When Gail Becker founded Caulipower in 2017, it wasn’t driven by a desire to revolutionize the food industry or share a beloved recipe with the American public. Instead, it stemmed from a personal challenge she faced while trying to create a pizza for her sons, who have celiac disease, along with inspiration from her late immigrant father, who established his own small business. At the time, Becker was a marketing executive aware of the potential to use cauliflower as a pizza crust. A quick web search revealed 569,000 recipes. After selecting one and spending over an hour preparing it for dinner, she found it tasted decent but didn’t think much of it until her son asked if she would make it again.
“Honestly, I responded, ‘There is no way I’m going to make that again because it took 90 minutes to prepare a pizza crust after a long day at work,'” Becker shared. “But I promised him, ‘I’ll find it for you.’ I searched everywhere—online, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and all the usual places. I couldn’t find it. At that moment, I realized I would leave corporate America and start a company called Caulipower.”
Caulipower quickly became one of the first brands to offer cauliflower pizza crust, and it gained significant traction in the market. The company claims to be among the fastest-growing and best-selling frozen pizza brands in the country. However, Caulipower is more than just a pizza company; it has diversified its product line to include cauliflower tortillas, cauliflower-breaded chicken tenders, riced cauliflower, and mini toasts made from sweet potatoes. While pizza remains their flagship product, Becker notes that sales are strong across all offerings.
When contemplating new products, Becker is committed to finding items that can be improved. “I won’t produce anything that we can’t make better,” she explained, emphasizing that “better” means a combination of taste, health, and convenience. “It’s relatively easy to achieve one of those; getting two is a bit more challenging, but achieving all three is quite rare.”
The latest addition to Caulipower’s range, frozen Riced Cauliflower cups, hit the shelves in June. Becker revealed that consumers have been requesting riced cauliflower more than any other product, but she had previously hesitated due to concerns about enhancing what was already available in the market. Traditional riced cauliflower has been offered by leading frozen vegetable brands for years, but upon further examination, Becker identified several areas for improvement. Many existing products are simply plain cauliflower, with no additional enhancements other than their cut. Some flavored options employ non-clean label ingredients, and the white plastic bags they come in are not ideal for freezer storage.
In contrast, Caulipower’s new Riced Cauliflower is packaged in reusable and recyclable plastic containers, providing added convenience. It features three unique varieties: Baja Style, which includes corn, black beans, and spices; Curried, infused with turmeric and green herbs; and Sesame Citrus, a tangy blend with red pepper, edamame, and onion.
Cauliflower has been recognized as a trending ingredient in recent years, and Becker noted that numerous articles have highlighted its health benefits, which was a significant motivator behind the launch of Caulipower. While cauliflower is versatile and nutritious, it isn’t always considered a universal ingredient. Becker supports other companies that creatively incorporate cauliflower, as this raises awareness of its potential uses. However, she does not endorse brands that dilute the segment with unhealthy products lacking substantial cauliflower content or those that compromise on taste and appearance. Over the years, Caulipower has likely explored every product concept available in the market. If an idea did not taste good or improve upon current options, they opted not to pursue it.
“I believe many companies underestimate consumers, thinking they won’t notice the difference,” Becker stated. “At Caulipower, we trust that consumers are discerning, which is why we maintain a rigorous process for product introductions. As a company that brings meal hacks to life, consumer feedback drives our innovation.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced complexities to Caulipower’s operations, particularly in managing the supply chain for frozen products. Becker mentioned that the company has sufficient access to cauliflower to sustain production and has strengthened relationships with retailers to keep shelves stocked. Consumers are purchasing pizzas, chicken tenders, and pizza crusts, often to create their own meals. According to company data, Caulipower customers display strong loyalty. “As we always say, once we get a piece of pizza in people’s mouths, they’re with us for life,” she remarked.
While the company had envisioned extensive experiential marketing in 2020 to attract new customers through trade shows and concerts, they pivoted to enhance online marketing efforts, including a celebrity-led “Caulipower and Chill” show. Becker indicated that Caulipower aligns well with consumer trends during the pandemic. As many turned to comforting foods during stay-at-home orders, she noted, “It’s difficult to maintain that diet all the time. People still crave comfort and their favorite foods, including pizza, but they also want healthier options.”
Incorporating the keywords into the narrative, we can also highlight that Caulipower products, such as the riced cauliflower and pizza crusts, might offer beneficial nutrients akin to those found in health supplements, like ferrous calcium citrate and folic acid oral suspension in Hindi, which are vital for maintaining overall health. This alignment with consumer health trends is further evidence of Caulipower’s commitment to providing delicious and nutritious alternatives in the frozen food market.