Tutta Bella maximizes the value of their business expansion with enterprise resource planning system training

Company Profile

As it did for many small businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic proved challenging for Tutta Bella, a popular artisan pizza company with multiple restaurant locations in the Seattle area. The company, which began as a pizzeria, had been expanding by adding a USDA-inspected commercial and manufacturing division. The pandemic was the catalyst that prompted further growth in that direction, and Tutta Bella worked with Impact Washington to help make it happen.

Situation

During the pandemic, Tutta Bella closed its Bellevue restaurant and manufacturing location and purchased a 15,000-square-foot facility in Seattle to expand its in-house fresh food manufacturing operations. In Bellevue, Tutta Bella was producing about 2,700 items per day in a cramped space, and the move to Seattle aimed to increase production to 5,000 items per day. The fresh products, such as Tutta Bella sauce, take-and-bake pizzas, and more, are sold at stores including Costco, Fred Meyer, and QFC. This expansion also required the company to grow from 43 employees in Bellevue to about 150 in Seattle.

Solution

When Tutta Bella moved into the new production facility in the summer of 2023, everything was new: processes, equipment, employees, products, and an enterprise resource planning business system. Training was partially funded by the Washington State Board of Education's Job Skills Program through Seattle Colleges, with Impact Washington conducting the training.

"Impact Washington has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Our staff did not have the skills and knowledge to select and implement an ERP without the training provided," said Tutta Bella’s Ian Kasman, director of business systems. The extensive ERP and business systems training was part of a thorough two-year program.

On-the-job training courses were designed for employees and took place five days a week. Extensive testing and training were necessary to ensure staff were ready to operate all aspects of the new facility. Once everything was up and running, employees were trained on how to measure performance and adjust as needed to maximize success.

Results

• Increased/Retained Sales: $3 Million
• Jobs Created/Retained: 110
• Investments: $8.1 Million
• Cost Savings/Avoided Investment: $5 Million