HARRY'S PIZZA - A FAMILY STORY OF SUCCESS

I love pizza! You? I was perusing FB the other day and saw something pop up about a place here in Minnesota called Harry's Pizza.  I had never heard of it before. so I thought I would dig a little deeper, and boy am I glad I did.  Harry's was established by Harry & Carol Zenzen in Elrosa, Minnesota. They passed it on to their children, and I reached out to Mike who now owns Harry's Pizza along with his sister Kayla. Here's our conversation.

Photo by Cheryl Koenig Kampsen
Photo by Amy Zenzen
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Harry's is a family business that was passed on to you and your sister by your parents. Did you grow up making pizza with your parents? Or were you involved in the business as kids?

Mike: Absolutely! We grew up at the pizza shop—it was like a second home to us. Whether we were hanging out while our parents worked or helping with chores like taking out the garbage and putting crusts on cardboard, we were always involved. When we got tired, our parents would push chairs together so we could take naps right there.

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Mike always had a vision of taking over the family business and earned a degree in sales to prepare for it. Kayla pursued finance, knowing she wanted to apply her skills to help grow the family business. In May 2022, they officially became the new owners of Harry’s Pizza.

Photo by Cheryl Koenig Kampsen
Photo by Cheryl Koenig Kampsen
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How did your family go about bringing Harry's Pizza to the market, and why pizza? Was it a family recipe?

Mike: Interestingly, it wasn’t a family recipe that started it all.

Harry initially invested in a frozen foods company that was focused on making convenience store sandwiches. When that venture didn’t work out, he became the sole owner and rebranded the business as Harry’s Frozen Foods, moving it to Elrosa, MN.

The first product was Harry’s Hungerbuster, a microwaveable sandwich, but Harry quickly pivoted to frozen pizzas. That decision laid the foundation for the company’s success today.

Do you and Kayla have any new plans for Harry's Pizza?

Mike: Our main goal is to continue growing the business. We’re focused on expanding the areas we serve and incorporating new technologies and automation into our production process to increase efficiency and scale.

What makes Harry's Pizza unique?

We take pride in being family-owned and operated and are passionate about providing the freshest product possible. Our motto, “The Freshest Frozen Pizza on the Market,” reflects this commitment. Most of our pizzas are on the road to customers within 24 hours of production, which sets us apart from competitors.

Photo by Cheryl Koenig Kampsen
Photo by Amy Zenzen
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Can people buy Harry's Pizza in stores?

Mike: This is an area we’re actively working on. Currently, our pizzas are available in some retail locations within the regions we serve, including convenience stores and local food markets. Beyond that, you’ll find our pizzas at bars and bowling alleys.

Do you have any specialty pizzas?

Mike: We do! Some of our most popular specialty pizzas include the Big 4 Meat, Chicken Bacon Ranch, Chicken Alfredo, and Buffalo Chicken.

I read that you work with fundraising efforts for those interested in selling pizzas. How does that work?

Mike: Fundraising has become one of the fastest-growing aspects of our business. We partner with schools, churches, booster clubs, and other organizations. Groups contact us with their information, and we provide menus and pricing. From there, they handle the selling.

Our fundraisers vary in scale—some sell 200 pizzas, while others sell as many as 5,000. We’re proud of how flexible we can be for each group, making the process as simple and stress-free as possible for organizers.

Anything you would like to share?

Mike: Yes! One surprising service we offer is for concession stands. This is a fantastic event option because it provides great margins, no waste, fresh pizzas in just 10 minutes, and eliminates the guesswork for organizers.

If you would like to check out Harry's Pizza, click HERE now to learn more.

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