Risk & Business Magazine F.A. Peabody Insurance Fall 2015 | Page 31

On the Rise - Dabesta Pizza
The Finest Pizza Dough on the Planet

BY: KEN WHITE, WCP, SALES MANAGER, FA PEABODY INSURANCE

Derek Robishaw literally grew up in a
convenience store; his parents ran the
store and the family lived in an apartment
overhead. From this experience Derek
learned two things: he liked the idea of
being self-employed and that he did not
want to be in the retail convenience store
business. After college, Derek worked for
a large New England bakery. Beginning
in distribution, he quickly became a
supervisor. The money was good but the
hours were long. He decided that if he
was going to work 70 hours per week,
he may as well get the satisfaction of
running his own business. He enjoyed
the food industry and his entrepreneurial
spirit led him to search for a niche that he
could fill. Given his experience, the pizza
business was that niche.
From 1991-1993, he did extensive
market research. Industry friends
were very willing to help test his initial
development recipes for the product he
had chosen, pizza dough. He continued
to work on his new pizza dough until he
got the recipe and the process perfected.
Unlike pre-baked pizza crust, Dabesta
Pizza dough could be fresh frozen which
made for a fresher product that tasted
better, was healthier and easier for the
pizza maker to roll and stretch. After
three long years of market research and
experimentation Derek was “ready to
roll”.

Derek is very strict on the products
used to make the dough, allowing no
chemicals into the product and only
using one brand of flour. Dabesta only
uses unbleached and unbromated flour.
Using chemical free flour translates to a
dough that has better taste with no acid
after taste, allows the flavor of the cheese
and tomato paste to stand out and makes
for an easier to work with dough.

Since its founding, 21 years ago, Dabesta
Pizza continues to grow rapidly while
adding new products that fit its niche in
the industry. It manufactures the dough
ball in multiple sizes to meet the different
pizza measurements of their customers.
They also offer several flavors of dough
including: garlic, basil, beer, to name a
few, and they make thin crust, deep dish
and no pizza oven doughs.

The dough making process is also unique
for achieving a better quality dough. It
starts with a special water quality control
system, where the water is first filtered,
chilled, and measured. The cold water
ensures the dough is chilled until it hits
the freezer. Mixing in small batches is
another essential part of the process. As
for test quality, Derek sells fresh pizza
during lunch time, 5 days a week, from
his small retail shop located at the front
of his facility on Thatcher Street in
Bangor.

Derek remains honestly excited about
his business and what the future holds
for Dabesta. In fact, Derek stated, “I’m
here almost every weekend because I
like it. It’s fun for me”. At heart, he
especially loves sales and the interaction
with people. The long term plan is for his
younger son to enter the business upon
completing college. As his son learns the
operations side of the enterprise Derek
will become more focused on sales. As
Derek states, there’s plenty of room for
growth and we have the facility that can
handle it.

Dabesta Pizza sets itself apart by their
strong product focus. Dabesta, formerly
known as Maine Pizza Supply, started out
as both a manufacturer of pizza dough
as well as a distributor of pizza products.
Taking the focus off of the niche market
and the manufacturing side simply didn’t
work. Therefore, Dabesta Pizza has
focused exclusively on pizza dough for the
past 21 years.
Ken White, Sales Manager for F. A.
Peabody Company, is the Agent for
Dabesta Pizza. Ken specializes in
commercial retail, wholesale and
manufacturing accounts.

John “JD” Donnelly, Plant manager
Derek Robishaw, President
RISK & BUSINESS MAGAZINETM FALL 2015

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