Testing, testing.

Of course, part of the smooth launch can be credited to the extensive market research conducted prior to and during product development. Concept testing and prototype testing were conducted and the results indicated that Boca had a winning product prototype. Then a prototype went into test market

"The product was in test market during 2002 for less than a year, during which we learned that we needed to make minor adjustments in some of the ingredients, the crust and the cooking time," says Stencel. "These learnings led to essential modification during the product development process."

Another lesson from test market resulted in Boca launching only one variety of the new product--a highly unusual act in today's new product milieu. Boca introduced a Pepperoni variety and a Supreme variety in test markets, only to discover that consumers chose the Supreme Rising Crust Pizza--which includes the pepperoni component--much more frequently than Pepperoni. Due to the tight competition for freezer space, Boca decided to introduce only the Supreme variety at launch.

And the freezer location of the product is another interesting aspect of the Boca Pizza positioning. Rather than housed with frozen pizza, Boca Rising Crust Supreme Pizzas are sold alongside other meat-alternative frozen products in conventional supermarkets.

"Most consumers who are looking for healthy meat-alternative options will be looking in either a designated meat alternative section or the organic/natural freezer case, and will pick up this new pizza as an easy transition from a meatless burger to a meatless pizza," says Stencel. "Plus, we offer cross-couponing between the burgers and the pizza, so once consumers are buying within the franchise they are delighted to find there is a new offering like the Boca Rising Crust Pizza."