You’ve probably never eaten chocolate ravioli. Neither had Stephanie Berwick — until she made it for the World Food Championships.
What started as a side project in competitive cooking is now a frozen food brand in 250+ stores across the country. After a few pop-ups and 150,000 ravioli made by hand, Pastazerts has grown from novelty to national.
What we cover:
- Why packaging alone can close a retail deal
- How hand-making products builds leverage with manufacturers
- The hidden costs and challenges of scaling a frozen brand
Start by doing it yourself. Stephanie made the first 150,000 ravioli by hand in a commercial kitchen. “I wouldn’t change a thing,” she says. “If I hadn’t done it myself, I don’t think I’d feel confident enough now to push back with manufacturers.”
Raise small, grow fast. Stephanie wasn’t comfortable asking for money, so she raised $25,000 in debt from friends and colleagues. “It’s eye-opening to ask your former colleagues, former bosses, and parents and family for help,” she says. The money was gone immediately, but it took Pastazerts from 50 to 250 stores in four months.
Packaging is the first thing buyers look at. Some retail buyers will make decisions based on packaging alone, without ever tasting the product. “Hiring a packaging designer is worth it,” Stephanie says. “They know all the FDA rules, where the UPC needs to go, things most founders don’t know, or don’t want to know.”
Frozen food makes everything harder — and more expensive. Cold storage, insulated shipping, and higher distributor fees add up quickly. Even with fast delivery, a package left outside on a hot day can melt. Frozen DTC became too expensive to scale, and today, 95% of Pastazerts’ sales come from retail and foodservice.
Nothing beats an in-store demo. “Dessert pasta” is unfamiliar. But once people try it, they buy it. Stephanie does in-store demos herself or hires an agency to run them. It’s an investment, but it works.
“Not your nonna’s ravioli”
Frozen by the numbers
70–80% of PO: Actual take-home after chargebacks, promos, and free fills
10–25% gross margin: Typical for frozen, once you factor in storage, shipping, and distributor cuts
45–60 days: Distributor payment terms
6–8 weeks lead time: Packaging timeline, especially for custom or overseas orders
Try this if you’re building something from scratch
Run a pop-up or demo. Even if it’s just you and a folding table, You’ll learn more about product-market fit in one hour than in a month of Googling.
Take one real step today. Register your LLC. Reach out to a co-packer. Share a sample. Tiny moves build real momentum.
Talk to someone who’s done it before. Join a Slack community, DM a LinkedIn contact, apply to an accelerator. No matter what stage you’re in, connecting with other founders is crucial.
The full Pastazerts playbook: The cold truth about launching a frozen food brand
🥙 And for those who came for that $15,000 quesadilla recipe, let’s start cookin’.
