OUR HISTORY
We owe it all to a horse named Pete
Our story goes back to the Johns family’s great-grandparents who met on a ship immigrating from Germany in the 1800’s. Initially, great-grandma rejected great-grandad’s marriage proposal because he didn’t own a business. Great-granddad, who didn’t speak much English, but was already a proficient baker, quickly bought a bakery in Brooklyn, NY with the understanding that the owner would stay around to introduce him to the customers and settle into the business. Unfortunately, the morning after the purchase the former owner was nowhere to be found and the bread had been baked ready for sale. So great-granddad decided to load the wagon, hitch up the bakery’s horse, “Pete”, and set out to see if he could find some buyers. Soon thereafter, Pete stopped and refused to proceed. Great-granddad dismounted the wagon to have a little head-to-head consultation with this stubborn horse who obviously didn’t know German. “Mid discussion”, the proprietor of the store where Pete had stopped came out to see why he hadn’t received his delivery yet. It didn’t take great-granddad long to realize he didn’t need reins to tell old Pete where to go. And that’s how Roffman’s Royal Rye went on to become The Bread of Brooklyn, and the ensuing generations came to be!
Great-granddad’s son-in-law, Bob Johns, took a different route in the food industry becoming the Director of Research and Development in the early years of the then world’s largest boxed beef supplier, Iowa Beef Packers (“IBP”). With only an 8th grade education, Bob tested different packaging films’ strengths and their ability to repel oxygen resulting in extended shelf life and revolutionizing the meat industry! Bob Johns and his sons, operating as Prepared Foods, Inc., went on to become the largest producer of value-added meats for the quick serve restaurant (“QSR”) segment providing restaurant ready meats to five of the top seven largest fast-food chains. One of their industry changing innovations was the use of inert gas and vacuum packaging to enable restaurants to serve sliced meat items without on-site slicers and scale systems. They also invented a now widely used process to make lower cost, high quality meats for restaurants, delis, and now retailers.
The legacy of a passion for hard work, meticulous attention to detail, and the creation of innovative food products continues to be passed down from generation to generation with specialization in the development and distribution
of food products for restaurants and retail establishments nationwide. Today, John Johns, President of Pizzazzy Foods, Inc. with his son John Jr., Chief Operating Officer, continue to efficiently improve the quality of restaurant ready foods to enhance their customer’s profitability while honoring the traditions and pride in their family's work.
