• by Danielle Oster , September 14, 2023

Pepperoni and pizza wouldn’t be the same without each other. Pepperoni consistently ranks as the top pizza topping in the U.S., so it make sense that the culinary combo has its own marketing holiday -- and the biggest pepperoni purveyor is definitely here for it.

Hormel is going whole hog in its marketing for National Pepperoni Pizza Day, Sept. 20. Starting yesterday, the brand opened an online Pepperoni Pizza Pop-Up Shop hocking pepperoni-themed items.

In a statement, Hormel Pepperoni senior brand manager Samantha Hovland said the “first-of-its-kind online store” was designed to celebrate “the passion that millions of fans have for pepperoni pizza.”

The shop will release new items daily, covering everything from an “In Case of Cheese Pizza Break Glass” display case with a pack of Hormel Pepperoni inside, to custom pepperoni-themed art created by Minnesota-based artist Elizabeth Leyk. The brand clearly has a sense of humor about the initiative, with yesterday’s wearables drop including a pepperoni pizza locket, pepperoni pizza earrings, and “I Only Stand For Pepperoni” socks. Today’s home decor offering includes a door mat and pool mat. The campaign concludes with a final “mystery box” category release.

To pep fans up about the shop, Hormel teamed up with Adam Richman, the host of the History Channel’s documentary series “Food That Built America” for a “The Place That Built Pepperoni” video.