Pizza Cone?

The next fast food craze?

Taylor's, an Indianapolis bakery, founded in 1913, has been hand-picked by a group of investors and Italian inventors who are bringing the new Pizza Cone to the United States.

Pizza Cone? Exactly what it sounds like. A cone made of pizza dough stuffed with ingredients like cheese, pepperoni and pizza sauce and then eaten on the go like an ice cream cone.

Taylor's has signed an agreement with Hilton Head, S.C.-based Pino Gelato to be the sole producer of the cone for all of North America.

The equipment arrived at the Allisonville Road location a few weeks ago. Production is set to begin in a month. 


"Everyone thinks it's going to be the next hula hoop," said John Allen, who runs Taylor's along with his two sons, Matt and Drew. "It's been very secretive and under the radar. There are few units like it in the world."


The cone already is available in Italy, Japan, Korea and Australia, where it is marketed as Pizza Hands.  The product was invented by the Italian company Conoitaliano, which recently formed a joint venture with Pino Gelato, giving it exclusive retail rights to distribute Pizza Cones in North America.


Right now the cone is being sold only in Hilton Head, S.C.,  by Ramona Fantini, the owner of Pino Gelato's retail store. The company still is completing licensing and legal deals for the cone.  "We are talking with several folks but we have no firm commitments," she said.

The average price for a cone, which holds the ingredients of a slice-and-a-half of pizza, is $3.25 to $3.50.

However, Fantini says other varieties of cones also will be on the market, including Mexican-stuffed, Jersey-style hot dog and a breakfast cone.

Taylor's expects to be producing thousands of the cones each year. And in this economy, growth is a rarity for just about any business.

"We feel like this is a really big deal for us," Allen said.