Now that side hustle is a $1.8 billion business, still specializing in sauces and salad dressings but, after several acquisitions, the Marzetti portfolio encompasses bakery (via the 1978 purchase of New York Bakery, famous for its Texas Toast, and Sister Schubert’s rolls), Chatham Village croutons, Inn Maid, Reames and Amish Kitchen noodles and even Romanoff caviar.
The 29-person team based in its Lewis Center, Ohio, Innovation Center was the top vote-getter in our 2024 R&D Teams of the Year competition, besting Flowers Foods in the large-company category in a tight race. Egglife Foods, winner in the small category, will be profiled next month. We had 940 votes cast – thank you to all who participated.
“Ideas can come from everywhere, but most come from our culinary group, product developers, marketing, as well as our foodservice customers,” says Steve Hill, chief science & technology officer. Hill worked in product development nearly 25 years for Kraft Foods in suburban Chicago and came to Marzetti to lead the team in 2017.
In 1969, Marzetti was acquired by Lancaster Colony, at the time primarily an investment firm, but it since has focused entirely on running and expanding the T. Marzetti food business, often by acquisitions.
One of Hill’s first jobs was to create the Innovation Center. As the company grew and acquisitions were added, product developers, food safety experts, quality and regulatory teams were spread among several locations, some located at plants. A growth spurt made it clear a central location was necessary to continue that growth.
Now product developers, packaging and culinary scientists along with quality, food safety and regulatory teammates work together at the 45,000-sq.-ft. Innovation Center, which was completed in 2019. The site just celebrated its five-year anniversary with an open house for the neighborhood.
The group has more than 25 product, process and package developers and research chefs, among others, who support not just the Marzetti-owned brands but also partners with licensed brands, such as Chick-fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse and Subway. The group commercialized more than 100 new or improved products, processes, and packages in the past year alone and has a pipeline brimming with new technology and restaurant-quality innovations.
The Innovation Center also has pilot plant and sensory lab facilities to aid in accelerated product development.
“There are two paths for R&D: one for retail and one for foodservice,” says Hill. The process follows the Stage Gate model. “The retail model starts with consumer insight, identifying a consumer need or desire. We validate that need and determine if we have a viable idea and the ability to commercialize the product.
“After we validate the concept, we enter the design phase, where the commercialization plan is agreed upon, then we proceed to the development phase, where we take a look at our own processes. During this stage we are designing and testing the packaging and process to produce the product.”
The process is a little different for foodservice. “The initial ideas often come from our foodservice customers. It could be a very specific product idea or a more general concept. Then the R&D team takes over and builds prototypes to bring the ideas to life.” Foodservice customers are mostly quick-serve restaurants and family/casual dining chains, but Marzetti also has a large branded business where the Marzetti branded products are brought into foodservice operations.
Among the products, in both categories, launched in the past year are Marzetti’s Simply Dressed salad dressings, a line that actually started 10 years ago “but needed a refresh,” Hill says. The clean-label concept was maintained but the relaunch stressed novel flavors, low sugar and “sensible” calories (usually less than 50 per serving).
Marzetti’s dressings and sauces background led to new and improved vegetable dips. New bakery products are coming in September that Hill says have big potential.
Marzetti has transitioned foodservice successes like Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings sauces into restaurant-branded products in the retail space. Marzetti licensed the Buffalo Wild Wings brand to introduce all sauces into grocery stores. Shoppers also can buy their own Arby’s Sauce and Horsey Sauce. Same for Bibibop Asian cooking sauces. And a variety of Chick-fil-A chicken condiments.
Years ago, Marzetti co-developed Signature Italian Dressing with Olive Garden (Darden) restaurants, and that product was a hit at retail when it was launched in 2012. In the past year, Marzetti sent Balsamic and Ceasar dressings under the Olive Garden brand to grocery stores.
“We learned from Olive Garden dressings that iconic favorites from strong restaurant brands translate very well in the retail space,” Hill says.
Marzetti licensed Subway’s name for a line of four sauces -- Creamy Italian MVP, Creamy MVP, Sweet Onion Teriyaki and Baja Chipotle – for made-at-home sandwiches. “Social media influences have been suggesting novel uses beyond sandwiches,” Hill notes. “That’s been a huge boost.”
And of course, there’s plenty more in the pipeline. Marzetti-branded products will be easy to spot, but less obvious are the licensed brands, and even more surreptitious are the sauces and dressings served in restaurants. Says Hill, “Our R&D team is the creative engine behind The Better Food Company.”
